Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Wine Lovers Club Newsletter June 2007 by ROBERT MAYNE

Bad news : Wine crop down a lot

Good news: quality generally good

By ROBERT MAYNE

With much of Australia's winegrape harvest in, there are some startling
if not surprising) deviations to recent vintages. It is expected to be
the smallest harvest since 2000 and a third smaller that of last year,
2006, according to official statistics.

The statistics have been released by the Australian Wine and Brandy
Corporation, the Federal Government's wine authority, and show a likely
harvest of 1.35 million tonnes. This means about 400 million litres of
wine less than last year.

Good news for buyers? Yes, but not yet. While white wine will flow
through into the system fairly quickly -- from later of this year --
red wines will hang around in stainless steel, barrel and maturing in
bottle for a few years before release; stocks and new supplies should
keep prices stable.. Then they will be more expensive.

And quality, especially of reds, looks good. Bunches of grapes are
generally thinner and smaller, therefore intensity of flavour will be
affected as well as yield. Drought, frosts and reduced water
availability will all have an effect, especially in higher, cooler
areas. Bunches are smaller and should increase colour and flavour
intensities in those that have not been harvested yet. The good news
side is that there has been very little disease in vines because of the
heat and lack of moisture.

And the results of the 2007 crop are likely to be carried forward to
the 2008 crop as the primordial buds in next season's grape vines will
be affected by poor development this year.

This does not means that there will be cheaper wines soon, though this
may follow to some extent if exports continue their rise. It does
however seem likely that a much-awaited return to balance
(supply/demand) is possible, even likely in around 2009.

This year, 2007 (January to May) new bearing vines will yield only a
two per cent increase hectares of bearing vines, a result of at least
five years of subdued plantings, because lower financial yields to
potential and existing growers.

I have inspected some of the so-far unharvested vines in South
Australia, and they show the signs of stress and heat with little or no
water available.

The "big" reds from makes such as Penfolds, many McLaren Vale makers
including Hardy's, some Coonwarra makers, Clare and Langhorne Creek
will be highly intensive when they are released in three to five years.
Hunter reds are likely to be similar -- extractive, full flavoured and
high in alcohol.

More detailed industry statistics will be released in June and July
when results are clearer and winemakers can turn their attention to
wines that have been picked, crushed and are undergoing fermentation.

Highlights of the 2007 vintage: * Harvest likely to be 1.35 million
tonnes * Smallest harvest since 2000 * Cool climate wines (generally
smaller makers) will be hardest hit * Reds more affected than the white
wines * Cheaper wines (casks and flagons) likely to be more expensive
in about a year * 2009 level off in supply/demand

About the Author

Robert Mayne is an Adelaide based freelance journalist, wine writer,
and senior consultant for Wine Lovers Club Pty Ltd; a mail order wine
business specialising in premium mixed dozens and quality winery direct
bargains. For more details http://www.wineloversclub.com.au

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Distributed by Hasan Shrek, independence blogger. Also run online business , matrix, internet marketing solution , online store script .
Beside he is writing some others blogs for notebook computer , computer training , computer software and personal computer

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Monday, July 23, 2007

Definition Of Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management can be defined as the process of planning, implementing and monitoring the everyday operations of a supply chain. Supply chain management is an all encompassing process as it undertakes the management of availability of raw materials, their processing into finished goods and the distributions of the same. The aim of all this is to provide the highest level of satisfaction to the customer and thus increase the business of the company. And with the increasing complexity of the supply chain, supply chain management has also become about coordinating and collaborating with the different trade partners now involved in the supply chain.

Supply chain management is supposed to be undertaken by the high level management committee of the company. The employees have to willingly adhere to their decisions in order to bring about maximum efficiency in the supply chain.

Supply chain management decisions are made on three different levels- the tactical, strategic and operational levels. Strategic level involves long term decisions while tactical level includes medium term decisions while operational level is concerned with very short term day-to-day operational concerns. The problems that the supply chain system is supposed to address includes the following:

* Distributor Network Configuration: Quantities and locations of people involved with the entire process of the supply chain including the suppliers, customers, warehouses, production facilities and distribution centers.
* Strategies for distribution: Centralized, direct shipments, push and pull strategies, cross docking and third party logistics.
* Information: Integrating systems and processes through supply chain to share relevant and significant information consisting of demand signals, forecasting, transportation and of course, inventory.
* Management of inventory: Number and location of inventory and also covers raw materials, finished goods as well as work in progress.

The flow of the supply chain execution is always bi directional and basically manages and coordinates movement of material, information and finances of the supply chain. There are some key supply chain management processes that have been identified. They are:

* Management of customer relations.
* Management of customer service
* Management of demands.
* Fulfillment of orders.
* Manufacturing flow management.
* Management of supplier relations.
* Developing the product and commercializing it.
* Managing returns.

Other key business processes which are used as supply chain procedures and are a vital part of the process and include:

* Customer service management: Steps used by companies to build successful customer relations include focusing on mutually satisfying goals; establishing and maintaining customer relations; produce feelings of positivity and trust between the customers and organization.
* Procurement processes.
* Product developing and commercializing: This includes coordinating with customer relationship management to identify customer articulated needs, selecting suppliers and materials and developing production technology to integrate and produce the best supply chain flow.
* Manufacturing flow management processes.
* Physical distribution.
* Outsourcing and partnerships.
* Performance measurement regarding cost, productivity measures, customer service, asset measurement and quality.

Together with all of these the supply chain management system has managed to put into place an integrated supply and demand management within and across business firms.

About The Author

Sandra Stammberger owns and operates http://www.supplychainmanagementweb.com Supply Chain Management

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“Fear – Your New Best Friend”

Do you know the three steps to creating wealth? Creating wealth for your business depends upon your ability to sell, sell, and sell your products and services. Let’s look at the three steps to creating wealth beyond your wildest dreams.

Following are the three steps to creating wealth that will have you raking in the cash:
Step #1: Fear. You need to find out what people fear. If you haven’t created a product then find out what people fear in life and make a product that helps get rid of that fear. If you already have customers then find out their fears so you can create even more products.

Step #2: Promise of relief. So you’ve found out the fear of your customers, now what do you do with this information? You create a product or service that provides relief. You promise that your product will save the day and alleviate their fear.

Step #3: Money. To maximize your sales you need to let people know why you are the person to solve their concerns. You have to provide credibility so that they will give you their money. If you don’t provide credibility then they won’t have faith that your product will actually solve their problems. You can provide testimonials, show results, and give your credentials so they will literally throw their money at you. Fear is a very powerful feeling, so you can use fear to your advantage.

What are examples of these three steps in action? Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Example #1: Do your customers have concerns about earning the most profit from SEO on their website? You could provide an informational product that helps relieve this fear of losing out on money.

Example #2: The diet industry. The diet industry preys on the fear of being overweight and provides an easy relief solution through diet pills, programs, and gadgets. They prey on the fear that people feel like they will never be able to lose weight unless they order their diet products.

Take the lead from the diet industry and uncover the fears of your customers. If you can provide the magical solution, with credibility to stand behind it, then you maximize your profit in no time. If you don’t then you could lose out on thousands or even millions of dollars in profit.

About The Author

Matt Bacak began investing his first earnings at the tender age of 12, a young businessman in the making. Now, 15 years later, Bacak survived failed businesses, botched partnerships, heavy credit card debt and bankruptcy - all in preparation for the accomplishments he has achieved today as a well-established Internet millionaire and best-selling author.

For more information, visit Bacak's site at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or sign up for his Powerful Promoting Tips at http://www.promotingtips.com

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Cafeteria Benefit Plans and Your Workforce

Especially if you happen to be one of those unflinchingly ambitious micro-business entrepreneurs, I've been reading about everyday in pubs like Crain's Chicago Business, you'll eventually find that designing and offering up an attractive employee-benefits package will be an essential component of your future growth. An attractive health plan will do just that - attract - helping you recruit and retain crucial employees (meaning those fought over creative class/knowledge worker types Richard Florida is always yammering about). You'll also find that a generous group plan will help link your employees' interests to your concern's.

That said, there are a seemingly unlimited number of group benefits options to consider. One that you'll want to move to the top of your list is a Cafeteria Plan. The cafeteria brand of benefit plan can add a lot freedom to a employee compensation package, allowing your workforce to choose benefits options ala carte, if you will - selecting only the benefit options they're most interested in.

Perhaps I should start closer to the beginning … cafeteria plans, also known as the flexible spending account, the choice spending account or the section 125 plan, have become increasingly popular over the last few years because they're designed to offer employees a truly convenient way to pay medical expenses with pre-tax dollars; relieving them of the burden of federal, and state taxes.

To take advantage of a flexible spending account, eligible employees set aside a pre-designated amount each year, in order to pay for medical expenses aren't already eligible for coverage. The two most common types of flexible-spending accounts are dependent care reimbursement (also known as DCRAs) and health care reimbursement accounts. Employees pay for non-reimbursed expenses from these accounts. Unfortunately, flexible-spending accounts are "use-it-or-lose-it" accounts; meaning that any funds leftover at the end of the year can't be "rolled over," so to speak.

Exceptions To Those Limits Apply to Key Employees

Typically, funds set aside in a cafeteria plan's flexible-spending account are exempt from income, payroll, and unemployment taxes. This exemption generally also applies to payroll and unemployment taxes paid on behalf of employees. (Take a look at IRS Pub. 15-B for exceptions, including treatment of highly compensated employees and certain shareholders of Subchapter S Corporation's.)

Premiums paid to a group life benefits policy are typically exempt from income and unemployment taxes. In addition, premiums paid for up to $50,000.00 of benefits coverage per employee tend to be exempt from payroll taxes. For additional details, see IRS Publication 15-B.

You see, cafeteria plans offer you some versatility in putting together a benefits plan for your workforce. There are other categories of fringe benefits that you can offer your employees in a cafeteria plan that may be excluded from taxable income under IRS benefit-exclusion rules. Using a flexible-spending account -- namely, establishing a DCRA and HCRA -- may help to jump-start a cafeteria plan for your workforce. If you maintain a cafeteria plan, the IRS requires you to complete IRS Form 5500.

To help you keep track of employment-related costs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a quarterly statistic called the employment cost index. The cost index measures changes in employee-compensation costs, which include salaries, wages, and benefits. In addition to publishing the quarterly cost index, BLS publishes an annual survey of compensation costs.

One last thing … the information above is practically for entertainment purposes and shouldn't be interpreted as financial advice. For advice specific to your firm's circumstances, don't hesitate get advice from a financial, tax or benefits consultant. You may even want to flat out hire an Interim benefits consultant or a full service benefits consulting firm. There are also a number of good sources of information on the Web you can take advantage of. The Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI), International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), and American Benefits Council are independent sources of truly "actionable" employee-benefit plan information.

About The Author

Scott Turner

From the moment I joined the consulting team at cavalryHR (an interim staffing and recruiting firm based in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Boca Raton) I've been focused on offering businesses the tools to attract and retain a dynamic and talented workforce.

If your firm needs "the right experience at the right time," just give me a call during the day at cavalryHR's office: 312-251-9664, or just shoot me an email anytime via: http://www.cavalryhr.com

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How To Hire Executive Protection

Doing business sometimes comes along with a high degree of risk. There are patents that might be stolen. There are top secret plans that competitors are interested in obtaining. There's the money that comes from a high level of success.

Because of the risks and dangers associated with professionals who have reached a pinnacle of performance, many companies have begun to look into executive protection.

In many cases, executive protection comes in the form of a security advisor – a bodyguard of sorts – who works one on one with a high level executive. In other cases, executive protection is provided by a team of individuals who work together to identify which executives need security and what possible threats may be.

If you are looking into executive protection for within your business, following these steps can help you to make the right decisions.

1. Identify what your executive protection needs are. Which individuals in your organization are at risk? What are the risks to your organization – is there a potential for kidnapping, do high ranking officers of the company go to dangerous places or interact extensively with the media? By taking the time to identify what your executive protection needs are, you can better choose the right professionals to perform those services.

2. Recognize that executive protection is not about muscled bodyguards as much as it is about having a plan in place for dealing with threats should they arise. Someone who offers executive protection is likely to have a keen eye for detail and to notice any indication that something could go awry.

3. Ensure that the staff of the company who will benefit from executive protection recognize that the service is meant to keep them safe; if your staff do not know and understand the risk, they will not work well with the members of the executive protection team.

4. Set limits so that the staff members to whom executive protection are assigned do not feel as though their personal space is being invaded; choose a protection system that will still allow them to feel as though they can leave work at the office.

5. Take the time to research your options and interview more than one person when you plan to hire executive protection. It's important to know that you're hiring the right people for the job.

One thing that you can do to ensure that you're choosing the right executive protection is to hire individuals who have experience assessing risk, performing security checks and finding background information – individuals who are also private investigators are often a great addition to your executive protection team.

When a private investigator offers executive protection for your company, you can feel confident that risks from individuals are reduced because background checks can be performed. You'll be able, if you desire, to implement security systems within the office or business location. You will also, of course, be able to work with someone who has experience evaluating situations – making it easy to know that your executive protection will indeed keep your staff safe.

About The Author

David Almeida is a licensed private investigator with a degree in criminal justice. He is affiliated with the National Association of Investigative Specialists and the Licensed Private Detective’s Association of Massachusetts. For more information visit http://www.baystatedetective.com

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Employers: Save Time By Hiring A Private Investigator To Conduct An Employee Background Check

If you are in business, you know that it's important to have a variety of information about those individuals who are working with you. This is true whether the position involves a security detail, handling large amounts of cash or working with a great deal of information such as the social security numbers and credit information for your company's clients.

Therefore, conducting an employee background check is essential in many businesses. However, not every manager or owner will have the time to thoroughly check out everyone who has applied for and who is being considered for filling a position. That's where a private investigator comes in.

It's possible to hire a private investigator to conduct an employee background check for you.

With an employee background check, a private investigator can determine whether the prospective employee:

has a car or truck registered in his or her name;
has a clean driving record;
has indeed attended the college or university listed on his or her application;
has been sued or has a criminal record;
has ever filed for bankruptcy protection;
has sued a previous employer for worker's compensation;
has passed state licensing exams such as those for teachers, doctors, nurses or lawyers;
has ever failed a drug test; or
has been listed on the sex offenders registry.

With this information, you can verify the information that is on the applicant's resume and determine whether or not they meet the criteria that your company sets for its employees.

Much of the information that is included in an employee background check is information that is on public record. Therefore, some businesses may wonder why they should hire a private investigator when it is possible to get the information on their own.

There are a number of reasons why it makes sense to hire a private investigator to conduct an employee background check. Time is one reason: while as an employer may have to place a number of phone calls or conduct a number of searches just to determine who should be contacted to find the information, a private investigator is experienced at conducting employee background checks.

In addition to saving time by having someone else conduct an employee background check, your business will be able to continue to focus on your clients and customers. As a result, your day to day business will not slip through the cracks and you can be sure that the employee background check is conducted without bias.

When the same individuals who conduct interviews also conduct employee background checks, it's possible that a detail would be weighted based on the interview with or personality of the applicant. Because a private investigator is a neutral party, all that will be considered during the employee background check is the information that the search yields.

With that information, you will be better able to determine whether or not the applicant is someone who fits in with your company, your mission statement and the specifics of the position. And, thanks to an employee background check, you can be sure that the person who you hire is a reputable, reliable candidate who will help your business to grow.

About The Author

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Wine Lovers Club Newsletter June 2007 by ROBERT MAYNE

About the Author

Need to do some shopping? How about a FREE mall? by Anonymous

About the Author

Monday, July 23, 2007

Definition Of Supply Chain Management

“Fear – Your New Best Friend”

Cafeteria Benefit Plans and Your Workforce

How To Hire Executive Protection

Employers: Save Time By Hiring A Private Investigator To Conduct An Employee Background Check

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