Defining Productivity

Generally productivity means many things in many other different fields. Even in business where it has its nearest relations, productivity is defined variously according to the aspect that is studied. (Reportedly, there are around 20 definitions of productivity related to business.)

Productivity concepts

Most of these concepts relate to productivity as a relationship between output and input to the studied systems. It contains variables and other inter-relationships within the precise group it belongs to (office, manufacturing plant, machinery systems, etc).

It is also regarded as a stimulus-response model that an input causes an output. Universally, for purposes of simplicity, it is output divided by input. However, there is some confusion to this view.

Formally, in most circles productivity is “strictly a relationship between resources that come into an organizational system over a given period of time and outputs generated with those resources over the same period of time.”

Variables

In a factory, for example, productivity measures connected with input factors (labor, capital, etc) are inadequate and can be misleading sometimes.

On one hand, input factors cannot be studied while isolated by themselves. Productivity improvement in one aspect is generally at the cost of the other. Also, labor as an input factor is present in all phases. On the other hand, managerial resource (another important input factor) is not counted in such measures. 

However, the rest of the many concepts consign productivity in an output-input relationship, mostly relevant to a production system. This implies that there is an organization that works as a physical system with variables and other inter-relationships within.

Objectives

Experts Sardina and Vrat declared that those who will undertake productivity measurements should have three objectives.

One, potential improvements must be identified. Two, a decision must be made to reallocate resources. And three, it should present how well the previously established goals were determined.

Performance and financial productivity

There is a difference between these two factors. Performance productivity is based on the number of produced outputs.

For example: company X had produced 100 units of products in one week, and in the next, was able to come with 120 units. The performance productivity would have increased by 20%.

In comparison, the focus on the output value is grouped as a financial productivity. Suppose that company X had produced 100 units of products in the first and second week.

However, the selling price was raised from $1.00 to $1.20 per unit in the second week. The financial productivity would have been increased by 20% but with no increase in output.

This is misleading, too. If, on the other hand, the company sells 120 product items at $1.20 each but in the second week the price is dropped by 16.7%, the result is still $120 in sales.

From a financial viewpoint, there is no change while from a performance point there had been change. (They had to produce 20 more items.)

Definitions

Thus far, managers cannot pinpoint productivity’s definitions, measurements and improvements. On the same vein, they cannot define the performance’s concepts, measurements, and improvements as well.

This demonstrates that there might be a number of perspectives in viewing productivity. Following that viewpoint, there could also be a number of different measures in assessing productivity.

Finding Product Reviews before Online Shopping

The ability to find product reviews before online shopping is very useful for online shoppers. These reviews can be very helpful for consumers who are trying to decide whether or not to purchase a particular product or attempting to compare to similar products. Based on these product reviews the consumer may make a more informed decision about which products to purchase and which ones to avoid. However, there are different types of reviews available and some product reviews are more useful than others. This article will discuss product reviews which can be found directly on the online retailer’s website as well as product reviews which can be found on websites dedicated to compiling product reviews.

Reviews on the Online Retailers Website

There are to many online retailers provide reviews of products they offer for sale directly on their own website. These reviews typically fall into two categories and include consumer product reviews and product reviews offered in terms for compensation. Consumers who are using these reviews to gather information about a product should proceed with caution to ensure they understand what type of reviews are being offered on the website.

Consumer reviews are typically the best resource for consumers who want to learn more about a product. This includes reviews which come from others who have purchased and used the product in question. These reviews are usually completely candid and offer great insight into the form and functionality of the product. Online shoppers who find the majority of consumers are satisfied with a particular product may be reassured they have selected a high quality product. Conversely online shoppers how consistently find negative reviews of a particular product may wish to consider purchasing a different item.

Online retailers also sometimes feature reviews on their website from reviewers who have been compensated to provide a review. When a retailer compensates an individual to make a review it is usually necessary to divulge this information because the review may tend to rate the product more favorably than they would if they were not compensated to do so.

Websites Provided for Consumers to Review Products

There are also websites available which are dedicated to compiling product reviews. This includes websites such as epinions.com. Here consumers can browse through a variety of products to find additional information in the form of product reviews for products they are considering purchasing. The reviews they find may be incredibly detailed and useful or they may be brief and provide very little useful information. Consumers are advised to consider these opinions carefully especially when there are a large number of reviews available which seem to be in agreement regarding the quality of the product. However, when there are only a few reviews available it can be much more difficult for the consumer to formulate his own opinion of the product based on these reviews posted on the website. Consumers are also advised to ignore reviews which vary significantly from the majority of the other review posted. These reviews may be mistakenly referring to the wrong product or may demonstrate an anomaly. For example if the majority of reviews are overwhelmingly positive but one or two reviews are negative it is generally acceptable to ignore the negative reviews as long as the company selling the product is reputable and there are enough positive reviews available to convince the shopper the product is worthwhile.

Online Shopping for Clothing

There are a variety of online retailers selling clothing. This includes traditional stores that also have online stores as well as retailers who operate exclusively online. Shopping for clothing online is very popular especially for those consumers who do not have sufficient time to visit traditional stores and spend time browsing and trying on clothing. It is also a popular option for consumers seeking an outfit for a special occasion who have not been satisfied with the options they found available to them in local traditional stores. This article will supply information on some of the popular online retailers of clothing as well as information on selecting clothing items online and dealing with items that do not fit properly.

Popular Online Retailers for Clothing

The majority of major traditional stores that sell clothing also have an online version of their store where consumers can browse through the inventory, make purchases and have items shipped directly to them or to friends or family members. Examples of popular traditional stores who also offer online versions of their store include Old Navy, Banana Republic, Abercrombie and Fitch and Ann Taylor. Additionally, department stores such as Target, Macy’s and JCPenny which do not exclusively sell clothing make their clothing, as well as other products, available through the online versions of their stores. Shoppers who opt to peruse the online stores for clothing may find a greater selection than there is available in traditional stores. The online stores may have items available which are only available online. Additionally, the online stores may have access to a greater inventory unlike traditional stores which may run out of popular sizes rather quickly.

Choosing Online Clothing Options Carefully

When purchasing clothing online, consumers have to be somewhat cautious. This is because it may be difficult to tell how well a clothing item will fit without trying it on first. Also, it can be difficult to assess the texture or color of clothing when shopping online. Online shoppers should read product descriptions carefully and pay particular attention to sizing charts when shopping online for clothing. This will help the consumer to make wise choices.

Online shoppers should also pay attention to the description of the cut of clothing items and should carefully compare these descriptions to the photos displayed on the website of the online retailer. This is an important consideration because consumers may prefer certain cuts which are more flattering to them while other cuts may not look as appealing. Paying particular attention to this information will help the consumer make wise decisions when shopping for clothing online.

When the Shoe Doesn’t Fit

Despite a consumer’s best intentions, there may be times in which they purchase clothing items they have to return because they do not fit well or simply because the consumer changes his mind about the item after making the purchase. For this reason, all online shoppers should carefully review the return policies of online clothing retailers before making purchases. Most online retailers will take items back regardless of the reason for the return but some of them may only assume responsibility for the shipping fees associated with the return if the item is defective. However, there are some online retailers that will not accept returns on certain items and the consumer should be aware of these restrictions before making a purchase.

A Cool Steps for Applying a Payday Loan

Was there a time in your life that you have needed cash so bad but don’t know where to get it? Too bad you haven’t encountered payday loans. Payday loans are amounts of money that are acquired through payday loan establishments which can be paid within a couple of weeks but with an appropriate amount of interest. There are a lot of benefits when applying for a payday loan and one of them, obviously, is to help you get through any financial problem that you’re experiencing.

If you wanted to apply for a payday loan but have no idea where to start, here are some tips on how to effective apply for a payday loan. But first, you would need a couple of essentials like: a pay stub from your last employment, photo identification, and a blank check.

Step # 1 – Start with your search

You can look into the yellow pages for payday lenders within the vicinity of your place. Start with a location that’s near you for easy access. By looking through the yellow pages of your phone book, you can locate the address of available payday loans around your area.

Step # 2 – Bring basic requirements

Before stepping through the door of a payday loan store, be sure you have everything with you. You have to have the essentials that were mentioned above like your identification, pay stub and blank check. Pack it all up the you’re ready to proceed.

Step # 3 – Start walking

By this time you have a clear picture on how much you are willing to receive. You have to run down in your mind the reasons for getting this loan. If you have several payday loans in your area, try to visit all of them and determine which one offers the most out of the deals. Payday loans vary from one another. The best payday loan is the one that offers less interest rates or fees. If you have already found your store, you can already fill up the application paper that will be given to you.

Step # 4 – Wait for approval or denial

When applying for a loan, you have to keep in mind that not all amount requested are approved. The business establishment will basically check and see if you are capable of paying the amount that you have requested base on your last employment pay stub. If the company sees that you are incapable of paying the requested amount, they might turn the request down or offer a smaller amount. A representative will be notifying you about the result of the amount that you have requested.

Step # 5 – Write a check

If you have both agreed on the amount that will be borrowed, you will be given the opportunity to write a check for the amount that you have requested including the interest rate that may vary according to state laws. Upon writing, leave the part of “pay to the order of” blank. That will be filled up by the representative in behalf of the company’s name.

Step # 6 – Explanation of payday loan rules

The moment you have successfully given the check to the representative, explanation of contract rules and regulations will follow. After which, you will be asked to sign the contract. Money will then be given out to you. A certain due date will be implied when you will pay the loan. At that point, your current financial problem is solved, for the mean time though.

What You Should Know About Blog Marketing Online

 by: Hanna Samuel

Marketing your blog online can get tough and confusing if you are working on your first one. However, for a blog marketing guru, it really is not that complicated. Anyone that is familiar with blog marketing online knows that it takes dedication, hard work and consistency. For someone just starting out with their marketing campaign, it may seem like a lot of work with little or no pay off to be seen right afterwards. However, just know that marketing is something that you have to build. You have to work on it and continue to market your blog.

There are many things that you can do to market your blog and get it out there to be seen by the world. One of the most important things is to visit other blogs that are relevant to yours and leave comments. Doing so gets your blog out there to readers of other’s blogs. And in return can get you some new visitors as well as readers. While all of this might seem confusing at first, after a while you will get the hang of it and it will make sense and fall in place.

Posting on your blog on a regular basis is another way to get new readers. Who wants to read a blog that is never even updated? Would you? Of course not! So give your readers what they want with new content and give it to them often. Post daily, weekly or bi weekly and be consistent about it. This way your readers and visitors will know how often to check your blog for a new post.

Know where your traffic is coming from. Know which search engines are directing people to your blog and which are not. Find out what keywords are bringing people to your blog as well. If you know all of this all ready, use it to your advantage. Write more content on the keywords that are working for you and monitor where you fall on the search engine pages that are sending visitors.

If someone leaves a comment on your blog, be sure to acknowledge it. No one wants to have a conversation with themselves, and it will only take a brief moment to reply and let them know you appreciate them. Otherwise if you have a section full of comments and you have not replied, chances are that you will not be getting many more. The readers may even drop you off of their list of blogs to visit frequently as well. Using your head and treating others as you would want to be treated is a big part of marketing.

Make friends with other bloggers. Network with them and find out how they get so many visitors to their blog and what they do to keep them interested. Exchanging ideas with other bloggers that are successful is a great idea and a good way to make friends. If you want, you can even become friends with other bloggers offline as well. Use this to your advantage and do not just take from the conversation though, be sure that you share all of your blog marketing techniques as well with your new found blogging friends.

If you happen to be quoting an article from another source or blog, always be sure to provide a link back to the original. Other wise this is known as plagiarism and something that is looked down on in the world of marketing. Stealing someone else’s content is not a good idea and not something that you will get away with. You will get caught if you try to say someone else’s work is your own of it is not. This is not a good way to start off in the blog marketing world as well.

Blog marketing is a great way to make extra income and get your blog out there and known. Use these techniques above to get your blog more traffic and readers and you will eventually reap the rewards.

Extra Income working from home

by: Ranjit Shakur

Every entrepreneur, to achieve any amount of success should be motivated. Motivation comes from passion. Every book published or e-book that deals in money making and motivation screams passion – the most important ingredient in any successful entrepreneur.

Similarly, when you think about going after that extra income, you have to create a burning passion to do so. It will keep your fire glowing for a long time, at least till the first results become apparent. After that passion at a particular level keeps in rotation, after all money is the biggest motivator.

An entrepreneur embarking upon the route of home office and extra income should strongly believe in himself and his capabilities. He/ She should be thick skinned not to be perturbed or affected in any way by others comments and opinions. People are just plain jealous. Clear conscience and belief in oneself does not seek external approval. Evidence enough that, once you are successful and start earning extra income, the negative opinions and nasty comments turn into praise. One should have the ability and courage to make independent decisions and abide by them. This would be your most valuable asset yet.

Online businesses are basically scams – popular opinion of people around you in any part of the world. Your online business needs your approval heart and soul; otherwise success will keep eluding you and so will the extra income you planned from it. If Edison did not believe, that electricity can be harnessed to light up human life; we would still be living in the dark ages, wouldn’t we?

Being flexible with working hours, being energetic, planning wisely, focusing on short-term objectives and stress control are hallmarks of a successful home business owner. If you think you lack in any of them, practice till you make these attributes a part of your involuntary senses.

Discipline to start is very important but to know where to stop is more important. Do not overwork or stress up yourself to the point of not stopping. It will only burn out your imagination and render you useless for some time to come. Making short time extra income, you will lose out on the next few dollars (ex: Burning out today may earn you $1000 today, but by not working for the next 3 days you will lose $500X3 =  $1500). Work the number of hours as per the plan you carefully laid out.

Building your business is more important than earning money out of it. As your business sustains and grows, the money you earn from it automatically grows. Treat the home business as your hobby and keep abreast of it through updated information. Knowledge earned does not cost a cent here but will help in decision making in all spheres of independent life.

Last but not the least, fear of failure and not failure itself leads to most failures. Keep trying, look at failure as a part of learning and appreciate your benefit of knowledge from it. Learn fro your mistakes, a lesson we have learnt in primary school.


Al the best for your online success.

Cash Value Insurance

by: Hamid Karzai

Cash Value insurance, also known as “hole life” insurance is a basic and consistent type of permanent life insurance which remains in effect your entire life at a level premium. This life insurance is an awesome choice got you if you do not expect your life insurance needs to diminish over time. A portion of your premium goes into a reserve fund called ‘cash value’ that builds up over the years your policy is in affect. Your reserve fund is tax-deferred and you can borrow against it, until you withdraw it.

The premiums must generally remain constant over the life of the policy and must be paid periodically according to the amount indicated in the policy. You may also have the option of a single premium ----- paying all of the premiums at once with a single lump sum. Your cash values will grow to equal the amount of the death benefit when you turn to age 100.

Although, cash value insurance is quite expensive, and if you're on a small budget, you may not be able to afford all the insurance coverage you actually need. But the plus point is that the death benefit is guaranteed as long as premiums are met. Also death benefit will never go lower if you don't borrow against it.

Whole life insurance policy's returns will fluctuate with the markets and will usually follow returns available from other investments like equity mutual funds. However, if you decide to quit your policy, your cash value can be paid in cash or paid-up insurance.

Whole life insurance is most suitable for you, if you want to:

1. use it as a tax and estate planning vehicle,
2. accumulate cash value for a child's education or retirement,
3. pay final expenses,
4. provide money for a favorite charity,
5. fund a business buy/sell agreement,
6. provide key person protection. 

Before buying the cash value insurance, you need to think carefully about choosing your level of coverage. Too often people make the mistake of insufficiently covering or even worse, financially overextending themselves. This would be a tragic error with whole life insurance policy because defaulting on premium payments can mean policy cancellation and the loss of your entire investment. So be careful and make sure you:

1. pick a life insurance policy that has a guaranteed cash value starting at the very first year,
2. choose the one with the highest cash value in the very first year,
3. consider "participating" insurance policies which can pay dividends, increasing your policy's value by boosting both the total cash value and the death benefits,
4. beware of any insurance policy that levies "surrender charges" when you cancel.
5. if you ever need to stop paying premiums, your policy lets you use the accumulated cash value of the life insurance policy to pay the premiums, thus keeping your coverage current.

Do You Practice Netiquette for Social Networking?

by: Lenka Shuan

Over the years, the beauty of the Internet has opened many different doors pertaining to socializing, networking, and the overall art of communication. Today, computer users of all ages are exploring the possibilities associated with chat rooms, discussion boards, forums, and online personals. Sending emails, instant messaging family and friends, and relaying text messages across the World Wide Web are also popular forms of contact. Despite the fact that users are unseen behind the guise of their computer, there is still a written and unwritten code of conduct that exists about the Internet.

Even in the world of online communication, one may offend, confuse, and irritate the people they send emails to or speak with in a chat room. Just as you participate in face-to-face communication, you are often aware of the way you move your body, execute hand gestures, or raise your voice. When contacting others across the Internet, there are also certain messages conveyed through the way you type out your thoughts. One of the most irritating online habits involves the use of all-caps when typing to others. Not only are long strings of capped words a strain on the eyes to read, but is often viewed as "shouting."

When typing emails or chatting with others while online, spelling and grammar really does count in not only making people see your side of things, but also promoting intelligent and free-flowing conversation. Usually, glaring spelling mistakes cause a distraction and confusion in correspondences. Additionally, just because you attempt to avoid making spelling errors and lapses in grammar – doesn’t mean you have the right to criticize others for their poor use of the English language. It is highly suggested to ignore the spelling mistakes of others and concentrate on the way you communicate while online.

Additional email etiquette rules include the avoidance of sending or forwarding junk mail and Internet hoaxes, forwarding virus warnings (which are sometimes hoaxes), replying to all recipients of a collectively sent email, and sending unnecessarily large attachments.

There are also plenty of "netiquette" issues to recognize when communicating with others in online communities (chat rooms and forums). One of the first things to do when joining a chat room, forum, or other online group is familiarize oneself with the rules or guidelines of the service. This practice comes in rather handy and helps one avoid any future online confrontations or misunderstandings.

At all times, your privacy should be protected, as well as other members of the online community. It is unwise to use full names in chat room correspondences and is rude to ask the full names of those you come in contact with. Staying on topic is also a rule of Internet etiquette. For instance, if you have joined a chat room community regarding model airplanes, it is often inappropriate to start sharing your marital problems with others. Using offensive language is warned against and is usually punished (suspension or ban).

When chatting, it is also suggested to keep messages short and present information in the most concise manner. Also, a common practice is to use abbreviations, but not everyone is familiar with the current lingo and this should be kept in mind – the abbreviation of your words and phrases should be used sparingly.

Overall, it is suggested to treat communication across the Internet in the same manner that you like to receive correspondences. Usually, the things that irritate you are the same actions others dislike as well.

Check your Free Credit Report and Be Cautious of your Score

By: Austin Spencer 

Want to determine your financial creditworthiness?

Have a credit check and determine your personal credit score.

Credit check is usually done to prove whether you are acceptable for a loan or on any other forms of credit based on your past credit performances. This will disclose your past as well as your before-mentioned credit transactions with different lenders and how you deal with it. Thus, a credit check is the counterpart of your past credit performance. It works like a report card, which reveals whether you have "passed" or "failed" in a particular matter.

Credit checks are completed by lending institutions such as credit card companies and banks on individuals who wish to apply for a loan or any form of credit. In addition, credit checks could also be done by a homeowner whether an individual would be a good tenant or not, as reflected by his or her past credit performance. Insurance firms also run credit checks on individuals who wish to avail of their insurance policies.

You can obtain your credit report containing credit-related information from any of the three major credit-reporting agencies. Furthermore, you can obtain your personal credit reports for free as stated in the FCRA or the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Under this Act, every individual is entitled to receive a free credit report from any of the three major credit-reporting companies in the United States once a year - Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. Your free credit report contain your personal information (such as your name and address), how you paid your past and previous bills, and any delinquencies you have committed such as late payments as well as if you have filed for bankruptcy.

To obtain your free credit report, you need to fill up the required form through a centralized credit report website on any of the three major credit bureaus in the United States. You will be required to provide some basic information, which includes your name, permanent address, your social security number, and your birth date. Your credit report is important in securing yourself against any attempts of identity theft such as credit cards misuse and other forms of fraud. In addition, you must update your credit report regularly as lending institutions would be using such reports to determine if you are worthy enough to be awarded with the loan you have applied for.

After you received your free credit report, you should read each section carefully. All aspects must be included in computing your credit score. So make sure you have paid attention to all of them. Check your report for any discrepancies and make sure that you have not missed any payments at all. Your credit report also comes with the list of individuals or business entities that you have requested credit information from. You may also check to see if such names or entities are familiar with you.

Your free credit report would be used in running a credit check to you when applying for a loan or any other forms of credit. Thus, make sure that it is free of discrepancies or erroneous entries. Keep in mind that this report will reflect your credit performance - ensure that you do not stumble anywhere so that your loan application would always be a success.

Bad Credit Rating Repaired

By: Austin Spencer

Your credit score will mean everything in today's society. It is something that creditors and banks will base on whether you are valuable to get approved for the loan you are applying for plus it is also something that will determine your credibility to several employers and also to landlords.

With a perfect credit rating, you will be able to apply for loans and credit cards smoothly. It will mean that you will have more chance in getting that loan you wants. It will also mean that you will have more chance in getting that certain job you have been applying for and it will also mean that you can pay your bills on time with the landlords when you are applying for an apartment.

Having a bad credit reduces all these opportunities. You may get approved for a credit card or a loan, but it will usually have higher interest rates. This is because creditors aren’t sure that you can pay your bills on time. It is also riskier for creditors to approve you for the loan if you have a bad credit. When it comes to applying for an apartment complex, landlords take a look at your credit score to determine if you can pay your rent bills and utility bills.

These are some of the reasons why having a good credit score is very important in today's society. However, what if you have a bad credit score? If you have a bad credit score, it is very important to repair it as soon as possible. There are several ways that you can repair your credit score.

The first step in repairing your credit score is by stopping it before it gets any more worse than it is already. To do this, you should pay your previous overdue debts right away in order to cut off bad credit reports from creditors. Although this will not improve your credit score, it is the very first step you should take when you want to repair your credit score.

So, this will take you to the next step. The next step is by raising your credit score by opening a new savings or checking account. You should also apply for a secured credit card. A secured credit card will mean higher interest rate, but it is also a good way to control your credit card spending and also a good way to raise or repair your credit score. By paying your monthly credit bills on time, you will be able to raise your credit score significantly.

If you continue to do these things, you will eventually get a good credit rating. However, your past credit history that contains a bad credit score and bad credit history will not expire until it reaches 5 to 7 years. You have to remember that it will take some time and patience in order to raise your credit rating.

This is why it is very important to make positive reports for your creditors to make to credit reporting agencies. So, remember to pay your loans and credit card bills on time in order to get a good credit rating. By doing this, you will eventually end up with a good credit score and history and never miss out on future financial opportunities that may cross your path.