There are a whole range of reasons why all South Africans should support proudly South African products but the main spin off of the Nedlac initiative is to create more jobs within our country’s borders.

The vast majority of South Africans want to make a positive difference in our infant democracy and buying products or services emblazoned with the Proudly South African logo is one simple way of making our economic clout count.

To be part of the Proudly South African campaign, manufacturers and service providers have to follow strict criteria that include

• All goods and services having a minimum of 50% local content, including labour

• All member companies embracing fair labour and employment practices

• All member companies imbuing sound environmental standards

These criteria form the building blocks for responsible and sustainable business practices that can only lead to an improved life for all South Africans and will most certainly enhance South Africa’s image abroad, particularly in the business sector.

It has been estimated that between five and twenty-two new jobs are created for each 1 million spent on locally produced products and when we take a quick look at unemployment statistics in SA and the impact it has on crime, then each and every one of us should make a concerted effort to buy Proudly South African.

The battle against unemployment

Whether the Proudly South African campaign had any impact on the latest unemployment statistics is unknown, although the positive newsflash is that unemployment levels sank to 23% in September 2007, a record low since the 2001 inception of the Labour Force Survey.

According to Statistics South Africa, a total of approximately 13.2 million people were employed, a net gain of over 430 000 jobs. The nation’s unprecedented growth has been tagged as the driving force behind job creation – in the past six years South Africa’s burgeoning economy has added over 2.1 million jobs and counting.

Crime busting

There is an indisputable link between unemployment, poverty and crime and if we are serious about making this dynamic and potentially great country one of the leaders in the global village, then these three disaster areas have to be curbed, and quickly.

South Africans have been held hostage by the electrifying crime wave that has engulfed the country for quite some time now and each and every one of us is aware of the damage it has caused to investor confidence. Quite simply, without substantial investment, South Africa is in danger of becoming just another average African state. The good news is that crime is on the decline, with a 6.4% drop overall.

In a nutshell then, the Proudly South African campaign is really a loyalty programme with the entire population of South Africa, all 48 million of us, as members. There is no doubt that if we continue to support South African goods and services, the lives of all South Africans will improve immeasurably. View this site

Article Source

Tags: business, ethical, product, worker, ethics

In small offices these days, seems that the few works are not given enough praise on the good jobs they do. By the amount of cut backs that offices have, at times these workers are worked to the bone and never give recognition.

Managers and owners should take the time to give the staff an item that will show their appreciation. By taking time out of your day and getting a secretary a gift or small gift basket can make them feel they are needed and many times, they work harder to see if they get more. By taking your time several times a year to do this will keep your staff happy and they will know they are needed.

A simple gift basket that says thank you and maybe a card that has a note from you can go a long way. There are many baskets that you can purchase that can be just for a thank you, for example one might have: Thanks A Million Fortune Cookies, Chunky Salsa,
Brent & Sames Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ a Thanks A Million Label, Nacho Tortilla Chips, Parmesan Foccacia Bites, Crunchy Caramel Corn, and Thanks A Million Theme bag w/ Mints, Thanks A Million Bite Size Cookies in a theme box, Stone Wheat Crackers. Many online retailers have items as mentioned with printing on them, such as “thanks a million”.

Many times these gifts are too much for just one person, if there is several you want to give this thoughtful gift to, and then just personalize the card. In doing a gesture as this, you yourself should feel great. You too have done a good deed and now your workers will look at you in a different light.

Author is Michele Rogers, owner of Lilyputts Home Decor website, and Backyard Fancy website. Both online stores feature home and back yard decor and both have blogs where you can read tips on decor and view featured items. Please visit Backyard Fancy and Lilyputts Home Decor for descriptions and product presentations. Please, keep intact all author information.

Article Source

Are you worried that your employees or outside contract workers have access to confidential information about your business that could do potential harm to your business if employees or contracted workers use it for their own gain or disclose it to your competitors?

If you are not worried or concerned in the business world we live in today, then I suggest you become concerned now, not later! Technology and business information have continued to expand exponentially in today’s business environment. Employees and contract workers are more likely to be exposed to a significant amount of proprietary information and therein lays a potential threat to your business. It would be very naïve and not very “business savvy” to believe you can automatically trust an employee or contract worker with trade secrets, innovative ideas, and other confidential information. The threat or risk is higher today because of digital cameras; cell phones with built-in cameras and flash drives used to snap a picture or download documents.

Due to the erosion of business and personal ethics over the last several years, I have observed several examples of the consequences of employees sharing confidential information with competitors, employees stealing business ideas and using them for personal gain; and taking proprietary information and starting a new business. My belief is that much of the above could have been prevented and/or at least made less likely to happen if everyone had signed a non-disclosure agreement in each case.

What can be done to protect you and your company from experiencing these negative and harmful actions? I would recommend one tactic be to require non-disclosure agreements be signed as part of your hiring process. The reasons for the signing of an agreement should be explained to employees at hiring and at staff meetings. These agreements are designed to legally protect proprietary information, such as a new product design or a marketing strategy, from a competitor or friend of a competitor who could steal it and then realize the benefits. Please understand that the non-disclosure agreements don’t ensure your business will always have the competitive advantage, but you will have a lead-time advantage on your competition. The agreements cannot protect someone from stealing your secrets, but it will aid your legal counsel in representing you.

Please remember this. You and your business have proprietary information. You have invested time, financial resources and creativity into the development of new ideas, products, processes, systems, etc. and you deserve to be the first to benefit. My business suggestion to you is to contact legal counsel and seek legal advice to develop the non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement(s) that will work best to protect you and your business. And after the agreement(s) are developed and approved, have everyone in your business read and sign the agreement(s). To paraphrase that old American Express Commercial –

“Your Non-Disclosure/Confidentiality Agreement – Don’t Leave The Office Without It”!

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 225 articles on business.

Article Source

A former columnist for Fortune, commentator on NPR, and professor at Emerson College, Seglin’s unique approach to the ethical dilemmas in the business world can probably be traced back to the fact that he holds a master of theological studies degree from Harvard Divinity School.

The Right Thing is not the book to read if you want to unlock the secret to becoming a billionaire, a CEO, or even the most “successful” graduate of whatever B school you attended. But if you are interested in ethical behavior in the workplace, this may be the best book available for conscientious as well as fair-minded employees and bosses alike.

Seglin addresses a variety of thorny issues that are familiar to both bosses and their employees — and does so in a way that encourages the reader to ask, “What would I have done?” For instance, let’s say you’re looking for a better job — Seglin calls it job window shopping — and you receive a good offer, which you accept. But when you notify your current employer of your plans, he makes a generous (and tempting) counter-offer, and you’re faced with a real-life version of The Clash song Should I Stay or Should I Go.

In Seglin’s view, “Anyone can have a change of heart from time to time. But the time for reflection and rejection should come before accepting the job. It’s the fair way to treat the company making the offer and the right way for any prospective employee to act.”

The Right Thing also addresses ethical issues affecting businesspeople away from the office, too, like lying. Seglin reminds readers “When a culture of lying with impunity is perceived to have taken hold at the top, it bodes ill for behavior in the rest of the organization.” In his quest to encourage direct, honest and clear communication both at home and at work, he shares four negative consequences of not telling the truth:

* Lying becomes a bad habit;
* You might get caught;
* You set a bad example;
* Others will copy what you do.

Many of the issues that Seglin addresses come down to painfully personal situations. While he acknowledges that big-time bad behavior has occurred in big U.S. corporations — think of Enron Corp., Tyco International, etc. — he seems more concerned with the ramifications of individual behavioral choices. For example, if you know your company has top-secret plans to lay off certain employees and one of them has told you she plans to buy a new, expensive home, do you let her know that within a few months she will no longer have a paycheck? Or do you keep your knowledge of the downsizing to yourself? If, theoretically, you had to choose between hurting a colleague or the company, what would you do?

It is those sorts of “dilemma issues” that Seglin addresses best. However, he also reminds us that we may not use the word “unethical” whenever someone simply does something we don’t like.

As he sees it: “Failing to return a phone call is rude. Storming off the job in a huff is impetuous. A demanding boss who expects far more than can possibly be accomplished in a working day is, perhaps, mean. But instead of calling those affronts by their proper names, we haul out the ‘unethical’ label, as if to make them more substantial, more severe, more deserving of condemnation. Heightened awareness of ethics might be a good thing, but not at the cost of pulling the word’s teeth. Better to save it for times when it is truly called for.”

Best selling author Connie Glaser is one of the country’s leading experts on gender communication and women’s leadership issues. Her recently published book, GenderTalk Works, provides an upbeat guide to bridging the gender gap at work. A popular keynote speaker at corporate events, she can be reached here

Article Source

Tags: workplace, work, worker, ethics, business