FEELING HEAVY? HERE’S WHY
Although the mining industry has been in a slump lately, we shouldn’t forget the importance of our friends the minerals, according to Barrick Goldstrike mine, located 27 miles north of Carlin, Nevada. The average United States resident requires 40,000 pounds of minerals annually in order to maintain his or her standard of living. Here is a partial list of the minerals we use in day-to-day living:
9,700 lbs. of stone
724 lbs. of cement
383 lbs. of salt
7,600 lbs. of sand and gravel
350 lbs. of clays
1,638 lbs. of nonmetals
42 lbs. of aluminum
19 lbs. of copper
11 lbs. of zinc
6 lbs. of manganese
11 lbs. of lead
1,200 lbs. of iron and steel
24 lbs. of other metals
Why Business Changes Don’t Always Work
According to the Building Capacity for Change Sourcebook, proposed business changes most often fail because of employee resistance. Author Rick Maurer identifies three types of resistance:
Level One – Based on Information. Level One resistance may come from lack of information, disagreement with the idea itself, or confusion. This is the easiest type of resistance to overcome. However, many executives make the mistake of treating all resistance as if it were Level One – they keep giving people more information when what they really need is something completely different.
Level Two – Physiological and Emotional Reaction. This reaction is based on fear: people fear they will lose their security, their friends, or their job. When people are working from Level Two, they perceive the situation as dangerous, and their bodies prepare for “fight or flight” with elevated blood pressure, increased adrenaline flow and other uncontrollable reactions. To deal with Level Two resistance, Maurer suggests listening to those who resist change and trying to understand how they feel, and why. Encourage employees to talk about their feelings in a climate of trust and openness. Build strong working relationships, and involve everyone in creating goals and plans for the change. Make sure all employees know how they will benefit from the change.
Level Three – Bigger Than the Current Change. This resistance is not based on the current situation, but on deeper issues, such as personal resentment against the individual instituting the change. Better communications with employees can help uncover their true motivation.
The Tale of the $68,000 Honda Accord
Rebuilding an automobile from the ground up using replacement parts from the car’s manufacturer can cost more than three times the car’s original retail price, according to the latest version of an annual study commissioned by the Alliance of American Insurers (AAI). A 2000 Honda Accord 3.0 LX totaled and rebuilt entirely from car company parts cost $68,065.93 compared with the car’s original retail price of $22,365. This price includes only parts, not the cost of paint and labor.
AAI and its member companies support the sale of competitive replacement parts approved by the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA), which tests auto parts produced by independent manufacturers. Although auto manufacturers insist on labeling their replacement parts “genuine,” most of the parts they sell are actually made by independent companies under subcontractor agreements, according to AAI, which estimates the cost of repairing damaged automobiles accounts for between 40 percent and 50 percent of the insurance premium for most auto insurance consumers.
Small Business Owners Get Retirement Planning Help
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Labor, Small Business Administration, and Merrill Lynch have launched an interactive, educational Web site to help small businesses choose retirement plans for their employees. The site, www.SelectARetirementPlan.org, helps them make informed decisions by offering information about a variety of retirement plans. Each option is rated according to advantages, administrative expense, administrative complexity, method of funding, annual contribution limits and other factors. The site includes an interactive retirement calculator that allows business owners to tailor a plan to meet the needs of their business and their employees.
Mom Hangs Up Her Apron-
Takeout is Tops for Busy Americans
As the number of dual-income families increases and individuals continue to work longer hours and juggle multiple tasks, a National Restaurant Association (NRA) survey finds more people are requesting take-out meals from tableservice (non-fast food) restaurants. According to the NRA’s Tableservice Trends 2000, the trend is particularly evident among casual dining establishments with average check sizes between $8 and $24.99. Among these establishments, which traditionally have been sit-down restaurants, 57 percent of operators indicate their customers are ordering more takeout food than they were two years ago. The survey also finds that customers are more interested in higher quality takeout foods. Overall, 22 percent of adults indicated they are ordering more takeout items than they did two years ago.
Strategic Technologies for 2020
A team of scientists and engineers at Battelle, a technology organization based in Columbus, Ohio, has compiled a list of the 10 most strategic technological trends that will shape business and our world over the next 20 years:
Genetic-based medical and health care: the ability to detect and correct many gene-based diseases before they arise, possibly even in the womb. A doctor may be able to prescribe medications to fit a patient’s individual genetic makeup. Cloned human organs will be used in transplants.
High-power energy packages: highly advanced batteries, inexpensive fuel cells, micro-generators of electricity. Decentralized power sources will be extensive, affordable and environmentally clean.
Green integrated technology: New systems will eliminate waste and make products completely recyclable.
Omnipresent computing: miniature, wireless, highly mobile, powerful computing with network access. Will appear first as watches or jewelry; later, computers will be embedded in clothing and possibly implanted under the skin.
Nanomachines: Microscopic machines, measured in atoms rather than millimeters, will perform a wide range of jobs from heating homes to curing cancer.
Personalized public transportation: New information technology in cars will work with a central traffic control system to guide drivers to their destinations.
Designer foods and crops: Genetically engineered foods will resist diseases and pests and be highly nutritious. Nearly all cotton and wool for clothing will be genetically engineered.
Intelligent goods and appliances: Telephones with electronic phone directories, food packaging that tells the oven how to cook food, refrigerators with bar code scanners that help make out a household’s shopping list.
Worldwide inexpensive and safe water: advanced filtering, processing and delivery of potable water.
Super senses: Implanted devices will enable people to hear better than ever and see farther or in the dark.
“Penny Wise, Pound Foolish” Department
Progressive Auto Insurance recently conducted an online survey to see how much time people were willing to devote to saving money. The results were startling. “We’ve found people will go to unusual lengths to save small amounts of money,” said Michele Strub-Heer, Progressive’s west region general manager. “Yet they will not take a few minutes to look into what could be substantial savings on auto insurance.” Consumers in Las Vegas who took the time to do price comparisons would find the cost of an identical auto insurance policy can vary from company to company by an average of $633 every six months, according to Strub-Heer. “If you can spare a few minutes to compare rates-by phone or online- it’s quite likely you’ll find a company with a lower price and perhaps better service,” she said.
Survey results:
55 percent of consumers would open windows instead of using air conditioning on a hot day.
70 percent said they use the phone book over directory assistance to save money.
40 percent said they would shop for up to two hours if they could save 50% on underwear.
39 percent of men said they would spend up to two hours shopping for an outfit for a special occasion.
However…46 percent said they had never shopped around for auto insurance and have simply kept the same insurer year after year.
When asked how much time they would spend shopping for auto insurance, 36 percent said they would spend less than an hour.
Massage: Good for You, Good for Your Job
Research shows massage relieves stress and encourages sound sleep. Research now confirms it may even improve job performance. In a study conducted by the University of Miami School of Medicine Touch Research Institute, 26 adults were given a chair massage at work for 15 minutes, twice a week. After five weeks, they were compared to a control group who sat in the chair for 15 minutes but did not receive a massage. Those receiving massages had lowered their blood pressure, their levels of the stress hormone cortisol and their scores on a test of job stress. They also showed enhanced alertness and increased their speed and accuracy on math computations.
Barter is Big Business
According to industry reports, barter transactions in the U.S. total an estimated $16 billion a year. The International Reciprocal Trade Association projects that 1.2 million businesses will engage in barter in North America within a decade – a 300 percent increase from the 300,000 firms currently engaged in barter activities. Barter has most commonly been used by radio stations, magazine publishers, print shops, hotels and resorts, and small businesses seeking extra customers who otherwise wouldn’t expend cash resources to obtain goods and services. A recent survey by Bigvine, an online barter marketplace, revealed that the most common reasons for bartering are to save cash, reach new customers, and reduce excess inventory. On average, 17 percent of the senior managers surveyed indicate their companies currently use some form of barter, and a quarter of the respondents expressed interest in using online barter services to expand their trading networks and eliminate geographic barriers.
