PRELUDE TO POWERPOINT

Selling can be easy or it can be hard.  Sometimes having someone or something to facilitate your selling performance will make selling easy for you, and might also give you some easy sales.  And there's nothing wrong with easy sales.

Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software might be able to facilitate your selling performance.  It has many functionalities that your clients might like to see in your presentation.  Here is an overview of the basic elements of this presentation software.

• SLIDE FUNCTIONALITY just like the old slide projector when photographs were produced in slides.
• GRAPHICS in the slides that come in the form of a digital camera picture or clipart images.
• PIE CHARTS AND BAR GRAPHS come in handy for visual effects.
• PREDESIGNED TEMPLATES ready-made so one just needs to enter texts and graphics into the slides.

POWERPOINT ===> TEXTS == GRAPHICS == IMAGES == CHARTS == PICTURES.

PowerPoint may indeed help out in adding dimension to your sales.  However, businesses should determine for themselves if a product is going to help them, or if it will just end up sitting in the computer memory hardware unused.

Knight in Business 4.16.2013

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Starting a business or being in business for less than a year can be a challenge.  There are some things to consider before or during your first year in business.  Moreover, there are some things that you may not remember to address.

Thinking of your business as a project that you need to complete and succeed upon might help you decide on starting a business or succeed in business.  The following are the nine (9) areas of knowledge of Project Management used by many project managers employed by businesses and government agencies.

PROJECT INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT is the integration of all your knowledge, e.g., technical, clerical, into your business.

PROJECT SCOPE MANAGEMENT is how far your business will go in order to provide the services or product of your business.

PROJECT TIME MANAGEMENT can be the time you will devote to the business until you feel the business is not worthy of your time.

PROJECT COST MANAGEMENT is how much you have in your budget for your business.

PROJECT QUALITY MANAGEMENT can be the quality of service or product you will provide to your clients.

PROJECT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT deals with the people you will employ to help you conduct your business.

PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT is all about the technologies and techniques you will employ to communicate with your employees, clients, and vendors.

PROJECT RISK MANAGEMENT is about limiting yourself from business transactions that you cannot assumed.

PROJECT PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT is about getting the resources that you need to provide the service or the product of your business.

Knight in Business 4.15.2013

OPEN TO PROGRAMMING

Investment Department is invested in the continuing existence and possible progress of the business.  Therefore, it is only proper that the business uses technology that it will not outlast when the business grows.

One of the investment the business could make is in the existing technology available for accounting and database recording.  Available software for these two (2) areas of business application, however, are not that many.  The reason for this is that the greatest consumer of business software, i.e., the large companies, do not use them.  Instead, large companies and organizations, like the U.S. government, hire programmers to make programs for accounting and database recording that are usable only inside the company or organization.

Let's take a brief look at these available accounting and database recording software.

QuickBooks is limited to 14,500 individual records in totality of all different records.  This limit is not viable to a large company's ever-growing list of customers, employees, and vendors.

Microsoft Excel 2013 is a spreadsheet software limited to 2 GB file using a 32-bit microprocessor.  Using a 64-bit microprocessor, this file size is limited only by the PC system RAM size.  Excel, however, is not a database software.

Microsoft Access is limited to a database file of 2 Gigabyte and a limit to each individual record of 2,000 characters.  These restrictions will certainly make large companies to consider other alternatives.

Fortunately, there are existing programming languages that can offer a large company or a large organization, like the U.S. government, a viable solution to their current and future needs.  Among the most popular programming languages in use today are the following:  Java, C, C++, Visual Basic, and the old standards, COBOL and Fortran.

Knight in Business 4.14.2013

HIGH COST OF SMOKING

The Health Department is concerned about the health of all the employees of the business.  And some businesses has made it a policy of not hiring people who are smokers of cigarette or tobacco.  And the reason for this is usually twofold.

 

First, people who smoke have a higher chance of developing illness while at work or as they mature in their lifetime.  This will lead to sick days being used by an employee who smoke.

 

In the long and short terms, employees who smoke will lead to the business costing more insurance premium money insuring these employees.  Insurance companies recognize the ill effects of smoking for an insured member, therefore, they charged more insurance premium for these members to cover their possible costs.

 

In the future terms, insurance companies recognize that an insured member who smoke will cost them more money as the insured member reaches old age and starts to feel the real effects of his longtime smoking habit.

 

NONSMOKERS == LOW COST INSURANCE

SMOKERS ====== HIGH COST INSURANCE

The second reason of the twofold reason why a business will not hire people who smoke are the effects of second hand smoke on the workforce.  Second hand smoke comes from a person who smokes.  Not only is there second hand smoke while the smoker is smoking, but there is also second hand smoke even many hours after the smoker has smoked.  Usually second hand smoke stays in the smoker for as long as he lived, or until he stops his smoking habit.

 

Knight in Business 4.13.2013

MICROSOFT ANYONE

MICROSOFT SOFTWARE

Now to all who are neophytes to all or some of the Microsoft software out there in the market, here is a list of Microsoft software that a business might be able to use in conducting their business.  A short description of each follows.

WORD is a word processing software.
EXCEL is a spreadsheet software.
ACCESS is a database software.
POWERPOINT is a presentation software.
OUTLOOK is an e-mail software.
PUBLISHER is a desktop publishing software.
PROJECT is a project management software designed for project managers.
OFFICE is a bundled software that comes in various forms.  The basic bundled software has WORD, EXCEL, and POWERPOINT.

Knight in Business 4.12.2013

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 101

Computer Technology 101

The five (5) major components of a Personal Computer (PC) system are the following, in the order of their importance:
1.  Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the component that does all the computations and control of the PC system.
2.  Main/Internal/Primary Memory component is where all the raw data and the computed data is stored.
3.  Input Device components are the device that a user will use to communicate with the CPU.
4.  Output Device components is how the PC system will be able to communicate to the user.
5. Secondary/Drive Storage Device components are where the user must save his data and his programs if he wants to use them again after turning off the PC system.

                                        (Pentium, Core)
INPUT DEVICES =====> CPU <=====> INTERNAL MAIN MEMORY
(keyboard, mouse)             |                   (RAM, ROM)
                                          |========> SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICE
                                          |                    (hard drive, floppy drive)
                                          |========> OUTPUT DEVICES
                                                               (console, printer)

Happy computing!

Knight in Business 4.11.2013

POST GRAD ACCOUNTING

Back in the days when I was studying accounting in college, Los Angeles City College had Accounting 1 and Accounting 2, which were the regular accounting courses for accounting majors.

Now that I am going back to college, I found that College of Southern Nevada did not have these aforementioned accounting courses, but instead have Managerial Accounting and Financial Accounting for their regular accounting courses for accounting majors.

Puzzled, I went out on a search as to the difference between the two preceding (2) accounting courses.

Managerial Accounting is the accounting used inside an organization to be used only inside the organization.  Financial Accounting is the accounting used inside an organization to be used outside the organization.

MANAGERIAL <----- ACCOUNTING -----> FINANCIAL
      (CEO)          (BALANCE SHEET)           (IRS)

Both accounting methods use the same kind of financial statements, e.g., Balance Sheet, but presents it differently.  The former presents it for the benefit of the clerks and managers of the organization.  The latter presents it for the benefit of an outside organization, like a creditor or the IRS (Internal Revenue Service).

Knight in Business 4.10.2013

SALES 101

BASIC SALES

Sales is the building blocks of a successful business.  If the business fails to make a sale, the entire business fails.  If the business makes a sale, the business will survive.  If the business makes lots of sale, the business will thrive and make lots of profit.

This graphic shows how a business makes a sale, literally.

BUSINESSMAN ==> SALESMAN ==> CUSTOMER ==> SALE ==> BUSINESSMAN

The businessman hires a salesman or he could hire himself as a salesman.  The salesman approaches, calls, or waits for the customer.  The salesman makes his sales pitch or shows the customer around the store.  The customer buys and pays for the product or service.  Then everybody is happy and gets what they want.

Knight in Business 4.9.2013

THE TAXMAN IS COMING!

Now that the different departments of business have introduced themselves, let’s get down to brass tacks.  About the only thing sure in life are death and taxes.  And the reality now is the looming deadline to file the U.S. income tax return for all residents and citizens of the United States of America. One needs to pay the piper even in death.

LIFE -----> TAXES -----> DEATH -----> TAXES

 

Here's the game plan:

• For a SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP, the businessman includes his business in his income tax return.
• For PARTNERSHIP, each partner includes his business in his income tax return.
• For LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC), each member can file as a partnership or a corporation.  If there is only one member, he can file his business in his individual income tax return or as a corporation.
• For a CORPORATION, each shareholder or stockholder includes his earnings from the corporation in his income tax return.

Happy Tax Day April 15!

Knight in Business 4.8.2013.

KING ARTHUR'S COURT

The Investment Department exists because the business has made some profit.  This profit can then be applied to investing in the business or outside the business.  Internal business investment includes buying better equipment for the business and sending an employee to take a course that will be applied to the business.  External business investment includes buying stocks and bonds of another business.

                 BUSINESS PROFIT

                             |

                             v

INTERNAL <== INVESTMENT ==> EXTERNAL

Equipment Upgrade                    Stocks

Employee Development               Bonds

 

Now let’s go back in time some thousand or so years ago, back in the days of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.  King Arthur was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of his company of knights of the Round Table.

How did King Arthur invested his money?  He invested his money on his people so that they may exemplify the kind of knight that he was.  King Arthur and his company was so successful that they became renowned to all the medieval world and the worlds thereafter.

King Arthur and his Round Table company is the model of business for Knight in Business.  He was so legendary, he became a myth.

 

Knight in Business 4.7.2013

FOR HEALTH REASONS

The first aid cabinet of every office and place of business is the center of the Health Department.  It has all the necessary bandages and headache medicine that employees need while working hard to earn their paycheck.

This Health Department goes beyond the first aid cabinet.  It is concerned about the overall health of all workers of the business so that they may lead full and happy productive lives.

One of the concerns of the Health Department is how the U.S. Surgeon General’s warnings on tobacco and cigarette smoking remained unheeded, despite the consequences of medical problems that may arise in the present and in the future.  Smokers are either doubting the findings or ignoring them for the sake of instant gratification.

Another concern of the Health Department is the use of alcohol.  Drinking alcoholic drinks is fine when using it to liven up a party.  One can lose his inhibition and let his flow of conversation come more freely.  But beyond that, it can lead to medical problems in the future.

A person should not burden himself by aggravating his situation with vices that are unhealthful to him.  He should find other ways to alleviate himself from his own worries of living a fruitful and productive life.  After all, “A happy worker is a productive worker.”

And now for the real reason why I was excited to write this article.  Remember the Disney movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”  The dwarves are certainly happy workers as they sing and whistle their way off to work. “Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! It’s off to work we go!”

Knight in Business 4.6.2013

SYSTEM & APPLICATION SOFTWARE

The Software Department contains the intangible assets of a business, in theory. Software refers, in actuality, to the codes of programs that run the computer and the applications that run on the computer Operating System (OS) software.  Moreover, there are also program codes embedded in the computer system hardware itself, for example, the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS).

However, this Software Department is only in charge of all the software applications that are not inherent to the system’s operating functions. The Software Department only handles software like Microsoft’s Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Outlook, utility software like Quickbooks, and programming languages like Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and Java.  Microsoft Windows is an OS software running the computer itself and is therefore consign to the Hardware Department.

In theory, one does not need a third party software of the OS or applications type only if one can make an OS for the computer. But that would take at least a year to develop and test for proper functioning. "So we rely on what’s already on the market and concentrate on our own line of business instead. Just like that old adage says, “There is no need to reinvent the wheel.”

Knight in Business 4.5.2013

COMPUTER HARDWARE

The Hardware Department of any business includes all the tangible assets of the business, including the owned, leased, borrowed, and rented properties and equipment.  But this Hardware Department is only about the computer hardware and its peripheral devices.

The minimum requirements for any computer system are the following:

Keyboard ==> Computer ==> Monitor
Mouse ==> Computer

Most businesses can manage to do with just the computer, keyboard, mouse, and monitor if there is no need to print any report.  All information will be stored in the computer and/or in diskettes or USB flash drives.  Different flash drives or diskettes can be used to back up copies of the information and each storage device can be stored in different locations for archival purposes.

The basic and common requirements for any computer system are the following:

Keyboard ==> Computer ==> Monitor
Mouse ==> Computer
Computer ==> Printer

Most businesses have, along with the computer, keyboard, mouse, and monitor, a printer to print their reports and provide visual support in their business communications to their employees, vendors, and clientele.

Knight in Business 4.4.2013

ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS

The Administration Department came first followed by the Sales Department in second place.  Now, the third and last major manifestation of a business is the Accounting Department.  Every business needs an Accounting Department.  It's how a business can find out if it is making any money or not, and where the money is going.

ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT HISTORY

In the old days, the Accounting Department kept their accounting records in columnar books or accounting worksheets.  As the old accounting parlance goes, "It's all in the books!" 

Nowadays, the Accounting Department uses computers to calculate and store all accounting records.  They still do make printed reports or computer printouts of their accounting records, but mostly to make official documentations of accounting reports.  Also, they make printed reports for business communications with other departments and, of course, with their business clientele.

ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE PAST AND PRESENT

Back in the 1980's, the big thing in writing accounting reports was the IBM Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet software.  But as computers started using Graphical User Interface (GUI) like Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Excel became the bestseller among spreadsheet software.  Other spreadsheet software like WordPerfect Quattro Pro and accounting utility software like Quickbooks tried to get the most share of the market, but Excel remained the standard for accounting software to these days.

Of course, should the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) questions any of your accounting data, you can still say that old accounting parlance, "It's all in the books!"

Knight in Business 4.3.2013

SELLING STANDPOINT

Obviously, a business is in business to earn a living or to make some profit for its owners or stockholders.  And that's where the Sales Department comes in.

There are three (3) ways to sell a product or a service, namely:

• 1. Sell in your business location or locations, for example: retail store, insurance agency, restaurant.
• 2. Sell by sending salesman to your potential customers or clients, for example: pharmaceutical company, insurance company, bottled water company.
• 3. Sell via written or recorded message to your potential customers or clients, for example: television advertisement, mail advertisement, website advertisement.

Of course, a business can use more than one way to sell its business by applying any of the three aforementioned ways.  For example, an insurance company can have their insurance agents established themselves in a permanent insurance agency business location or in a temporary mall kiosk location.  And finally, there is the ever growing niche marketing and advertisement in the world wide web of the Internet.

Knight in Business

INTRODUCTION

The following chart represents the flow of business in any enterprise, for example, sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, and stock corporation.  This chart represents the various departments that a business has in order to conduct business.  Each of these departments may be a fully functional unit or absorb by another department.

FLOW OF BUSINESS

Administration <===> Sales ===> Accounting <===> Administration

Administration <===> Hardware === Software === Health === Investment <===> Accounting

Sales <===> Hardware === Software

This website is about these seven (7) departments, discussing one for each day and discussing each once a week.

Knight in Business