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Product Description
Taking Sides volumes present current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript or challenge questions. Taking Sides readers feature an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites. An online Instructor’s Resource Guide with testing material is available for each volume…. More >>

Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Business Ethics and Society

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A successful businessman shares a philosophy of management that revived his dying company through an open-book method that put the concerns of the employees first and created a company that will provide people with lifelong livelihood. 50,000 first printing…. More >>

The Great Game of Business

• ISBN13: 9780515094794
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

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Cole-Whittaker’s innovative methods for human resource development, self-motivation and personal growth are available here in this book. Readers can learn to cope with physical, mental and spiritual problems involving love, money, guilt, self-image, sexuality, relationships and more. HC: Oak Tree Press…. More >>

What You Think of Me is None of My Business

• ISBN13: 9781422147610
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

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If you’re a general manager or CFO, do you feel you’re spending too much on IT or wishing you could get better returns from your IT investments? If so, it’s time to examine what’s behind this IT-as-cost mind-set.

In The Real Business of IT, Richard Hunter and George Westerman reveal that the cost mind-set stems from IT leaders’ inability to communicate about the business value they create-so CIOs get stuck discussing budgets rather than their contributions to… More >>

Real Business of IT: How CIOs Create and Communicate Value

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Business: A Changing World is the fastest growing introductory business textbook on the market, and for a simple reason. Unlike most brief textbooks on the market, which are trimmed and spliced from much longer works into an approximation of an essentials edition, Business: A Changing World is written from the ground up to be brief, lean, and flexible enough to enable you to cover just the topics you want at the level of depth you want, plus it doesn’t inherit ou… More >>

Business: A Changing World

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Ethics and the Conduct of Business, 6/e is a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of the most prominent issues in the field of business ethics and the major positions and arguments on these issues. Numerous real-life examples and case studies are used throughout the book to increase understanding of issues, stimulate class discussion, and show the discussion’s relevance to real-life business practice. The focus of Ethics and the Conduct of Business is primarily … More >>

Ethics and the Conduct of Business

Every day there are people who are deciding to delve into a home based business for many reasons. Wanting to fire their bosses, downsizing because of economic conditions, wanting to stay at home and raise their kids, and supplementing their incomes and retirement. Many have experience in executive settings and can assist medium to large corporations. There is also huge potential for small business that many are failing to target. They are behind the times. Could this be your niche? There are over 1000 people every day deciding to start their own at home businesses. Why not be there when they need help?

As you know, home based businesses come in a number of formats. For example, a mom may run a daycare out of her home, a dad may make handmade toys to sell from home, or a cosmetologist may run an in-home salon out of the garage or basement. In terms of home based businesses, the options are endless. They also vary in size. Most are self-employed; working for themselves and by themselves. Some hire outside help.

Anyone can start a home based business. Someone who has a dream or a passion or wants to leave the dog-eat-dog corporate world behind can start a business and right from their own home. There is a growing trend though. That trend is parents who want to work from home. Some want a work-at-home job, meaning they are employed by a company, but perform their tasks at home. There are others, who want to capitalize on a talent or hobby and start their own business. For parents, starting a home based business provides them with unlimited flexibility and control.

Do you need proof that people want to start their own business? If so, perform a standard internet search with the phrases “work-from-home,” and “home based businesses.” You will get thousands of results. There is a lot of information available online to assist these people, but they need more. Just because a parent has a good product or service and a website, it does not mean that they will make money. That is why they can benefit from using your services as a business coach.

The first step in working as a home based business coach is to find clients. If you have a website, include home based business coaching as one of your services. Then, seek out these individuals. As previously stated, a lot of information can be found online. Most websites are informational sites, but some are online communities, like message boards. Join; insert yourself into the community. Add a link to your business website in your profile and signature. Join in on the discussions. If someone asks for tips, provide them with a few. Never give out too much information. Members will wonder how you know so much and who you are, so they should click on your links. If they want or need your service, they will use it.

Once you acquire a client, it is time to get to work. Home based business coaches tend to have more responsibility and tasks. This is because many home based business owners setup shop on a whim. They realized they could make money doing something they love and ran with it. Some did not even have a plan in place. If your client does not have a business plan, coach them through creating one. This plan should include what they sell, who their targeted market is, how they intend to generate income, and how to market their product to the public.

Business coaching involves encouragement. You need to encourage home based business owners to take a step in the right direction. Show them their potential. If they truly have a great product, show them exactly how a solid marketing can increase sales. Even if their marketing plan results in five new customers a week, calculate for them the additional yearly profit. Also, given them ideas to run with. Do more than just say “you need to market your business.” Give them specific examples, watch implement, and offer feedback.

While catering to new home based businesses may seem very daunting, you will get many more customers. If you plan “your” business correctly, it should simply being able to reproduce yourself only with a different product. The techniques you use, the software you use, how you interact with clients, how you research to stay on top of new trends, should be the things you will train your new clients in. A key to making a great income is being able to reproduce yourself. Helping new entrepreneurs is always exciting and you will meet a great brand of people.

The idea of starting a business is alluring to so many people.  There is the vision of wealth, providing opportunities and security.  Also there is pride and purpose- knowing what you’re doing is for you and your family.  And of course, one of the most appealing reasons is the freedom of being able to work from home and choose your own hours.  

These visions are wonderful and, in many cases, attainable.  In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, there are over 17.6 million businesses with one or more owners but no paid employees.      

So why are so many aspiring entrepreneurs left on the sidelines? 

It turns out, there are three reasons.  One, as you can imagine, is good old fashioned fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of failure.  Believe it or not, fear of success.  The second reason is a lack of knowledge.  “Where do I start?” “I don’t have enough resources.”  “I don’t know anything about marketing.” And the third reason, which I will be discussing in this article, is about the business idea, itself. 

Business Idea Paralysis

What is business idea paralysis?  Quite simply, it’s a condition that prevents people from starting a business because they get held back in the idea generation stage.  Basically, they are stuck in neutral.  Below are the two most common reasons why:

 The Pet Rock Syndrome

In 1975 a gentleman named Gary Dahl created a product called the pet rock.  Many of you have probably heard of it.  In case you haven’t, it was nothing more than a rock set in a box on some straw.  Within 6 months, Dahl had sold over 5 million of these pet rocks for $3.95 each.  It cost him less than 30 cents to produce the rock.  So, when you do some basic number crunching, he made over 15 million dollars in just 6 months – selling rocks.   

What does this have to do with anything?  Well, quite a bit actually.  Imagine how much your life would change if you could sell something as simple as a rock and become a multi-millionaire in just 6 months.  Pretty tantalizing isn’t it?  Unfortunately, it has tantalized people so much that they never end up starting a business.  They only end up chasing their own “pet rock” gimmicks that never catch on.

The reason is simple.  Some people just haven’t been blessed by the idea gods.  The gods have failed to spring upon them the multi-million dollar idea that they believe they need.    No matter how hard they try to come up with the next pet rock, they can’t.  If you don’t believe me, take a look at how many get-rich-quick schemes are being sold today.  If people can’t think of the next great idea, then they will buy the idea from someone else.  Well, guess what?  It doesn’t work.  Mr. Dahl was an aberration.  He hit the winning lottery ticket.  Chances are you won’t.

After you have wiped the pet rock syndrome from your head, beware of the next, equally as paralyzing syndrome that can keep you from getting to business with real, tangible ideas. 

Peace, Love and Happiness Syndrome

On the other end of the spectrum we have the peace, love and happiness camp.  This group is a little more realistic in their pursuit of a business idea.  Their problem, however, is that they love too many business ideas.  In fact, they love them so much that they can’t decide on the best one.  They become paralyzed by trying to figure out which idea is best, and ultimately, never try any of them.

These types of people, I have found, are extremely visionary.  They love to explore all of the different business angles and long term visions.  The problem is they don’t take action because their heads are filled with amazing ideas and forecasts for success.

If you fall into this camp, I have bit of advice.  Stop it!  You need to choose an idea and then let your mind run wild within the boundaries of that idea.

How Do You Find the Right Business Idea?

There are two schools of thought on how to come up with the right business idea.  I’ll discuss them below:

The Traditional Approach

The traditional theory for finding the right business idea states that you should find a need and fill it.  In other words, you need to pay attention to your surroundings and look to see where there might be an opportunity to offer a new product or service that people may need.  Once you do, that’s what you will build your business around. 

There is no question that this method of generating business ideas work.  It has led to many great inventions and innovations over the years.   It is for this reason that pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars.  They develop new drugs to satisfy a need, such as a heart condition.  You can also see the traditional approach at play with today’s green technologies.  New, “green” businesses are trying to fill the need for clean, renewable energy.

There is one problem with this method, however.  It can be quite expensive and time consuming.  First, you have to develop the product or service.  This includes spending a lot of time and money on market research and sampling.  Second, you have to spend a lot of money on marketing to not only introduce the product or service, but to also convince people that they really do need it. 

If you’re a typical entrepreneur with limited funds and expertise, this may not be the best method of generating business ideas. 

The Give Them What They Want Approach

There is a second school of thought about coming up with a business idea that in many ways is far less risky and is much less expensive.  This theory is based on the idea that you should come up with an idea that already exists.  Or, simply put, offer people a product or service that they are already buying. 

Wait a minute, you may say, but doesn’t that mean there is more competition?  Isn’t the market already saturated?   Um, I would reply, tell that to Netflix. 

In 1997 the originator of Netflix reportedly hit upon the idea for movie rental-by-mail when he was forced to pay $40 in fines after returning an overdue videotape of the film Apollo 13.  Renting movies was not a new business “need” that needed to be satisfied.  In fact, Blockbuster had been renting movies for over 10 years, and in 1998 had served nearly 60 million people who rented more than 970 million movies and video games.  Netflix took a proven market (movie rentals) and simply enhanced the service by offering movie rentals by mail, with no late fees.  The result:  today, Netflix has over 10 million monthly subscribers while generating  an annual revenue of over 1 billion dollars.  Blockbuster, on the other hand, is struggling to stay afloat. 

The point is that if you know what people are buying, a good business idea is nothing more than simply enhancing the product or service and/or marketing message.  It’s a lot less risky and more often than not, a lot less expensive. 

The goal of most businesses is to make money. To achieve that the business needs to sell a particular product or service. However, to sell that product or service, business owners need to alert the potential buyers.  A customer cannot buy a product or a service if they do not know that it exists. So, naturally, a major function, if not the main function, of any business is advertising and marketing.  

When it comes to advertising there are many business owners who literally cringe.  Are you doing this now?  There is a good chance that you are because many advertising methods cost money. As a business owner you want to make money not spend it, right? Fortunately, not all forms of advertising cost money. Although you may have to spend money to make your business what you want it to be, there are ways to promote your business and the products or services that you sell without having to spend any money at all.

Curious? One of the ways that you can promote your online business, without having to spend a dime, is by using something readily available online. That is an online social networking website.  A large number of internet users, in fact millions of them, belong to at least one social networking website.  

When it comes to social networking, many people think of online friendships or online relationships. While these types of relationships are the most common, did you know that social networking is also used for businesses? If you are a small business owner, especially one that operates an online business, there is a way that you can use social networking sites to your advantage.

Although social networking websites are traditionally focused on those that would like to make online friends or develop online relationships, there are networking sites that are designed for
business owners.  These websites will not only allow you to share your business information with other business owners, but it will also allow you to develop close relationships with those that share an interest that is similar to yours. Essentially, this means that you could not only learn valuable business information, but you could also walk away with a new business partner or a new friend.

Wikipedia has a list of social networking sites which you can find here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites. All have a description/focus field which will help you find your target market.

Social networking websites with a focus on businesses, are a great way to promote your business. However, this does not mean that you should completely forget about the other online social networking websites, the ones that are designed to make online friendships. Although you may not learn any valuable business tips by joining Yahoo! 360 or MySpace, you may be able to get new customers and new customers is exactly what your business wants and needs.

If you are looking to join an online community, you will need to create your own profile or profile page.  If you are planning on joining a traditional social networking website, to gain access to
millions of potential new customers, you are urged to be careful when making your online webpage or profile.  One thing that internet users hate is being solicited for business. This does not mean that you cannot use social networking to your advantage; it just means that you need to be careful how you do it. Instead of creating a MySpace page or a Yahoo! 360 page for your business, you are advised to make one for yourself, but, of course, you will want to include
information on your business.

By joining a social networking website, especially one that is popular and has a large number of members, you should be able to generate interest in your business, including the products or
services that you sell. Who knows, the interest generated could turn into sales, thus making your social networking experience more than worth it.

Business Cards have been one of the most effective tools for marketing. Business executives used them as the best marketing tool during their business meetings and conventions. Nowadays, some people started questioning about relevance of business cards in modern marketing environment. They say that business cards are no longer an important tool for marketing. They prefer using more innovative ways (IT influenced ways like emails and social business networking) of marketing.

However, one cannot deny the fact that business cards are still the best conventional tool for marketing and they are still relevant for all types of businesses. People may be using modern ways of marketing but nothing can replace business card and other business stationeries like postcards, product brochures, flyers, and door hangers. They are still popular and important for marketing. Online marketing and other modern ways of marketing and advertising are being popular, but no marketing campaign will be effective and successful without physical marketing to complement the efforts of getting success in business.

Assume the situation when you are in a business convention or seminars. There you meet hundreds of people and exchange your views on business. You cannot send an email or SMS to all of them without knowing their names, email address or contact numbers. In that case, if you stick to only IT powered modes of contacting people, you will not be able to circulate your contact information among them.

After then convention, if they want to use your services or products, how they will contact you or your organization? You have not left any piece of contact information for them, so you may end up with losing some potential business. You will surely remember business cards on such occasions.

That means, using modern and innovative ways of marketing like email marketing and social business networking is beneficial for you. However, removing traditional marketing tools like business cards, postcards, product brochures, flyers, and door hangers from your marketing campaigns is never a good idea.

Adopt new tools and empower yourself with new technologies. However, do not forget the importance of traditional marketing tools. These marketing tools are able to provide a boost to your marketing and advertising campaigns. You only need to use them effectively for getting best results in your favor.