Search engines are becoming more like targeted advertising; they show you what “they” think you want to see not what you should see. It’s acceptable to see banner advertising displayed along your search results specific to your location, but it’s quite unacceptable to see different search results for the same search “query” depending on your location.

The vast amount of data available on the Internet may be limited by search engine algorithm.

But how much of the information we find online is credible? Can we use this information as a reference? Can we take what companies or even people post on their websites or blogs as facts?

This is a very complicated subject; the online community needs to develop clear guidelines on how to treat information obtained online.

In addition, the internet helped spread the use of the English which give people a common communication language, another powerful tool in the unified communication system.

All these factors coupled with the rapid drop in cost of communication, give people unprecedented ability to talk to each other and create common believes and habits.

The debates over outsourcing will never going to end neither will the practice of outsourcing, as companies go through various business cycles, they face difference challenges and they have to make decisions that must support their bottom lines. Outsourcing for many companies is only a part of a business cycle that could change over time.

But lately, I started to realize the importance of giving my computer a break at the end of the day; I started to turn off my computer before going to bed. The heat generated by CPU could cause some serious performance issue, especially if the computer is setup in area where there is not enough air circulating around the computer.

I noticed great performance improvement in my computer when I let it rest at night.

So now I am on the side that believes “turning off your computer at night is good for your computer.”

I have found that there is no way around with these types of managers, you either learn to work with them or get out of the way because arguing with them will always lead to a dead end.

The lesson for smart managers is “try to make a deal rather than to win a deal”, it is much easier and far better to work with a “team spirit” and win everyone in your side than to force your way through and, in the process, you may lose everyone.

One of the challenges faced as a manager in any firm is how to find and
retain employees with the right combination of skills.
The global demand for manpower is overwhelming. Countries such as the US,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union are competing for the
same combination of skills. One of the major providers of manpower, India, is
facing its own shortage of skills in certain areas and many Indians are
opting to remain at home where they are now receiving greater salaries than
previously.
Gone are the days when a manager or a firm has the final word in an
employee’s career. Today, an employee with the right skill mix, can compete
for positions at a global scale, where the demand is high and the
remuneration is competitive, as in today’s climate of employment suggests
that people can now map and forecast their own career path.
Countries who fail to retain their work force will face the challenge of
sustaining its growth.
As managers, you need to learn how to retain your top performers. These are
some of the areas you could focus upon, to give your employee a sense of job
security:
1- continuous job training
2- continuous job performance review
3- immediate pay raise for good performance
4- if you have any foreign employees within your team, ensure that you action
any legal matters in a speedy manner, as one of the top reasons for a high
worker turn-over, is that the employee does not feel secure about their
future in a new country
5- we are living in a world where borders are disappearing and we now discuss
manpower on a global market rather than a local one. The world employment
market awaits the talent you are willing to forego, it is in your best
financial and technical competitiveness to cultivate and educate your
existing employees in the culture of your firm, as you have already invested
in their future. It makes good business sense to hold on to the talent you
have created.

A stress on the business cycle happens when one or more of the elements are not functioning efficiently. Faulty equipment such as slow computer systems may put a stress on the business cycle, a poorly trained employee may put a stress on the business cycle, outdated laws could put a stress on the business cycle, etc.

Finding and eliminating stress factors can greatly improve business cycle and make it more efficient.

Some areas to consider:

• Ongoing training of employees
• Ongoing maintenance and upgrade of equipment
• Ongoing review of business process to find room for improvements
• Work with the government and industry leaders to eliminate laws that stress the system

Management must continually review business cycle and look for stress elements that create stress on the cycle and work rigorously to eliminate these elements.

Planning stage sometimes become the comfort zone, we don’t want to leave the known to the unknown. I have met many successful business people and read many articles on successful people and one thing common to all of them is “they take actions.”

Many difficult problems at the planning stage seem to get resolved as work progress; I have tried this many times. So, “Stop Planning and start implementing.”

Business people wanted programmers to come up with the ultimate solution for their problems and programmers had hard time explaining to management what is possible and what is not, technically, possible. This created a gray area between management and IT.

The solution was to design a course of study where both IT and Management courses are taught. The idea was to turn-out future managers who start their carriers in IT and move up the corporate ladder to take managerial occupations. These managers will have backgrounds in both IT and business which will help bridge the gap in communications between the two units.

Today, increasing numbers of companies are requiring their IT managers to have business skills since IT is increasingly becoming an integral part of the business process.