Thanks for your article on this topic, as I am about to venture into the contracting world, but I really didn't know that much about it. Thanks again, as this really helps reinforce my decision to go the contracting route!
Well once people start realizing how much energy/money their wasting at home, will they start changing habits and lifestyle. The whole green house gases issue is helping as well. The more energy used, the more GHG's are produced at home. With governments now trying to reduce those figures we'll see more and more measures being put in place that will reduce both green house gases and energy consumption. I think I just heard that Britain was thinking about making it mandatory to use CFL's rather then incandescents.
More countries will follow if it does take place.
Years ago, when I was 18, United California Bank (long gone) advertised that they had "the friendliest tellers in town, or your money back". I found the tellers to be indifferent, and downright rude at times.
I worked in a print shop, so I printed a few dozen posters that said "These tellers are NOT the friendliest in town! -- an unhappy customer." With the help of a friend, one night we taped those posters on all of the doors, windows and drive up windows of the bank.
The next week, I went into to my banking (this was before ATM's), and to my pleasant surprise the tellers were friendly like I had never seen them before. I guess the manager gave them a little "pep talk" after removing all of those embarassing posters.
In my position I actually have a new job every 2-3 years and I've been here for almost 8. Working at the same company does not always mean working at the same job.
Unfortunately, todays recruiters are often short-sighted around such things. The concept of learning and growing within a company rather then bouncing from company to company seems dead.
Just a reply about your comment saying "2 separate companies...."
UPS gets such a significant portion of their business from amazon im sure there is some sort of special arrangement there. Just as Wal-Mart gets deals for buying in bulk, Amazon gets special customer service from UPS.
Clueless came out mid-90s, targeted to teens. People who were teenagers at the time probably have kids now themselves. Assuming the same audience is going to buy this Clueless, it's nice to get something for their own kids too.
It's warping the truth or removing it completely, not removing lies. If someone writes "Coca Cola kills orphans in Ethiopia to make room for industrial processing plants" then they should by all means remove it. But if facts are published, and I mean hard facts, which are then removed to paint a much more rosey picture of a company then that's just not fair.
And as I've said before, I don't think it's fair to say that I reach way more people than I could have done in the 60's, because even if that's true the media wasn't as maniacal and widespread, and corporations weren't as prolific.
By the way, upstanding corporation should be an oxymoron. The whole goal, the one defining goal, of any corporation is to make money for the stockholders. That's it and that's all.
I suspect it's earily close to the truth. Not that WalMart would unload Chinese crap on us. Oh no. Hey, what was that sound? I think it was Sam Walton turning in his grave.
It's one way of cleaning out the warehouse!!!!! Then again, I was just thinking that with all the recalls for toys that perhaps this was some sort ploy to unload more Chinese garbage on us. You know, if they give it away they don't have to pay to have it hauled off themselves????? I dunno....just my warped ideas finding their way to the screen I guess.
**does** work for me, even now, 3 months after your article, on a Wintel machine and a Mac OSX machine, using current IE, FF, and Safari. Meridith Levinson's 18 signs in CIO very closely resembled your 20 in content and scope. It predated yours by 2-3 months. On the plus side, the signs bear repeating. Your reiteration isn't the first. Even Levinson's feature is highly derivative. The signs haven't changed since before Personnel aggrandized itself into HR. Thanks for your post.
I'm just curious, did you READ the coverage of this? We're not talking about editing out vicious lies that have been added to upstanding citizens' bios on Wikipedia. We're talking about lies being added. We're talking about defacing bios. By employees of news agencies, government organizations, and major corporations.
Of course slanderous information can be removed - but that's only if it's truly false. If you're a public figure, you can't expect to be completely free of criticism, with a blemish-free Wikipedia entry. And we're not talking about "fine, upstanding" citizens, here. We're talking about Bill O'Reilly.
Did hear a few years back something about someone pulling a wad of gum Britney Spears threw away in a trash can and putting it on E-Bay to sell and thought how gross and stupid that was, but someone making a profession out of it is just plain sick.
While I am aware once it hits the curb it is no longer your property, but going through someone's trash to try to re-sell it not only is unethical, in the case of the "used" deoderant and grubby make-up puff, it is also unsanitary and I would think would violate health codes.
Another thing for the would be fans that would clamour to buy such garbage (literally, in this case) how in the heck do you know your fav celeb used it anyway, even if the StarTrash staffers sign an affidavit saying they pulled it from the curb of the known address of the celebrity? You wouldn't.
While I could post numerous war stories about transactions that went a miss, a few that ended up filing complaints with Better Business Bureau, FTC, Attorney General's office or the State Department of Insurance and one lawsuit, this story is one with a happy ending without a lot of grief.
I work 3rd shift and the cafeteria is closed, so I frequently buy a snack size bag of chips called "Salalitas" out of the snack machine for 75 cents on the days that I work. I had been doing this with no problems for at least two years until one night I got a bag that was stale, but the expiration date on the package was still good.
I e-mailed the company, Snak King, after finding it on the internet advising them that I loved their product and e-mailed them information in the paragraph above and the numbers off the package just to let them know that perhaps a bad batch may have slipped through the cracks and to check it out and figured that was the end of that, heck it as only 75 cents.
I received a prompt replay and asked for my name and address advising they would send me something in the mail to make up for my inconvenience, so I figured they would just ship me a refund check for 75 cents or cents off coupon.
A few days later, a large box arrived containing 4 full size bags of 4 different chips that they make.
It is great to know that there are companies out there that are still devoted to standing behind their products and making sure a customer is satisfied just by making them aware a problems exists and not having to fight for it.
here at work, I've been advised that the target audiences may not been that off-base. They're both teen movies, they're both light entertainment. I'd have to bow to that one somewhat, but COME ON! They couldn't think of anything better to give to mostly teenage girls than a Transformer ball? Still sounds like they were just trying to recycle some old junk.
I used to work for Hasbro and when the Transformers movie first came out we got a special viewing. At the theater those beach balls---same colors and all---were handed out.
You look up your name on Wikipedia. Or your company's. You see negative information that you disagree with. You don't know who wrote it, but you don't want some random stranger posting these things as fact. You'd like to consider yourself an upstanding citizen, corporation, whatever. But since someone already beat you to the punch and posted something negative on Wikipedia, you're supposed to just deal with it? It exists on the web, better not touch it...
I know you guys can come up with even funnier combos than I did. Send them in, pictures too (but let's keep it fairly clean, ok? Nothing R rated). I can't wait to see them.
Thank you so much for sharing all of the the above cool "no batteries needed" gadgetwith us. All would be great to buy for yourself or even give as a gift to a loved one who seems to already have everything to put in their household or emergency kit or for those that like camping.
but all I was saying was that seeing it in widescreen hardly adds anything. I'd say the same for a lot of comedies, including laugh-fests like Dumb & Dumber.
Though I think it is fine to talk with the shipping company -- I'll clarify something about shipping. Whoever hires the shipping company is the responsible party; this case is slightly more complicated with pick-up, etc. But in general if Amazon or whoever hires UPS to be its shipping agent, then Amazon is accountable for the shipping. If Amazon authorizes the pick-up and will pay the tab, then Amazon is accountable, again, for the shipping. If there is damage in the shipping process, then Amazon needs to settle that with its shipper.
Thanks for your comment and let me clarify--the fact that the packages were not getting picked up was Amazon's fault. Through my myriad of phone calls, it was determined that it was their system that was not communicating with UPS's system. It's a long story, but sufficient to say that they're supposed to generate a tracking number and the system wasn't doing that, and no one could figure out why.
As to leaving the boxes outside my door, well, I don't have a lot of choice. Amazon also couldn't generate drop-off vouchers for these particular packages (that whole system problem again) and my husband and I both work full-time so couldn't be there for the pickup. I don't feel great about it, though if they stole the lamp at this point I think I'd just be glad to have it off my hands ;)
We are a family of four my wife and I have finally gotten "real jobs"
and are in better shape now (as far as available income) than we ever have been. When we were just starting frugality was a gaol trim the excesses from our merging lives. We still struggle with some of the choices we continue to make, but are now using this combined lifestyle as tactic to acheive our goals. I suppose the question of tactic or goal comes to the individual and where they are coming from/going to.
Thanks for your article on this topic, as I am about to venture into the contracting world, but I really didn't know that much about it. Thanks again, as this really helps reinforce my decision to go the contracting route!
Well once people start realizing how much energy/money their wasting at home, will they start changing habits and lifestyle. The whole green house gases issue is helping as well. The more energy used, the more GHG's are produced at home. With governments now trying to reduce those figures we'll see more and more measures being put in place that will reduce both green house gases and energy consumption. I think I just heard that Britain was thinking about making it mandatory to use CFL's rather then incandescents.
More countries will follow if it does take place.
Years ago, when I was 18, United California Bank (long gone) advertised that they had "the friendliest tellers in town, or your money back". I found the tellers to be indifferent, and downright rude at times.
I worked in a print shop, so I printed a few dozen posters that said "These tellers are NOT the friendliest in town! -- an unhappy customer." With the help of a friend, one night we taped those posters on all of the doors, windows and drive up windows of the bank.
The next week, I went into to my banking (this was before ATM's), and to my pleasant surprise the tellers were friendly like I had never seen them before. I guess the manager gave them a little "pep talk" after removing all of those embarassing posters.
In my position I actually have a new job every 2-3 years and I've been here for almost 8. Working at the same company does not always mean working at the same job.
Unfortunately, todays recruiters are often short-sighted around such things. The concept of learning and growing within a company rather then bouncing from company to company seems dead.
Just a reply about your comment saying "2 separate companies...."
UPS gets such a significant portion of their business from amazon im sure there is some sort of special arrangement there. Just as Wal-Mart gets deals for buying in bulk, Amazon gets special customer service from UPS.
Clueless came out mid-90s, targeted to teens. People who were teenagers at the time probably have kids now themselves. Assuming the same audience is going to buy this Clueless, it's nice to get something for their own kids too.
It's warping the truth or removing it completely, not removing lies. If someone writes "Coca Cola kills orphans in Ethiopia to make room for industrial processing plants" then they should by all means remove it. But if facts are published, and I mean hard facts, which are then removed to paint a much more rosey picture of a company then that's just not fair.
I suspect it's earily close to the truth. Not that WalMart would unload Chinese crap on us. Oh no. Hey, what was that sound? I think it was Sam Walton turning in his grave.
It's one way of cleaning out the warehouse!!!!! Then again, I was just thinking that with all the recalls for toys that perhaps this was some sort ploy to unload more Chinese garbage on us. You know, if they give it away they don't have to pay to have it hauled off themselves????? I dunno....just my warped ideas finding their way to the screen I guess.
Mr. Michael
The following link,
http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;202416649;fp;;fpid;;pf;1
**does** work for me, even now, 3 months after your article, on a Wintel machine and a Mac OSX machine, using current IE, FF, and Safari. Meridith Levinson's 18 signs in CIO very closely resembled your 20 in content and scope. It predated yours by 2-3 months. On the plus side, the signs bear repeating. Your reiteration isn't the first. Even Levinson's feature is highly derivative. The signs haven't changed since before Personnel aggrandized itself into HR. Thanks for your post.
I'm just curious, did you READ the coverage of this? We're not talking about editing out vicious lies that have been added to upstanding citizens' bios on Wikipedia. We're talking about lies being added. We're talking about defacing bios. By employees of news agencies, government organizations, and major corporations.
Of course slanderous information can be removed - but that's only if it's truly false. If you're a public figure, you can't expect to be completely free of criticism, with a blemish-free Wikipedia entry. And we're not talking about "fine, upstanding" citizens, here. We're talking about Bill O'Reilly.
Did hear a few years back something about someone pulling a wad of gum Britney Spears threw away in a trash can and putting it on E-Bay to sell and thought how gross and stupid that was, but someone making a profession out of it is just plain sick.
While I am aware once it hits the curb it is no longer your property, but going through someone's trash to try to re-sell it not only is unethical, in the case of the "used" deoderant and grubby make-up puff, it is also unsanitary and I would think would violate health codes.
Another thing for the would be fans that would clamour to buy such garbage (literally, in this case) how in the heck do you know your fav celeb used it anyway, even if the StarTrash staffers sign an affidavit saying they pulled it from the curb of the known address of the celebrity? You wouldn't.
While I could post numerous war stories about transactions that went a miss, a few that ended up filing complaints with Better Business Bureau, FTC, Attorney General's office or the State Department of Insurance and one lawsuit, this story is one with a happy ending without a lot of grief.
I work 3rd shift and the cafeteria is closed, so I frequently buy a snack size bag of chips called "Salalitas" out of the snack machine for 75 cents on the days that I work. I had been doing this with no problems for at least two years until one night I got a bag that was stale, but the expiration date on the package was still good.
I e-mailed the company, Snak King, after finding it on the internet advising them that I loved their product and e-mailed them information in the paragraph above and the numbers off the package just to let them know that perhaps a bad batch may have slipped through the cracks and to check it out and figured that was the end of that, heck it as only 75 cents.
I received a prompt replay and asked for my name and address advising they would send me something in the mail to make up for my inconvenience, so I figured they would just ship me a refund check for 75 cents or cents off coupon.
A few days later, a large box arrived containing 4 full size bags of 4 different chips that they make.
It is great to know that there are companies out there that are still devoted to standing behind their products and making sure a customer is satisfied just by making them aware a problems exists and not having to fight for it.
here at work, I've been advised that the target audiences may not been that off-base. They're both teen movies, they're both light entertainment. I'd have to bow to that one somewhat, but COME ON! They couldn't think of anything better to give to mostly teenage girls than a Transformer ball? Still sounds like they were just trying to recycle some old junk.
I used to work for Hasbro and when the Transformers movie first came out we got a special viewing. At the theater those beach balls---same colors and all---were handed out.
The Transforming pen was a much better premium.
You look up your name on Wikipedia. Or your company's. You see negative information that you disagree with. You don't know who wrote it, but you don't want some random stranger posting these things as fact. You'd like to consider yourself an upstanding citizen, corporation, whatever. But since someone already beat you to the punch and posted something negative on Wikipedia, you're supposed to just deal with it? It exists on the web, better not touch it...
Seriously???
I know you guys can come up with even funnier combos than I did. Send them in, pictures too (but let's keep it fairly clean, ok? Nothing R rated). I can't wait to see them.
I'm still waiting for my DVD of "Inconvenient Truth" with free Matchbox Hummer3 to arrive from Amazon.
#1 - I'd be surprised if they could GIVE that DVD away!
#2 - I like your combos much better! LOL!!
Thank you so much for sharing all of the the above cool "no batteries needed" gadgetwith us. All would be great to buy for yourself or even give as a gift to a loved one who seems to already have everything to put in their household or emergency kit or for those that like camping.
but all I was saying was that seeing it in widescreen hardly adds anything. I'd say the same for a lot of comedies, including laugh-fests like Dumb & Dumber.
Clueless rocks!
Though I think it is fine to talk with the shipping company -- I'll clarify something about shipping. Whoever hires the shipping company is the responsible party; this case is slightly more complicated with pick-up, etc. But in general if Amazon or whoever hires UPS to be its shipping agent, then Amazon is accountable for the shipping. If Amazon authorizes the pick-up and will pay the tab, then Amazon is accountable, again, for the shipping. If there is damage in the shipping process, then Amazon needs to settle that with its shipper.
Kathryn,
Thanks for your comment and let me clarify--the fact that the packages were not getting picked up was Amazon's fault. Through my myriad of phone calls, it was determined that it was their system that was not communicating with UPS's system. It's a long story, but sufficient to say that they're supposed to generate a tracking number and the system wasn't doing that, and no one could figure out why.
As to leaving the boxes outside my door, well, I don't have a lot of choice. Amazon also couldn't generate drop-off vouchers for these particular packages (that whole system problem again) and my husband and I both work full-time so couldn't be there for the pickup. I don't feel great about it, though if they stole the lamp at this point I think I'd just be glad to have it off my hands ;)
Andrea--thanks for posting that email for me!
We are a family of four my wife and I have finally gotten "real jobs"
and are in better shape now (as far as available income) than we ever have been. When we were just starting frugality was a gaol trim the excesses from our merging lives. We still struggle with some of the choices we continue to make, but are now using this combined lifestyle as tactic to acheive our goals. I suppose the question of tactic or goal comes to the individual and where they are coming from/going to.