How online bidding can help businesses

Online bidding is not although very popular but has grown in use in last few years. It has been used by federal and state government agencies and also by private owners. The reliability and authenticity delivering the bids on time are the questions of concern.

The most obvious beneficiaries of the online bidding have been owners which seek reliable information exchanges with owners. Also with reduction in cost of preparing and disturbing bid proposals. It also has the access to the larger group of bidders
you could have 24 hours access to project information. Online bidding is time saver and eases in bid submission.

Some contractors have said that online bidding comes as a relief by making bidding possible from there own offices which saves them from having to pack up teams and office resources to travel to a bidding site. This could be beneficial to the customers so that it could cut off the overhead expenses and the benefit is eventually passed on to the consumer.

Management training: Communication

A Good Manager

Creating a healthy workplace culture means taking an entirely fresh view of employees' talents and how to deploy them more effectively. Organisations have to move away from an over-reliance on systems and processes, and adopt approaches that are more successful in engaging employees.

It is vital for managers to engage with their teams, but it has to be recognised that managers cannot always be all things to all people. Sometimes they have to be authoritarian and at other times a `good listener'.

Team empowerment

Managers need a comprehensive toolkit of skills and an 'open door' policy to encourage real communication; two-way dialogue between themselves and the members of their team. It is necessary to get `buy-in' from their team in order to establish loyalty and commitment in return. While it may not be possible to pay more wages, praise and recognition will encourage employees into `wanting' to do more for their manager and to give of their best.

Line and middle managers reportedly spend an average of 1.6 days a month dealing with underperformers, yet middle management does not always have the people skills to manage large teams. Identifying the needs of individual managers and providing coaching is therefore vital if they are to fulfil their role and provide regular constructive feedback (and not just focus on attempting to remedy employees' weaknesses).
Seeking to understand the reasons underlying poor performance and address the causes is an important part of a manager's role. It is necessary to ensure that performance contracts are two-way and include an agreement as to what a manager is going to contribute to enable the employee to be successful.
Effective managers will stop focusing on the past at the expense of the future, and be accountable for the climate they create. Spending more time exploring individual needs and career aspirations is a key element in securing employee engagement and the retention of high performers. Managers should also review their approach and make sure that what they measure encourages the behaviours and performance they want to see.
Empowering managers to manage staff and take responsibility for their performance review is a day-to-day responsibility. This also means handling the team as though it were a human entity - encouraging the 'feel good' factor - and allocating roles and responsibilities correctly.
Good communication
The culture of the company has to be right for communications to be effective. It is important to have a two-way dialogue between employer and employees; between the CEO and the Board; and between the Board and line managers.
Effective communication has been found to be a weakness in many organisations - from the largest to the smallest - with insufficient time and training given to the subject. Middle managers often find themselves promoted to a position with responsibility for a team without the necessary communication skills to manage that team effectively.
Listening and non-verbal communication are equally as important as verbalising issues. The careful listener can often identify potential stressors at an early stage and manage them accordingly - reducing the impact on the organisation. Key examples of these skills include:

Inspiration through leadership

Establishing a two-way dialogue

Effective networking

Non-verbal cues that can stimulate revealing questions or answers

Formal study of body language and its rich, powerful vocabulary

How to use silence - unspoken dialogue that may be full of meaning

Effective listening as an active problem-solving and team-building skill.
The Creative Environment

Creativity is the lifeblood of any organisation. It leads to innovation which in turn leads to competitive edge. All too often, however, creative thinking is seen as the preserve of departments such as sales and marketing, or R&D. Everyone has the capacity to come up with good ideas, but this means being prepared to step into the unknown and dispense with the accepted rules of business. It is time to challenge conventional wisdom and not to let old or outdated processes and procedures obstruct the ways of new thinking.

Praise and reward

Nothing can be more important than giving praise for a job well done. Regular appraisal identifies strengths and weaknesses and allows for assessment of continuing professional development and on-the-job training.

Appraisal is a two-way process that enables the manager and employee to agree targets for performance and have a plan to work to. While appraisal should be an ongoing process, it is also necessary to have a formal timetable for review.

Being recognised as an important cog in the business machine is almost as important as the reward on offer. Recognition and reward have to be commensurate with the task, but undervaluing skills at all levels can lead to low productivity and poor morale. Providing benefit packages over and above the basic salary is another way of expressing recognition and enhancing reward.

To be effective within an organisation individuals need to be aware of the corporate goals and if possible have a stake in achieving them. Bonuses and performance-related pay are huge incentives for employees at all levels.

Developing a High Level of Morale

The morale of an organisation is also fundamental to its success. High morale suggests a well motivated and energised workforce that is keen to succeed. Employees will be committed to meeting, and even exceeding, targets when morale is high and it is therefore an essential ingredient for sustainable success.

Sharing common goals

If you think a goal is achievable then the chances are it is. Positive attitude is everything in a successful organisation. The moment negativity creeps in, creativity and motivation go out of the window.

Positive affirmations from the boardroom to the "shop floor" give an organisation every chance of succeeding and meeting its targets. A cohesive team will also have common goals and a positive attitude. Team members will support each other - and the business.

What does industrial plant management involve

Today, more than ever before the nation and most of its institutions are facing one problem or the other that have proved insoluble and rather intractable. the political system is unstable, the industries are struggling for survival, we find it difficult to uphold and practice justice, we are being unfair in our dealings, our industry output is poor, electric supply is epileptic, there is rarely any industry that can produce at half capacity, the Naira is almost worthless that one can safely conclude that the economy is witnessing a depression. The per capital income which rose to $1000 in 1988 is now reckoned to be less than $400. Nigeria as a country has receded from being classified as a middle income country in the world table to being one of the 20 poorest countries in the world. Taking the economy as a whole the situation has being characterized by chronic under performance - a classic case of economic depression.

This paper will be a mix theory and practice. In the course of our discussion, attempt will be made to define management( the bedrock of the topic) and its components. What industry is shall be examined. The issue of depression in an economy. How management can help find solution to a depressed economy.

What is management?
Management as a subject has many parts depending on what part you intend to look at and concentrate. It has been so many things to many men. As a result of which so many people have given so many definitions all saying almost the same thing. It is likened to that old Hindu legend of the six blind men who went to "see" an elephant. One felt the elephant leg and declared the elephant was like a tree. The second passed his hand along the flank, and declared that the elephant was like a wall.The third pulled on the tail and declared that the elephant was like a rope. The fourth encountered the squirming trunk, and declared the elephant was a snake. The fifth felt the ear and declared and declared the elephant was like a fan. The sixth took the tusk between his hands and declared that the elephant was like a spare. So it is with management. It has many sides.

Niccolo Machiavelli in the 15th century with a unique theory which dwelt on four types of management, showing how the "prince" or leader could meet his obligations.

First, through cohesiveness, second by acquiring the consent of the ruled, thirdly, by maintaining his leadership qualities, the fourth toughness.

The concept of scientific management was introduced by Fredrick Tailor after the industrial revolution. Tailor introduced the concept of mean getting and training the right person for the right job. This technique is still practiced by some organizations today.

Henry Fayol, developed a top management theory. He proclaimed five functions of Administrative management; planning, organizing, commanding, co-ordinating and controlling. It was from him that the world learned that for any action whatsoever, an employee should receive orders from one superior only. Fayol's principles met with criticism and repudiation on the grounds that he perceived his "employees" as a "mindless robot" lacking or incapable of exercising initiative.

There was Max Weber"s famous bureaucracy theory. One of its shortcomings is, however, the tendency for initiative to get stifled.

There was the Human Relations Movement Spearheaded by Elton Mayo who built the performance of the employee on his state of mind and body and not on the idea which would alienate him from emotional attributes as hitherto expressed by Taloy and Fayol. Elton Mayo introduced rest periods and shifts into long working hours and got satisfactory production results. He identified certain characteristics which induced better performance, work pacing, recognizing and appreciating "workers" contribution to production, social interaction within groups, discussing publicly complaints among workers and changing working environment occasionally to offset boredom. He concluded that the fact that the employee was seen as an individual, not an addition to the machine provided the key to his effectiveness.

MacGregor's X and Y theories are worth looking at. He believed that the previous postulations on management's perception of people were old fashioned, because these failed to take cognizance of people's educational and psychological development on the job.

X's management's perception of the average man was unflattering. It saw the workers as someone who disliked work, was to be "pushed", "controlled", "directed" and therefore threatened with disciplinary action, if objectives were to be achieved.

Y's theory on the other hand was flattering because the worker was perceived as expanding his physical and mental abilities naturally, did not need to be coerced, was purpose-oriented, learned, committed his time to the realization of objectives, had initiatives, was creative, and expected to be rewarded for his efforts.

Some other people also see management as a bogyman who can make or break workers' hopes and aspirations; the management hardly appreciates or commends good work but only looks out for faults, there is the belief that the people make the money, while management spends it on themselves, which gives rise to the reference of "them" and "us". We also have the total quality concept of management. Quality is a word used to mean luxury, goodness, precision or excellent finish in a product.This word quality is now used in the direction of performance. Hence quality(performance) becomes a variable which we constantly improve upon. There are two types of qualities now, one with small q, the other with capital Q, one is for quality control the other is for quality improvement or performance. We have q(quality control) + Q(performance) = TQ(Total quality).

Total quality is about how the control acts of an organization work together to achieve better results. This involves satisfying customers, a continuous improvement of performance, eliminating waste and excesses, and enhancing the contributions of workers for the good of the whole.

What we have done so far is the review of management theories and techniques which has been postulated in human organizations over the years.

Management therefore is concerned with the accomplishment of objectives through the efforts of other people. Objectives or goals are the final results expected. It is the act of getting things done through people. It is the ability to properly mobilize human resources towards continuous improvement in performance, through the offer of attractive incentives, with the ultimate aim of achieving desirable results. The ultimate objective of management is to engineer the progress of the society by ensuring first, the highest level of happiness for the largest number of citizens and second for the more rapid growth of society.

Cash flow management made easy

Many businesses both large and small seem to be having major problems with cash flow these days, and some are even going bankrupt because of this alone. Even if the business is otherwise healthy ad has plenty of customers, and a high profit margin per unit sold. Unless the cash flow is healthy as well, then it could well mean that your business is in real trouble.

The main problems seem to be that more and more businesses these days are offering some sort of deferred payment or credit option. Which means basically they are buying stock, which is being sold and then not paid for for sometimes over a year by the customer. Meaning the business can easily run out of money through something as simple as a high volume of these type of sales at one time. This means the business has to have much more starting capital, and wont see a return or any profits for usually the first few years of operating, and may have to build up a line of credit with their suppliers as well, which is hard to pay off if interest is added.

For example if you own a shop and you want to sell someone an energy drink for $1.00. As soon as they have paid you you have made a profit on that sale. Lets say for ease of the math that you made 50 cents, or %50 profit. So if you sell 500 cans in a week then you have made $250. However another customer comes into the store and this time says that they will pay you for 500 cans at the end of the month. It might seem like a good idea, but then you have to pay the electricity costs, as well as the weekly delivery of stock, and an assistant's wages. Suddenly you have spent $200 keeping the store open, without having made any more money. So then by the time the customer comes back to pay, you have actually only made $50. This principle is basically what a lot of businesses have trouble with.

Famously these types of businesses have been either auto sales or furniture companies, but increasingly more and more businesses are following suit in a model that clearly isn't healthy and doesn't work that well in practice without a steady stream of sales and no major increases at a particular time. There have been a number of buy now, pay later companies that have gone bankrupt recently. The weakness that these businesses have is that if the market takes an unexpected turn, then you very are vunerable.

Businesses of this type need to have a steady stream of customers at all times. Otherwise they will encounter a situation where they are receiving orders and at the same time aren't receiving enough payments from the customers that they had over a year ago, during a slow sales patch. This basically means that the income that they are receiving from a time when they weren't processing many orders, isn't enough to cover the new volume of orders that they are now receiving. This means either turning away business or making some of the orders later then they are supposed to be. The end result of which means that you can go bankrupt because you are stuck with suppliers who want paying to complete orders, and customers who want their orders processed.

Some simple ways to make your businesses cash flow better are to ensure as little capital is tied up in unused stock as possible, and to make sure you get as many customers or clients to pay as fast as you can. Because the faster your clients pay the shorter you will have to wait to make a profit on each unit sold. All the while your businesses fixed costs still need paying.

Keeping stockpiles of raw materials that you need for production might seem like a good idea at the time. However changes in the market can make this an extremely bad idea. Sure if you are lucky, and the price of the raw materials that you need suddenly spikes, then you have plenty of spare to last until prices drop. But if the price were to collapse and fall greatly, then you have in effect thrown your money away. Also a lot of raw materials have a shelf life to some extent. So if you buy up too much then you will end up having to dispose of some of it without using it.

Having said that, it is prudent to keep some small reserves of raw materials around. This can increase the speed of your cash flow in unforeseen circumstances. For example if you have orders waiting to be produced and paid for, but a delivery cut off time is missed. You could potentially have no materials to produce anything with for the next week. So having a small amount stockpiled is always a good thing.

Lastly shortening the length of time customers can defer payments can also help. Making sure you have all your payments collected within a month for example, rather than three months. Will allow you to meet your direct, or fixed costs easier. Fixed costs are the costs that you will pay whether you sell anything or not, and are separate from the production process. These are things like the electricity in your building, the wages of your employees etc.

So for example if you have fixed costs every month of $500 to pay, then you need at least this coming in in revenue every month to make sure you are solvent.Lets say that you operate on a three month credit period for customers. Over the first month you receive $1000 in orders. $300 of which are paid immediately and the rest is deferred for the three month period. At the end of the month you have the $500 to pay, so you are $200 short for the month.

With compounded interest this then becomes $250, and the $300 that you get in paid orders in the second month is almost all gone. It comes to the third month and you are now $450 down in terms of direct costs to pay. But you then receive the $700 dollars from the deferred payment orders from the first month. You have then made $250 instead of the full amount that you would have made had the orders been paid for immediately.

Plumbing is a complex business

In the plumbing and heating industry "controlled mayhem" is the order of the day! With well over 10,000 parts that have to be installed, replaced, or repaired in an infinite number of locations and arrangements, preparing and organizing for every situation is impossible! Improvising, being fast on your feet, having the ability to access new information, all play an important part in a plumber's ability to solve a problem. In an industry where more often than not, a mechanic can find him or herself alone in a darkened basement or worse- a critter infested dirt crawlspace, it is their knowledge, outside resources, and modern technology that can come to the aid of the conscientious plumbing contractor, reducing labor costs while also increasing profits.

Every plumber must pass a rigorous exam in order to be licensed, but a vast amount of knowledge comes from the task-orientated experience gained in the field. Plumbers with this kind of knowledge make the best "lead" plumbers or job supervisors. An experienced plumber, because of the many situations he or she has been exposed to, has the uncanny ability to assimilate, effectively applying knowledge obtained in prior experiences, to new and demanding situations. Often it is this type of knowledge that is most effective during problem solving. Critical thinking skills help the lead plumber determine his or her approach. A good lead plumber/supervisor in the plumbing and heating industry will take inventory of the many different ways in which to solve a specific problem before deciding on the best possible method of repair for each individual situation. The pros and cons of each proposed method must be well thought out based on several factors which include, but are not limited to: long-term benefits, time constraints, cost, availability of materials, and finally, the customer's approval of both method and cost. Once the method has been decided upon and the customer has agreed to start the work, there is still the possibility that the mechanics will encounter more difficulty than they first anticipated, or that there are more obstacles that must be addressed first in order to make the original repair or installation.

At this point in the process, the supervisor will consult with the individual responsible for payment, as their approval is a must before any additional work over and above the initial estimate can commence. Some conditions may even require written approval. Knowing your customer's spending habits as well as understanding their personal requirements in regards to "mechanical fitness" is very helpful. Some individuals lean towards quick, inexpensive repairs, while others demand only the best possible methods that yield long-term results- cost being no object. Knowledge of both job and of customer is very important to the supervisor who will make all the important decisions on site, reporting later to upper management or in some cases, ownership.

The telephone and the Internet have become just as important as a pipe wrench or an acetylene torch to a plumbing contractor in the new millennium. A phone call or email to the right person can help clarify installation requirements, code restrictions, assist in repair procedures, and help access parts. Management's job is to do their homework prior to the job start date, avoiding wasteful time trying to gather the necessary information with a work crew already on site and ready to go. In the plumbing industry local supply houses frequently have the answers to many of the tough questions concerning product, but when they do not, they have the ability to put contractors in touch with the individuals that do. The next step in this information search is to contact a manufacturer's rep company, which should be very familiar with the products they sell. If they are not knowledgeable enough to suggest a solution, they will refer the contractor directly to the manufacturer. There he or she can speak with the technical department or in some cases, directly with the engineers who designed the product in question, where the insight they share usually leads directly to the best possible solution. At this depth of trouble-shooting, the information gets very technical, and developing relationships and having the ability to access knowledgeable individuals at this level will make any plumber a better mechanic.

Although wrenches and torches remain the stable mates of a plumber's arsenal of tools, the telephone and the internet are every bit as important to the modern contractor in the new millennium. Of the 10,000 or more parts that are available in the plumbing industry, there is none more important than the one you do not have. Having access to a full array of outside resources can reduce the anxiety involved in locating it. Knowledge of your industry is important, but understanding your customer's needs and being able to fulfill them, keeps a steady stream of repeat customers on the books. The ability to organize in an efficient manner is management's primary concern, but being able to react to difficult situations in a controlled manner reduces employee anxiety, facilitates results, and keeps your customers happy. "Controlled mayhem" is the order of the day in the plumbing and heating industry, but a good manager remains calm, organized, and uses technology, outside resources, and knowledge to keep it all under control.