Merchandise stores have a couple of objectives. They need to make a decision on the price that they re willing to sell the merchandise, and the quality of service that they need to give customers, that’s basically it. There are a couple of well known department stores in the world and they are Wal-Mart http://www.walmart.com/ and Target http://www.target.com/. A department store can have the option of setting high prices for items and providing quality service, or they can become a discount store.
A discount store sells items a frugal price but provide little to none customer service. Target is a discount store and that’s why they are so distinguished. They provide good customer service, and high quality brand name products. Target prices are extremely competitive because they sell well known material with a nice discount. A merchandising business makes their income by the purchasing and selling of goods. Every merchandising company whether it’s wholesale or resale uses a similar accounting formula. For a retail company the management is a difficult task because the buying and then selling of goods make it an uneasy task. The accountings for a merchandidng business compared to that of a manufacturing business are just about equal.
The cash flow management is important for a merchandising business and it requires organizing a company’s receipts and payments of money. If a company is not capable of paying their bills when they are needed then that is when they will go out of business. This is very true for merchandising business, and the goods that are sold are known as merchandise inventory. The normal transactions that merchandising business go through is known as the operating cycle. First, the business purchases the merchandise inventory, and pay for it on either cash or credit and second, they sell the merchandise inventory for wither cash or credit. What’s risky about a merchandising business is because the purchases are usually made on credit which means that they have to wait some time before they actually receive the money for it. However, this is not really a huge issue. The proper management of cash flow is extremely crucial for a merchandising business because they have to keep financing the inventory (goods in stock) until they are sold which can be risky. The financing period is the time from the purchase of goods for inventory, until the customers come in and purchase the products. This is also commonly referred as the cash gap.
So, if it takes 50 days to sell inventory, and 60 days to collect sales for it, an the creditors payment conditions are 30 days, then the financing period is 90 days. In the financial period the company will currently be out of cash and will need to borrow money from creditors such as banks if they don’t have the funds available.
A merchandising business specialist is defiantly Claire’s Stores, Inc. They specialize in selling to teenage females and young adults. They are testing what products are selling and which ones are not. Target generally has a low financial period because they usually receive payments by cash, as opposed to credit which takes longer. The sell of goods on Visa and MasterCard are considered cash sales because they take the money right from the purchaser’s account. Generally the smaller retail stores have more sales on cash then credit, while the bigger ones sales come mostly from credit.
The average merchandising store will have a combination of both. Also, cash flows is not the only concern of a merchandising business because they also take into account profitability. The reason why merchandising businesses sell goods at such a large price is so that they can have enough money left to make an income. Profitability management is a very hard task and it includes getting a decent margin, and to maintain appropriate levels of operating expenses. Getting a decent margin will depends on the appropriate pricing of merchandise, and purchasing merchandise for a fair price.
To keep the operating expenses going smoothly it depends on controlling expenses and operating everything properly. At important times throughout the year the management should compare its estimated budget to its actual one. For example, if a company has estimated that they will spend 10,000 on purchasing merchandise but actually spent $10,150 then they went over a little. However, it can be countered if they estimate that they will make $17,000 from the profit but actually ended up making $19,000.
A company must also look at home their advertising is going because if they are under spending then they may not be getting the recognition that they are looking for, but if they are overspending and not getting the results they attended then they are wasting their money. They should also pay special attention to their insurance expense as well. Another important aspect of the management system is to choose the inventory system properly.
Management must choose one or a couple of systems that will get the job done in a timely manner. There are two basic systems used in accounting for this and they are perpetual and the periodic inventory system. When using the perpetual inventory system, numerous of records are kept for the quantity available and the cost of the individual items as they are sold. This detailed system gives the management team a better chance of the wants or needs of customers because they have an idea what is in stock. The cost of an individual item in this system is recorded in the Merchandise Inventory account, and when the item is sold it is transferred to the Cost of Goods sold account.
However, for the periodic inventory system the item that is not sold is checked often, but usually towards the end of an accounting period. No records are kept for the inventory throughout the accounting period. The inventory is only accurate for the balance sheet date. The reason why some retail stores use this method is because it cuts down on the clerical work. This method is acceptable for small business, but I’m not sure it will work too well for large businesses. Generally companies that sale items in bulk amounts or high quantity but low quality such as discount retail stores will favor this method. On the other hand, companies that sell high priced but high quality but low quantity items such as jewelry stores will tend to use the perpetual inventory system.
The main transactions of merchandising businesses come from buying and selling. Merchandising business uses assets, merchandise inventory, and accounts receivable. A merchandising business is extremely opened to theft and fraud. The reason for this is its quite easy to that the cash and inventories are easy to steal and its difficult for a large company to keep track of all of the transactions that goes on each day. So, that’s why it’s extremely critical for a merchandising business to take the precautions to protect their assets which is commonly referred as internal controls.
To maintain control of the inventory, it is required in both systems to take a physical inventory. This is a physical count of the merchandise that is currently available. This can get tricky at times because humans can miscount, so accuracy is very crucial during this process. The merchandise inventory is all of the goods that will be sold in the future. These include all goods whether in boxes on the shelf or currently on the self. The ending inventory is inventory that cannot be sold, or are not intended to be sold. These include merchandise that has been damaged, but it’s a good idea to sell the damaged goods at a significantly reduced price if they can to get rid of it.
The count for the business is usually taken at the end of the fiscal year or when the business will significantly slow down such as in January or February. However, they will generally do this when their store are closed, or sometimes on the weekends. It’s very common for companies to experience loss of merchandise from their own employees. When using the periodic system there is no way of finding out how this happened because the loss of merchandise is automatically included in the cost of goods sold.
For example, if a company lost $2,000 during an accounting period then that will automatically included in the cost of goods sold. However, with the perpetual system this makes it a lot easier to identify losses because the merchandise inventory account is constantly updated with sales, and returns of goods. Once the amount of loss is calculated the merchandise inventory account will be updated.
Sell that Merchandise
Got to love that accounting equation
A company’s financial position indicates the amount of resources that they have, and also the claims against those precious resources at any time. Claims can also be referred as equities. So, a company can be known as a combination of economic resources and equities. Economic Resource=Equities.
No mater what type of business your in, every type of company has two different types of equities. They are creditor’s equity and owner’s equity. In another way Economic Resources= Creditors Equities +Owners Equity. When using accounting language, the economic resources a company has at a particular time is called their assets? On the other hand the amount of creditor’s equity a company has is known as their liabilities.
So here is the standard equation of accounting or better known as the accounting equation: Assets=Liabilities + Owner’s Equity.
Similar to an algebraic equation, both sides of the equation has to be equal. This equation comes in handy when analyzing the financial effects of your everyday business activities. Let’s talk about a very important concept of any business.
Assets are known as the economic resources that a business has that are expected to generate money for them in the future. Some examples are real estate and any other property that a business own so that they can rent out to people. If a business is owed money than it goes into what is known as accounts receivable which are monetary items. However, there are some assets that are not physical. Some examples are copyrights, trademarks, and patents, but they are still extremely valuable to a business.
Next, liabilities are the obligations that a business has such as paying cash, provide future services to individuals, or transferring assets to another entity. These are known as the debt of a business or the money that they have to owe in the near future. All of these are recorded in the accounts payable.
As I’m sure you know, having a lot of debt is not fun and liabilities/debt are claims that are seen by the law. The law gives creditor (People that money is owed to) the right to push the sale of a company’s assets if they don’t pay their debt on time. Creditors have a ton of rights over owners and they have to be paid in full even before the owners receive anything. It is very possible for a debt to consume up all a company’s resources.
Next, owner’s equity refers to the claim that owners of a business make in regards to the assets they have. It is the residual interest or the remaining assets of a company after deducting the amount of entity liabilities. Here is the equation for owner’s equity. Owner equity=Assets-Liabilities.
The owner’s equity within a particular corporation is referred as stockholders equity, so the equation then looks like this. Assets=Liabilities +Stockholder’s Equity.
The stockholders equity has two distinct parts which are the contributed capital and retained earnings. Stockholder’s Equity=Contributed Capital + Retained Earnings. The amount than an individual stockholder puts into a business is known as the contributed capital. Contributed capital is usually divided into two separate parts known as par value and “par value” and “additional paid in capital.” The retained earnings are the amount of equity that is earned by stockholders from the income generating activities of a business that are kept for future uses by a business. Retained earnings are affected by three types of transactions which are revenues, expenses, and dividends.
The increase and decrease in a stock are known as revenues and expenses respectively and these come from operating a business whether online or offline. If you’re online than an operating expense that you will have if you have your own website is your domain name and hosting service. Another example is if a customer agrees to pay you in the near future for a service that the company will perform. The money is recorded in the accounts receivable (asset account) which increase the asset value but decrease the stock holder’s equity amount which is an example of revenue. However, if a company promises to provide a service in the future than this is known as an expense.
When this happens the assets decrease (accounts receivable) and the liabilities (accounts payable) is increased, which makes pretty good sense right? When the revenues exceed the expenses this is known as the net income which is good, and on the other hand when expenses are greater than revenues than this is known as net loss which means that you’re losing business or your business costs more to operate than what you make. Dividends are the distribution of assets to stockholders which refer to the past earnings.
Do not confuse expenses with dividends, because they both are reducing the retained earnings amount. Retained earnings are the collected net income or revenues minus expenses. The financial statements are the main way for communicating information about a business to those who have some type of interest in it. What helps me is to think of these statements as a type of model for business because they show how a business is doing in financial terms. However, like a variety of methods and models, financial statements are not perfect and have their flaws.
There are four main financial statements, and they are income statement, the statement of retained earnings, the balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows. What the income statement does is summarize the revenues earned or the money made, and the expenses or the money that is deducted from a business. Many accountants consider it the most important financial report because it makes it clear whether a business has met its profitability goal. The next one is the statement of retained earnings, and it displays the retained earnings over a period of time.
The time that the retained earnings will be zero is when a company first started out in their accounting period. A lot of companies use the statement of stockholder equity as a substitute of retained earnings. This is a more detailed statement because it displays not only the aspects of retained earnings but it also shows the changes in the stockholders equity accounts.
Next, the financial situation of a business on a particular date, usually on the end of the month or the year is the balance sheet. The balance sheet displays the value of a business according to their assets and the claims against those assets which are the liabilities and the stockholders equity.
Last, the statement of cash flows is geared towards a company’s liquidity measures. They are basically the flow and outflow of cash in a company. The net cash flow is the subtraction between the inflow and outflow of money. The statement of cash flows also display the money generated by simply operating a business, and it also displays the investing and financing transactions that occurs during a particular accounting period.
Computer Security Ethics and Privacy
Today, many people rely on computers to do homework, work, and create or store useful information. Therefore, it is important for the information on the computer to be stored and kept properly. It is also extremely important for people on computers to protect their computer from data loss, misuse, and abuse. For example, it is crucial for businesses to keep information they have secure so that hackers can’t access the information. Home users also need to take means to make sure that their credit card numbers are secure when they are participating in online transactions. A computer security risk is any action that could cause lost of information, software, data, processing incompatibilities, or cause damage to computer hardware, a lot of these are planned to do damage. An intentional breach in computer security is known as a computer crime which is slightly different from a cypercrime.
A cybercrime is known as illegal acts based on the internet and is one of the FBI’s top priorities. There are several distinct categories for people that cause cybercrimes, and they are refereed as hacker, cracker, cyberterrorist, cyberextortionist, unethical employee, script kiddie and corporate spy. The term hacker was actually known as a good word but now it has a very negative view. A hacker is defined as someone who accesses a computer or computer network unlawfully. They often claim that they do this to find leaks in the security of a network. The term cracker has never been associated with something positive this refers to someone how intentionally access a computer or computer network for evil reasons. It’s basically an evil hacker. They access it with the intent of destroying, or stealing information. Both crackers and hackers are very advanced with network skills. A cyberterrorist is someone who uses a computer network or the internet to destroy computers for political reasons. It’s just like a regular terrorist attack because it requires highly skilled individuals, millions of dollars to implement, and years of planning. The term cyperextortionist is someone who uses emails as an offensive force. They would usually send a company a very threatening email stating that they will release some confidential information, exploit a security leak, or launch an attack that will harm a company’s network.
They will request a paid amount to not proceed sort of like black mailing in a since. An unethical employee is an employee that illegally accesses their company’s network for numerous reasons. One could be the money they can get from selling top secret information, or some may be bitter and want revenge. A script kiddie is someone who is like a cracker because they may have the intentions of doing harm, but they usually lack the technical skills. They are usually silly teenagers that use prewritten hacking and cracking programs. A corporate spy has extremely high computer and network skills and is hired to break into a specific computer or computer network to steal or delete data and information. Shady companies hire these type people in a practice known as corporate espionage. They do this to gain an advantage over their competition an illegal practice. Business and home users must do their best to protect or safeguard their computers from security risks. The next part of this article will give some pointers to help protect your computer. However, one must remember that there is no one hundred percent guarantee way to protect your computer so becoming more knowledgeable about them is a must during these days. When you transfer information over a network it has a high security risk compared to information transmitted in a business network because the administrators usually take some extreme measures to help protect against security risks. Over the internet there is no powerful administrator which makes the risk a lot higher. If your not sure if your computer is vulnerable to a computer risk than you can always use some-type of online security service which is a website that checks your computer for email and Internet vulnerabilities. The company will then give some pointers on how to correct these vulnerabilities.
The Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center is a place that can do this. The typical network attacks that puts computers at risk includes viruses, worms, spoofing, Trojan horses, and denial of service attacks. Every unprotected computer is vulnerable to a computer virus which is a potentially harming computer program that infects a computer negatively and altering the way the computer operates without the user’s consent. Once the virus is in the computer it can spread throughout infecting other files and potentially damaging the operating system itself. It’s similar to a bacteria virus that infects humans because it gets into the body through small openings and can spread to other parts of the body and can cause some damage. The similarity is, the best way to avoid is preparation. A computer worm is a program that repeatedly copies itself and is very similar to a computer virus. However the difference is that a virus needs o attach itself to an executable file and become a part of it. A computer worm doesn’t need to do that I seems copies to itself and to other networks and eats up a lot of bandwidth. A Trojan Horse named after the famous Greek myth and is used to describe a program that secretly hides and actually looks like a legitimate program but is a fake. A certain action usually triggers the Trojan horse, and unlike viruses and worms they don’t replicate itself. Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are all classifies as malicious-logic programs which are just programs that deliberately harms a computer. Although these are the common three there are many more variations and it would be almost impossible to list them. You know when a computer is infected by a virus, worm, or Trojan horse if one or more of these acts happen:
- Screen shots of weird messages or pictures appear.
- You have less available memory then you expected
- Music or sounds plays randomly.
- Files get corrupted
- Programs are files don’t work properly
- Unknown files or programs randomly appear
- System properties fluctuate
Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses deliver their payload or instructions through four common ways. One, when an individual runs an infected program so if you download a lot of things you should always scan the files before executing, especially executable files. Second, is when an individual runs an infected program. Third, is when an individual bots a computer with an infected drive, so that’s why it’s important to not leave media files in your computer when you shut it down. Fourth is when it connects an unprotected computer to a network. Today, a very common way that people get a computer virus, worm, or Trojan horse is when they open up an infected file through an email attachment.
There are literally thousands of computer malicious logic programs and new one comes out by the numbers so that’s why it’s important to keep up to date with new ones that come out each day. Many websites keep track of this. There is no known method for completely protecting a computer or computer network from computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, but people can take several precautions to significantly reduce their chances of being infected by one of those malicious programs.
Whenever you start a computer you should have no removable media in he drives. This goes for CD, DVD, and floppy disks. When the computer starts up it tries to execute a bot sector on the drives and even if it’s unsuccessful any given various on the bot sector can infect the computer’s hard disk. If you must start the computer for a particular reason, such as the hard disk fails and you are trying to reformat the drive make sure that the disk is not infected.
Eliminating your addiction with self-help tapes
Self improvement tapes help you to achieve your goal of quitting by detailed instructions. Full audio support can make a difference when you don have the time for lengthy therapy sessions and just don have the privilege of affording them. I have included some of the data which the tapes features and what it could do to help you along the way.
Hypnosis is an amazing tool for self-help. There is nothing as pleasant as allowing yourself to sink into a nice and easy trance and meditation from hypnosis and guided imagery. This self-esteem hypnosis tape is dedicated to helping you gain control over your life and your health by just sitting back and allowing the guided imagery to lead you to a healthy life and general self-esteem.
This self-esteem hypnosis tape is a safe and effortless way to aid in your goal to better health by inducing a trance state. It should be used at least a couple of times a day. It is important to find a quiet and secure place to listen to this hypnosis tape. It should never be played while operating a car and works best in complete isolation.
Pets often find a trance inducing tool such as this self-help tape intriguing and will try and be part of it so make sure they are out of the room before listening. I would also suggest that you keep the room semi-dark for the best trance quality. Allow yourself not to work hard at oing it right.?All you need to do is let yourself go and enjoy the meditation trance state that develops naturally.
The self help tape or a CD ttain and experience Inner Peace with -Tools For Balanced Living? Is an example. ools For Balanced Living?is a Mindfulness Practice that guides you toward personal insight, body awareness, yoga postures and meditation. The Sedona Method will show you how to tap your natural ability to let go of any unwanted thought or feeling on the spot even when you are right in the middle of life greatest challenges.
This will free you to quickly and easily have all that you choose including the following: unshakable inner security, more money, better relationships, more radiant health and well being, more effective goal achievement plus break bad habits and other self-sabotaging behaviors, lose weight, stop smoking and sleep better.
THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY by by Susan Jeffers. Arrow (1987) 1991. How to turn your fear and indecision into confidence and action. As well as UR OWN HANDS - A BOOK OF SELF-HELP THERAPY?by Sheila Ernst and Lucy Goodison describes all kinds of therapy, from bodywork to psychoanalytically-based therapies, shows with sensitivity and clarity how to use those techniques which can actually free us and help us, and gives exercises to use in a self-help situation.
It is also important to realize that this meditation self-help and self-esteem tape is only one highly effective aid in your plan to induce self-esteem successfully. A good dietary program, exercise, and acupuncture will make your self-help program permanent over time. All you need is to assess the problems you need to focus on first as there are a lot of self-help topics which these audio books have.
Due to the fact that they all do have good results doesn mean you don need to chose which is right for you. Handpicking your choices can make a better difference and you can do it at your own home.
How to Become an Ideal Leader
When you are at work, do you get frustrated because things don't seem to be happening the way theye supposed to be? You see people milling around but nothing gets accomplished. And in the daily hustle and bustle, do you feel that your goals remain just that ?goals. Then maybe its time for you to stand up and do something about it.
Most people are content just to stand around listening for orders. And it isn't unusual to adopt a follow-the-leader mentality. But maybe, somewhere inside of you, you feel the desire to make things happen ?to be the head, not the tail. Then maybe leadership just suits you fine.
Some people believe that great leaders are made, not born. Yes, it may be true that some people are born with natural talents. However, without practice, without drive, without enthusiasm, and without experience, there can be no true development in leadership.
You must also remember that good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their natural skills. This takes a commitment to constantly improve in whatever endeavor a person chooses.
First of all, let's define leadership. To be a leader, one must be able to influence others to accomplish a goal, or an objective. He contributes to the organization and cohesion of a group.
Contrary to what most people believe, leadership is not about power. It is not about harassing people or driving them using fear. It is about encouraging others towards the goal of the organization. It is putting everyone on the same page and helping them see the big picture of the organization. You must be a leader not a boss.
First of all, you have to get people to follow you. How is this accomplished?
People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose. People will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going. Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, don't follow me, I'm lost too? The same holds true for leadership. If you yourself do not know where you're headed to, chances are people will not follow you at all.
You yourself must know the vision of the organization. Having a clear sense of hierarchy, knowing who the bosses are, who to talk to, the organization's goals and objectives, and how the organization works is the only way to show others you know what you are doing.
Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It's about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what you're subordinates must be.
Studies have shown that one other bases of good leadership is the trust and confidence your subordinates have of you. If they trust you they will go through hell and high water for you and for the organization.
Trust and confidence is built on good relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics.
The way you deal with your people, and the relationships you build will lay the foundation for the strength of your group. The stronger your relationship, the stronger their trust and confidence is in your capabilities.
Once you have their trust and confidence, you may now proceed to communicate the goals and objectives you are to undertake.
Communication is a very important key to good leadership. Without this you can not be a good leader. The knowledge and technical expertise you have must be clearly imparted to other people.
Also, you can not be a good leader and unless you have good judgment. You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and actively seek out a solution.
It is this judgment that your subordinates will come to rely upon. Therefore, good decision-making is vital to the success of your organization.
Leaders are not do-it-all heroes. You should not claim to know everything, and you should not rely upon your skills alone.
You should recognize and take advantage of the skills and talents your subordinates have. Only when you come to this realization will you be able to work as one cohesive unit.
Remember being a leader takes a good deal of work and time. It is not learned overnight. Remember, also, that it is not about just you. It is about you and the people around you.
So, do you have the drive and the desire to serve required of leaders? Do you have the desire to work cooperatively with other people? Then start now. Take your stand and be leader today.
Self improvement guide worth reading
There are different books and seminars that can help you gather some self improvement guide. All these sources are against the negative factors in your life.
This self improvement guide is intended to offer you the best solutions to eliminate these factors for good. Or at least to reduce it drastically.
Work, meetings, deadlines, appointments, telephone calls, shopping, taking the dogs out etc. ?all these are things most people have to accomplish daily.
Most of the times, on the waiting list there are other things like: family, friends and even ourselves.
Sometimes we discover too late that the points mentioned on the waiting lists are, in fact, the most important and, unfortunately, sometimes, we don realize this at all, so find ourselves wondering for what reason we are so unhappy.
All this people know that time is more than money ?time means, first of all, life and, more than that, it means our lives.
That is way we have the obligation not to surrender in stressful situations and to go fighting for the joy of living.
Let us not forget also that deficient management of time can produce tremendous health problems, both at the physical and mental level.
But there is good news! Time can be domesticated ?we can make it, in certain manner, obey us. First step in implementing this process is to identify the elements that robe your time. Normally, they are divided into two groups:
The external factors (unexpected phone calls, very long phone conversations, unplanned visits, the policy of open doors, not sufficiently trained personnel, frequent meetings, interruptions caused by colleagues, friends and family etc.)
The internal factors ?related strictly to our own persons (priorities and objectives that change, the lack of a daily working plan, lack of self imposed deadlines, the tendency to take care of too many things at the same time, disorder, lateness in resolving the conflicts, incapacity of saying no, lack of decision, tiredness).
By reading the above enumeration, you probably pictured recalled all the similar situations that you went through. Now, all you have to do is to find a way to defeat and eliminate them, so that you can be the mater of your own time again.
Here are three possible ways in which you can do that:
Get used to write everything down. It is useful, especially if you have a bad memory. Otherwise you might fail to remember to go to important meetings, to make important phone calls, to answer messages you promised you would answer.
You can also write down great ideas and inspirations that occur to you in the most unexpected moments.
Make a list of priorities. It takes you very little time to draw it and you can even do it while youe having your morning coffee. Write down, the things you need to do that day, in the order of their importance and urgency.
Learn to say no. One big mistake that a lot of us make is that we put other people problems in front of ours. Nevertheless, by helping them in a bad moment for us, we give rise to frustration, stress and we find ourselves unable to respect previous engagements.
All these advices are also present in Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber book New art of time against stress and they invite us to meditate that more than a weapon against stress, time management is also a philosophy of life.
Highly recommended self improvement books
You have got to motivate yourself in order to motivate others. If you do not know how, then it is time to browse through some self improvement books on how to go about it.
Read on a few self improvement books are a few:
1. 21 Indispensable Qualities of Leadership: Becoming the Leader Others Will Follow John C. Maxwell
Why do some people consistently inspire others to follow their lead? In this self improvement book, the author identifies these top traits as character, charisma, commitment, communication, competence, courage, discernment, focus, generosity, initiative, listening, passion, positive attitude, problem-solving, relationships, responsibility, security, self-discipline, servanthood, teachability, and vision.
Maxwell breaks down leadership qualities into easy to understand character qualities. Character is what defines a leader, and these traits are what people of character have. A must-read for leaders in any position.
2. Discover Your Strengths Marcus Buckingham
The self improvement book that helps you find what you are strong in and encourages you to work to make those stronger. That instead of working against what you know you're good at. You can also take the personal survey that is in the book.
3. Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers Spencer Stuart
A remarkable book about how to stand out from your peers and have a better career. One lesson learned: It is better to ask for forgiveness after the fact than it is to ask for permission ahead of time.
4. Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
Of course, what book list would be complete without this self improvement book that is all about change. Another book that is well worth the listen, but also worth reading.
5. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Steven Covey
Another must have in your self improvement book collection. If you like to read a lot of books, you are practicing one of Covey's habits, "sharpening the saw."
6. How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Discover Your Genius:
How to Think Like History's Ten Most Revolutionary Minds Michael Gelb
This self improvement book helps you to think more creatively and be more artistic. These factors are important no matter what position you may be in.
7. The Brand You 50 Re-imagine Pursuit of Wow! Tom Peters
A motivational book urging readers to achieve more.
8. What Should I Do With My Life? Po Bronson
A self improvement book that tells us that it is okay not to know what you want to do. That even the people we think are completely happy may not be. And that we make our own happiness, it all depends on how you deal with it.
9. Rhinoceros Success Scott Alexander
This was recommended to me by my last manager. An incredibly quick read. The book is all about leading, and how sometimes you have to do the unpopular to make a difference and stand out as a leader. Be a rhino!
10. Advanced Rhinocerology Scott Alexander
A nice sequel to Rhinocerous Success that you will also enjoy. A few things it reminded me of is that leaders are often under attack from all sides, and it's important to watch your own back because often nobody else will.
These are just some of the more popular self improvement books you can check out whenever you want answers to questions you have been keeping inside for too long.
What are some of the self improvement products available nowadays?
1. Self improvement audio programs.
One of the most effective learning tools available. In the fast paced world of today, finding time to read can be difficult. But it is easy to use otherwise wasted commuting and traveling time productively.
You can use this self improvement product to transform boring train or flights into inspirational personal development and learning experiences.
Imagine how much information you could take in a matter of months and what it could do to for your motivation to improve your life.
There are also those self improvement Videos and DVD's. Although you may not be able to attend all the seminars and workshops that could have a dramatic impact on your personal development and growth, DVD's and Videos offer easily affordable access to the wisdom and insights of the best self motivation experts. And all this in the comfort of your own home.
2. Self improvement books & eBooks
Self improvement books were traditionally the way that most people discovered the life changing potential of a commitment personal development and self growth.
Most of the classic works of personal development are now also available as eBooks, as are many of the modern greats and bestsellers. eBooks are one of the easiest, most popular and economical ways to expand both your library and your mind.
3. Self improvement coaching & mentoring
Professional self improvement coaching or mentoring is one of the most effective methods of self improvement and one of the best ways to get more out of life generally.
Many of the most successful people in the world contribute a large part of their success, both professionally and personally to the positive influence and guidance of a coach or mentor.
It does not matter if you are an individual trying to make the most of your life, a small business owner or entrepreneur looking for guidance and inspiration, or a senior executive or CEO of a major corporation with responsibilities to shareholders and for large numbers of staff.
Your own personal Coach or Mentor can have a massive impact on your personal development, productivity, results and happiness in every area of your life. Coaching and Mentoring can be face to face, by telephone or online, or often a combination of methods.
Participating in self improvement seminars and workshops with the experts in personal development and self motivation can also be one of the most effective ways to ignite your enthusiasm and passion for life.
This is definitely one of the fastest ways to get you started on the road to a more fulfilling life, and to supercharge your progress toward your goals.
Even if you cannot participate in person and attend a seminar or workshop, there are plenty of opportunities to tune in to a teleseminars with some of the best-known names in self improvement. Many of these are even free of charge so there's really no excuse for not joining in.
Each one of these self improvement products are made suitable to the needs of those who do not have all the time in the world but is still willing to make more out of themselves.
With all the self improvement products already out in the market, people who are bent on pursuing what they want in life have no more excuse for not doing so.
Links to try out and be on your way to self-improvement
The popularity of self-improvement books, tapes and seminars is a reflection of the universal interest we all have in overcoming our limitations, or "being the best we can be" or "achieving our full potential."
Popular applications of self-improvement programs include motivation and confidence, personal relationships, sales and job performance, enhancement of sports performance, public speaking, weight control and smoking cessation.
Here are some basic principles to help you determine whether such products or programs are worthy of your time and money.
There is no book or program that will be an exact fit for your needs and interests. Books and group programs are necessarily general in nature. Some of the ideas and concepts may apply well to you, but others may be irrelevant or just plain wrong as applied to your own personality and life situation. Use good judgment and discrimination in following advice offered in any self-improvement program.
Be wary of any program that is highly authoritarian and that tears you down, or attacks people who question what is being done. There have been many group self-improvement programs that have enjoyed a temporary burst of great popularity over the years that have been extremely damaging to some participants.
The most effective program or tape would, of course, be one that is designed specifically for the individual, addressing his or her unique goals, motivation and personality. Obviously this can be done only in personal consultation with a professional person such as a psychologist and involves the cost of paying that professional person for the time it takes them to provide the individual attention required to design a program or tape tailored exactly to your needs.
Suggesting a link to which you can seek for help can make things easier for you to achieve your goal. Help is on its way. Here are links that I can suggest you can visit.
- Psych Web by Russ Dewey:
The content of this awesome and well-organized site might be described as half-way in between the sites "Self Improvement Online" and "Mental Health Net." Although its modest self description on the home page is "This Web site contains lots of psychology-related information for students and teachers of psychology," it is that and much more. The links on its self-help directory page alone are worth the time of the trip to this site: http://www.psychwww.com/resource/selfhelp.htm.
Internet Mental Health:
http://www.mentalhealth.com
In their words: "Internet Mental Health is a free encyclopedia of mental health information. It was designed by a Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Phillip Long, and programmed by his colleague, Brian Chow...Internet Mental Health is for anyone who has an interest in mental health: -Mental health professionals -Patients who want to learn more about their illness -Friends and families of patients -Mental health support groups -Students -Members of the general public who want to learn more about mental health" This is an impressive site with many helpful articles and resources. If you are interested in mental health from any point of view, you'll be happy you visited.
- Life Mentoring:
Because of the demand from our clients we started this site Life Mentoring for individual visitors, in
1998. It's mission is to provide you with the best collection of thoughts, ideas, philosophies and practical concepts for leading a truly meaningful and successful life. It is not linked to any school of thought, but rather wants to give you an overview of all different approaches - and so you to choose and pick whatever suits your needs best." The site has a number of very good articles, excellent collection of links, a free newsletter, a bbs/forum. Lots of enthusiasm, but no commercial hype.
A group program or a general tape is, of course, less costly. If it does in fact does come close to fitting the goals, motivation and personality of the individual reasonably well, it may prove to be a useful self-improvement tool. It is a less costly approach, but it could not reasonably be expected to be as effective as a program or tape designed specifically for you.
