In the first article of this series, I defined fraud, discussed how it can occur in a company, and provided some real-life examples of when and how it has occurred in the corporate world. (To read the first article, visit inlogik.com/12530+0+free-articles.htm.) In this - the second - article, we get down to nuts and bolts; how do you minimize fraud in YOUR company?There are two main steps required to stop fraud in your company: Step 1 - identify...more
I am finally reading "The 8th Habit" by Stephen Covey. It seems to be a great book so far. One of the nice things about this book is that it includes a website that has short videos about some of the topics, so you can watch the video and then go back to the book which makes the learning experience much better. One of the videos makes the comparison of how a leader "manages" his prize hunting dog and his new employee. And after I watched the...more
On January 26, 2006 we heard that the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) started a preliminary inquiry into SDL's July 2005 acquisition of Trados. We spoke with a person in the DoJ's Anti-Trust Division who told us that they had had come across news of the acquisition and felt they should look into it. At this stage it does not mean anything except that the DoJ wants to make sure that there were no violations of U.S. anti-trust law. Last year we wondered whether consolidation in the language services industry would attract the interest of the DoJ or Neelie Kroes, the E.U.'s European Commissioner for Competition. We applied the Herfindahl Index, a calculator used to determine industry concentration and whether there is a monopoly, oligopoly, or tendency toward one or the other. Our calculations showed that the language services market was just moderately concentrated, so we said that no one has to worry yet. How about the tools space? Last year we researched the entire language-centric tools industry. We found that it was a sub-US$100 million market characterized by mostly small firms with inadequate sales representation. The most accessible of the language technologies, translation...more
Most Americans have a problem with debt; the fact that the average household owes nearly $10,000 on their credit cards makes that pretty clear. And with interest rates and minimum credit card payments rising, consumers are finding their bills harder to pay each month. In years past, those who cannot repay their bills would often resort to filing...more
The government provides loans to those individuals who have low to moderate income for permanent residence in rural areas. To qualify for these government loans is not that hard and the restrictions are small.The Federal agency that provides the loans for housing is: Rural Housing Service, (RHS)Their main objective is to assist very low,...more
At tax time, most Americans find themselves expecting a refund. That's no surprise, as most people have too much money withheld from their paychecks. It would be a simple matter to adjust the withholding so that the amount of money withheld is roughly equal to the amount of tax owed, but most people are content to get a refund check every spring.Until relatively recently, when a taxpayer had a refund coming, he or she had to wait two months or so while the refund was processed and the check mailed. In recent years, however, major tax preparers have come up with a profitable alternative that keeps the taxpayer from having to wait so long - the Rapid Refund.The rapid refund, also known as a refund anticipation loan, is a loan given by the tax preparing company that is backed by the refund itself as collateral. The taxpayer that agrees to the service will receive his or her refund, less a service fee, often in as little as 24 hours.On the surface, this might seem like a great idea. Pay a fee, and get the refund now instead of later. But there are some problems with this service that many people either don't know about or overlook:# The fees are high; they average about $100 per...more
Did you know that it is very likely your company is a victim of fraud? In fact, it's probably happening right now! Fraud takes many forms - some obvious and well known, others subtle and unmarked. This two-part article sheds some light on the topic....more
What's the thing that seems to always happen every time you are finding it difficult to meet your credit card payments? You get slapped with a penalty fee. These fees or penalties seem to always happen just at the very moment you need them least....more
From television commercials to websites to expos and conferences, the call to become an entrepreneur is loud and clear. And it's no surprise. According to the latest research, owning a business has been cited as the number one goal of Americans...more
How often do people try to sell us something before we have expressed an interest, have a desire, or are in the market for what they have? It seems the standard for many salespeople is to try to sell to anyone and everyone regardless of the interest...more
Using sample business plans and their structure, along with studying as many business plan examples as you can, will provide you with the necessary framework to consider your business from every possible angle.Starting or running your business...more
"Please -- Pretty Please!! I really, really want to do this." From the sounds of things you'd think a parent and a child were in "one of those" arguments. But it's really a wife trying to persuade her husband to let her work from home. Getting your...more