What are the forces that drive up your professional value at each stage of your career? Talented individuals will continue to be able to create more economic value in the years ahead
By James M. Citrin and Richard A. Smith
Special to MSN
What are you worth? For many, the answer to this question may seem a matter of simple math. Just take your total annual compensation, add benefits, and voilà — you've got your answer.

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Not so fast. Placing a monetary figure on your talents may be correct for a static moment in time. However, the equation for determining your true worth over time is more nuanced than you might first imagine. In addition to the critically important characteristics about you as an individual — intelligence, interpersonal skills, leadership, and ambition — there are key macro factors at play as well.

Age matters, influencing where you fit into the demographic trends of the population at large. So too does the demand for professional positions similar to yours at any given point in time. And all that volatility among companies is not necessarily a bad thing — increasing fluctuations in corporate valuations turns out to actually enhance your value in the marketplace as well. Finally, recognize that this is the age of intellectual capital. With technology enhanced productivity improvements working their way across the economy, the value of specialized knowledge is at a premium.

These factors together constitute the foundation of the job market — or more accurately stated, the human capital market. While most workers don't understand their worth in the broader job market, our research suggests the extraordinary executive is instinctively aware of the forces that drive her value at each and every stage of her career, and single-mindedly focuses her energies and actions on maximizing that value over time. But most have gained their knowledge through trial and error, often over many years.

We will help you understand what determines value in the marketplace and how you can influence it, thereby avoiding the difficult process of the hit-or-miss approach. Solving the talent-worth equation is partly a matter of testing the job market waters, in much the same way that you might market-test a product to gauge consumer acceptance. But while this will give you some information, it is not the most complete measure of your true value. To do this, you will need to get beyond short-term compensation data and look at the underlying factors that determine real value in the employment market.

Specifically, you must first understand four key macro factors:

Demographics. You need to assess where you fit in the aggregate supply and demand of professional talent.

Market liquidity. Is your supply in demand? You need to gauge the number of professionals seeking positions versus the number of open positions seeking professionals.

Company volatility. You need to evaluate how fluctuations in corporate valuations enhance or diminish your value in the marketplace.

Intellectual capital. You need to consider how the financial markets value intangible assets, notably intellectual capital, relative to hard assets, or book value. To help professionals and their companies understand where they stand in the evolving market for talent, we have developed an analytical tool that measures these four factors over time, which we call the Human Capital Market Index (HCMI). Details about the methodology and research behind the HCMI can be found at http://www.spencerstuart.com. But the bottom line of our research is this: Given the massive structural changes in the economy over the past thirty years, professionals as a collective whole are worth far greater today than in all but a couple of the years of the past three decades.

Your individual characteristics are still essential, of course, but at a macro level, your value should be enhanced by the rise of an economy dependent on the service sector, which means that there is a much greater demand for talent and intellectual capital. (Note that the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector has fallen from 40 percent of total employment in 1950 to less than 18 percent today, while service sector employment has grown from less than 14 percent to more than 35 percent over the same time period.) Despite increased economic turmoil, the upward trend in the value of you should continue in the years to come, based on demographics, continued technology-based productivity improvements, and the ever more valuable role of knowledge in the workplace. In short, talented individuals will continue to be able to create more economic value in the years ahead, and this will in turn pull up their own value.

Biometric identification methods such as fingerprints and digital photographs are tomorrow's technology to ensure security of civil aviation, participants of a conference said.

"If there is a conclusion of this conference, it is that biometrics are the future," Alexandros Papanikolaou, Athens airport security chief, told reporters on the sidelines of Avsec World 2003, one of the biggest international conferences on civil aviation security.

The brainstorming event, finishing Thursday, is jointly organised by the Air Transport Association and the Airports Council International in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

This year's event was held in the Greek capital ahead of the August 2004 Athens Olympics Games.

Other issues on the agenda included discussion on a future European Union directive delimiting maximum security zones in airports and the presentation of security products.

The United States and the EU have recently said they would seek to choose common biometric identification methods such as fingerprints and digital photographs, that could be included in travel documents to combat passport forgeries.

Greek authorities recently outlawed an EU-funded pilot project to improve security at the Athens airport by checking passengers' fingerprints and the patterns of the iris of their eyes, saying it is illegal.

But airport spokesmen said an alternative project involving the airport's employees would be conducted instead.

"There's no time to use this method during the 2004 Olympics anyway," Papanikolaou said.

Security measures at the Athens Airport will begin to be stepped up beginning April 1, he added.

REF:- AFP

The schedule for the busy working mom is like a basket full of assorted nuts. You have buy baby diaper, meet important client for lunch, shop for groceries, visit mom, Board Meeting, prepare report, complete shopping list then baby's visit to the doctor for her jab.

So, sorry fathers, but being a working mother is nothing short of being a "Superwoman". For example, your daycaregivers' traveling plans will have to coiincide with your schedule because if your daycaregiver is not around, it is highly unlikely the father who will be asked to stay home for the duration. It is normally mom who will sacrifice the important meeting or power lunch for baby.

I am not undermining the importance of being a father but being a father is important in other areas, like fixing the sink and the broken gate. (giggle! giggle!). But being a working mother means hectic lifestyle plus, sleepless nights and also splitting headaches. So, here are a few clues on how to best prepare for sudden changes in scheduling.

An organizer
If you never needed an organizer before this, be rest assured that you will need one now. Infact, a plam top would be best but heck, who's got the time to go buy the laptop or palmtop now. Be sure to put everything down to the tee, from changing motor oil, to buying baby diaper and surfing the internet...everything. Plan everything out to the tee. Something's bound to go wrong so, make allowances for that. The unimportant things, you can postpone to tomorrow or the next available date.

Shopping list
This is also an important thing to do. Having a list of things you have to buy will save you the second trip to the store or save petrol on your latenight emergency trip to 7-11. I remember one time I forgot to get diapers, I had to make a emergency visit to 7-11 for diaper leaving my baby diaper-less for a while. Most disorganized for me and you should be able to compile a decently complete list of things you need before making the trip.

A sticky note
If you have a helper or a relative helping you out with the monitoring of things-needed-at-home, then you should invest in a lot of post-it notes and place it on the fridge. Tell them that evertime something runs out, ask them to note it down. It will be easy for you when the shopping bug hits you, you'll just need to grab the piece of paper along the way before hitting the street.

Freeze
It is a good idea to freeze anything and everything that you cook...just in case, milk, food, porridge, stew, soup...anything! This saves you time when your relative or parents decided to make an unannounced visit to your place and you were just on your way out to get that "spinach and carrot" you need for baby's porridge.

Oh, what a night!!
Before going to sleep, prepare everything in advance before you hit the sack. Pick your clothes, iron it, place the accessories you need (earrings, bracellete, make-up, shoes) aside, perfume and other things like scarf, organizer, book, handbag. It should all be easily arranged so that you can just make a grab for it, slip it on, all on to the way to the door.

Packing
Don't forget to arrange and pack your children clothing, bag, books for them before going to bed. If you want to make life easier for you and your spouse, ensure that everything relating to your child is ready before bedtime. To encourage them to be more responsible, you should ask them to pack it themselves too. But check it before YOU go to sleep.

Time management
This is an utterly indispensible tool for a young working mother. Time waits for noone has a new meaning. Chasing time will slowly become your natural reflex. If your child is old enough, encourage them to always do their own things themselves, like picking the toys up, setting the table, cleaning the table, washing the dishes, taking their own baths, changing their own clothes... This leaves you more time to do other things.

Perfectly perfect
When your children starts out on this "adventurous" responsibility of doing things themselves, it would do you a lot of good to keep your expectations realistic and low. Be sure that they will do shoddy work in the beginning and that they will definitely be unkempt by the time they are finished with it. Picking up their toys would mean that they would probably leave a few things behind, but don't worry about it. Let them and you will be rewarded with your sanity still intact.

REF: Women Gateway

We all know that we will feel better on a healthy diet and we all have habits that we would rather change.
It is a familiar saying that the diet starts tomorrow. People are always giving up smoking in the New Year, but they rarely do.
The reason is that we don't like sudden shocks. We like to prepare for a change gradually; our body too does not like sudden shocks and will rebel against one.

Your body likes routine and any changes should be made gradually. The body becomes used to our habits, good, or bad, and over a period of time, it gradually compensates for them.
If we are eating a lot of sweets or smoking a lot of cigarettes, if we stop suddenly we will feel strong cravings that we will be forced to battle against.

You do not put on weight suddenly. It is usually something that builds up over a period of time, so losing weight should not be a massive shock to the system either. The first thing you need to do when you want to make changes is to allow your mind a period of contemplation.
Doctors tell us that it takes about five weeks from contemplating changing a habit to actually getting down and doing something about it.
In order to succeed at changing a habit, you need to first convince your mind as to the reasons for changing.
Once the mind is armed with the knowledge and facts, the body will follow the mind. Allow yourself a period of preparation.

Prepare to Make Changes
This period of one week is for you to set aside for preparation.
Choose an appropriate time. Just after a holiday, you feel fresh, children are back at school and you have the time and energy to work on yourself.
Boost your morale and self-confidence with a new haircut or a make-up lesson (if you're a woman !) - anything to make you feel confident and positive.
Start by looking in the mirror and love yourself as you are now. Say: "I love you".
List all your good points.
Don't worry about dieting during this preparation week.
This week is to get rid of all your battles with food.

You can eat at three regular meal times, a healthy breakfast, one main meal and one light meal. You can give yourself two treats too. Choose from the list and decide when you will have them and stick to that time.
For example: "I will have a biscuit at 4pm and a drink at 9pm."

Take time to really enjoy your food. Make it a rule to sit down to eat, because eating is best enjoyed sitting down.
Never stand to eat, take time to enjoy your food.
You can have occasional treats, like a biscuit with tea.
Forget about dieting but drink lots and lots of water. Aim for eight glasses a day.

Being Organised is Vital for Preparation
Anything new that you embark upon needs a period of preparation, getting ready to make changes.
Making changes in your eating and exercise habits means taking time from your already busy schedule so that you can give yourself some priority time.
In order to do this there may be some practical issues that need to be dealt with during this week.

Wardrobe
To give yourself extra time in the day, you need to be able to decide what to wear quickly and efficiently in the morning.

Try these tips:
Toss out any clothes that are too small or too tight
Only keep in your main wardrobe clothes for the current season
For extra speed, have three sections, casual, work and evening.

Plan Exercise Time
Spend time working out how you will build exercise into your daily routine. For example:
Mini-morning workout
30 minutes brisk housework
30 minutes garden digging
Brisk walk or jog
Gym
Video exercise
Swimming
Games with your children
If you exercise at a set time as part of your daily routine, then it just becomes part of the fabric of your life.
You can start at whatever level you feel comfortable with. You are your own best guide but plan to start with at least 20 minutes each day.

Sort Out Your Larder
Replace vegetable fat with olive oil.
Replace white bread with wholemeal brown bread.
Replace full fat mayonnaise with low fat mayonnaise.
Replace full fat milk with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.
Replace crisps with nuts or seeds.
Replace fizzy drinks and colas with water and freshly squeezed juices.
Replace sugary cereals with Muesli or whole grain cereals.
Replace full fat products with low fat products e.g. yoghurts and cheeses.
Do not have fatty cold meat for snacks and sandwiches. Replace with turkey breast, tinned fish, lean ham, or cold roast beef.

After completing the Preparation Week, make these small changes in the following week:
Start by making these five positive changes to your diet.
1. Do drink eight glasses of water a day. Water helps the body to work more efficiently.
2. Do eat a nice bowl of salad once a day, Choose salad you like, not what you think you should have, or have plenty of salad in a sandwich.
3. Do eat at least two portions of vegetables a day. If you're busy, buy frozen.
4. Do eat fruit at mid-morning and mid-afternoon - the best kinds to give you energy are bananas, pears, grapes, red apples, and melon and kiwi fruit.
5. Do have only one dessert a day and make sure it is low fat, such as jelly, meringue, stewed fruit, custard made from skimmed milk, Fromage Frais, plain bio yoghurt - pop in your own fruit.
For those of you who must have something sweet to eat, I have a recipe for a delicious fat free cake. It's good for you, low in calories and tastes good.
Try to make those five small changes.
Then make one more small change every two weeks and these changes will soon be part of your life.


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Written By: Helen Evans.

Being an employee is very different than being a student. You are now part of an entity where you make a difference, and people count on you. The first year of work is usually the roughest, because you are still making the transition from being a student to an employee. Here are some tips on how to be and stay a professional on the job.


The Early Bird Catches The First Worm
It is important to be on time to work. This includes any meetings and appointments that are scheduled. Punctuality shows your professionalism and your respect for your work, company, and co-workers. Getting a fresh and early start to your day will also help you get your work done more efficiently. It doesn't matter if the boss is late, or if coworkers are late- they don't have to prove themselves anymore.

Don't Fly Off The Handle
When facing a problem or dispute at work, handle it calmly. Think through the situation carefully before taking action. It is also good if you can talk to someone, like your manager, about this problem or dispute. Getting angry and reacting hastily can only lead to making a problem bigger or even creating new problems.

Dress To Impress
What you wear to work is important especially if the nature of your job entails meeting a lot of people. Dressing conservatively is usually the key. Suits for men in blues, grays, black, and browns are the norm. For women, clothes in traditional colors that are neither too short nor tight are recommended. Your can get the best cues from the environment around you. It is better to blend in than stand out as far as the way you dress goes.

All For One and One For All
Working within a team is crucial for any successful business. Those that want more of the limelight will probably be looked down upon. Being a part of a team allows you to have input, brainstorm, develop rapport with co-workers, and shows your manager that you have a variety of skills that are important to companies.

Keep A Lid On Things
Confidentiality is essential for all employees in any organization. This confidentiality is not limited to keeping confidential information within the organization but also within a team or department. Some projects may require discretion even from other co-workers at some point in time. Keeping such information private will show your loyalty.

The King and I (My Boss and I)
Your relationship with your boss is very important. Having a formal yet friendly relationship is usually best. Let your boss pace your relationship with him/her. Becoming too friendly with your boss may cause problems.

To Email or Not To Email
Check your company's email usage policy. Can you send personal email through your work email? If you can, is your email monitored? Remember that if your email is monitored, your emails are not private.

The Spelling Bee
Make sure that you check all your documents and written communication, and make sure they are as clear and correct as can be. Use a spell checker or even ask someone to proof read something if you aren't sure about it. Writing a document or email with spelling mistakes, for example, shows carelessness and lack of attention to detail. Make sure that your facts are straight, and the way you communicate them is correct.

You're Not in Kansas Anymore
Being humble is very important, especially if you're fresh out of university. You may have been "a big man about campus" in college, but here you need to be humble and realize you have a lot to learn. Your work, even if it is not glamorous or especially interesting to you, can teach you a lot.

Just Two More Days??
There is a huge difference between the deadline for a paper at school, where you may be able to ask your professor for an extension, and the deadline for a project or part of one at work. Extensions may not always be an option since other people's work may depend on your segment. But remember that if you need an extension NOT to ask for it 2 hours before the due date, but early enough for the boss to re-arrange things.

Heard It Through The Grapevine
Although it may be tempting to listen in or even contribute to office gossip, it can get you in very deep trouble. Gossip usually is made up of truths blown entirely out of proportion making them very untrue. Remember that most of what you are hearing is probably not true and may hurt someone's or the company's reputation or work

REF:- Career Resource Center

On 30 Oct 2003 at 18:35, GovernanceWBI wrote:

> *************************************************************
> 12. Pathways Out of Poverty: Private Firms and Economic Mobility in
> Developing Countries
>
> How can private firms and governments contribute to economic mobility
> and poverty reduction? In developing countries, private enterprise is
> the largest source of employment and investment, a significant source
> of government revenue, and a source of critical factors such as
> openness to innovation and opportunity. Editors Gary Fields and Guy
> Pfeffermann feature regional case studies, identifying key policy
> factors and obstacles facing small and medium-sized enterprises and
> offer practical ways for governments to encourage the capacity of poor
> people to move up the economic ladder.
>
> G. Batra, D. Kaufmann and A. Stone author a chapter, “The Firms Speak:
> What the World Business Environment Survey Tells Us about Constraints
> on Private Sector Development”, summarizing the WBES results, which
> show that important dimensions of the business and investment climate
> can be measured, analyzed, and compared across countries, and they are
> related to important aspects of governance. The findings suggest that
> key policy, institutional, and governance indicators are connected to
> the growth of a firm's sales and investment as well as the extent to
> which firms operate in the unofficial economy.
>
> For more information on this book or to order a copy, visit
> http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product?item_id=75
> 7271 . For more information on chapter 9, “The Firms Speak”, visit
> http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/governance/pubs/firmsspeak.html .
>