Real Stone Thin Veneer Labor Numbers and the Speed of the Job - Mason and Customer Perspectives

From just a glance at the title, one might think that what is good for the mason is contrary, or in conflict, with what is good for the customer. In this article I am going to try to rationalize why that is NOT true - why the Win for One party is NOT the Loss for the Other party.

In reality, the dynamics in the entire market of real stone and real stone thin veneer have changed, and life can be a win - win for all involved.

Here's what I'm talking about...

Real Stone Thin Veneer Labor Numbers and the Speed of the Job - Mason and Customer Perspectives

First of all, it's hard for me to understand why the cost of labor to install real stone thin veneer would be any different than the cost to lay manufactured stone thin veneer (but there seems to be some margin). If you break manufactured stone to make it fit you have a problem hiding the chopped off end; whereas if you trim real stone thin veneer you don't have that problem. The guys that are good at it tell me they can lay an equivalent amount of either real or fake stone thin veneer in a day. The only thing I can think of is that some contractors may charge more to lay real stone thin veneer because of the "perceived value" of the final job. Obviously, real stone thin veneer (especially high quality; with natural tops, bottoms and ends) will look like a full bed depth job in real stone. There's no comparison between that look and fake. Since customers generally pay a little more for real stone thin veneer than fake, I'm guessing some contractors will try to get whatever the market will bear. My prediction is that when the amount of people accustomed to and experienced in laying real stone thin veneer, becomes equal to the amount of people experienced in laying fake, I think we will definitely see the labor rates come down.

I believe a lot of this has to do with just understanding reality and mostly boils down to education. What needs to take place is a paradigm shift in people's thinking. Once experienced masons are enlightened that the philosophy that I am trying to impart upon them is a win / win / win / win situation, I am hoping a light bulb will turn on and we'll all live happily ever after.

Here's what I'm talking about in true numbers. The day your average mason realizes the following facts and converts the numbers into acceptable logic we will see labor rates fall.

Installation time for real stone thin veneer is just about the same as it is for manufactured (fake) stone thin veneer.

The average mason can lay approximately (4) times as much thin veneer in a day as full bed depth stone. Normally this equates to 160 feet per day versus 40. As a side benefit, the customer is elated that the "mess" of labor is at his home or place of business is only there for 1/4 of the old time-frame.
Logic has it that if a masonry installer wanted to make the exact same amount of money per day installing thin veneer versus what he used to earn installing full bed depth ledge, that he could (should) charge ¼ of the price.

Just a little deeper: If one mason laid 40 sq. ft. of real stone full bed depth ledge in one day and charged per sq. ft. the labor bill for the day would be ,000.

In the same vein, if that same mason laid (4) times as much thin veneer in a day (real or fake), and charged ¼ of his normal rate, or .25 per sq. ft. for labor, his labor bill for the day would be the same ,000.

If ,000 per day was acceptable earnings for installing full bed, why wouldn't ,000 per day be acceptable for installing thin veneer? And, why should there be any difference between whether the thin veneer was real stone or fake stone? The question is just like why would a painter charge differently to paint with green paint versus to paint with red paint?

The mason wants more?: charge 1/3 of old rate, .33 per sq. ft. and earn ,332.80 for the days' labor.

As a disclaimer: the above numbers are just for illustration purposes. Labor rates are diverse across America and certain places cost more than others because of many factors.

Also, I'm the first to agree and say that all masons are not created equally, and you get more or less what you pay for. The final look of the job depends upon the installer - not the stone, not the architect, and not the person paying the bill. The three later variables and parties can have all good intentions, but the same stone will look different depending upon the expertise of the installer.

Just like I am trying to share my thoughts and knowledge, I think if stone quarriers, stone fabricators, stone wholesalers and stone retailers work together, we can teach people in the installation trade how to better analyze this equation as well.

First, they need to understand, accept and be pleased with the logic of the numbers. Carefully stated, it's easy, not offensive. Hopefully I'm accomplishing that goal here because I have a goal for this message to be read by that group. The group (masons and thin veneer installers) is important to the very essence to what I do for a living. Even though some "do it yourselfers" will install real stone thin veneer, the majority of the work is still being done by professionals.

Second, they need to know how to actually install real stone thin veneer. I envision "How to" classes by the stone yards who take the lead to be instrumental. Anything well understood is perceived easier to do, and is in reality, easier to do.

Third, everyone needs to understand the concept of everyone winning.

I want the mason to understand he is winning. He will earn just as much money, or more, installing real stone thin veneer, as anything else he does.

I want the mason to understand that if he is running a crew, that his crew can do more jobs in a year because each job is going 2 - 4 times as fast. This actually means that his company could double, triple or quadruple gross revenues. This logic is equal for the installer running solo.

I want the mason to realize and remember that he'll get more jobs if his rates are more reasonable. The cost of the job is materials plus labor. When labor decreases the total cost of the job decreases. The less the total cost of the job - the more jobs that will be done because of the larger number of people that will be able to afford to have the work contracted. With budgets being tighter than ever, a larger number of potential customers is obviously a big plus in today's economy.

The quadruple win?

The ultimate consumer is paying less and getting more value for his expenditure, and more customers are getting stonework.

Positive "word of mouth" advertising is created - the best type! The mason is actually earning more money than he did before.

With more jobs being done, the Stone Yards and Building Material companies are selling more thin veneer to their contractor customers.

And my selfish reason for educating - we, the quarrier and fabricator will sell more stone to our dealers.

If the current work pool of masonry contractors does not understand nor embrace my philosophy (and the philosophy shared by many piers that I respect), then my prediction is that, we, as a group, will be teaching a new group of people to install.

I believe that "if installers of real stone thin veneer do not become more competitive, other people will enter the labor market, learn their trade and take their business away." People move towards jobs. Therefore, if masons in premium markets do not catch on, I warn - watch out!

Build with real stone and build forever...

There is no doubt that the market is moving from a tolerance for fake stone to a preference for real stone. Further, my contention is that some people, like tile setters for example, will learn the trade and lay real stone thin veneer for less money than the guys that are controlling the market today. Additionally, with the weaknesses in the economy, and the desperation of other tradesmen, maybe several other types of contractors will look at laying real stone thin veneer at a - per foot rate and be happy with the money they are making.

This is all positive news, if you didn't receive that feeling from your first read of this article...read it again! (please)

Real Stone Thin Veneer Labor Numbers and the Speed of the Job - Mason and Customer Perspectives
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Michael Coleman is the National Sales Manager and one of the principals of Stone Direct. The Thin Veneer Store has been designed as a place for the general public, home owners, contractors, and builders, to purchase real stone thin veneer directly from the source. Our parent company, Stone Direct International, LLC has been supplying stoneyards and building material companies for over a decade. Our main business model has not changed and we will continue to protect our valued dealers. However, we realize that there are a lot of consumers in the USA and Canada, and possibly beyond, that we do not reach with our current dealer network. The internet has certainly changed the reach of conventional marketing. There may be some individual people, that inquire because of this website, that we will have to decline to sell to directly due to a conflict with our loyalty to dealers. However, if you are serious about your project with natural stone thin veneer, and your job is at least 500 sq. feet and/or linear feet, we encourage you to inquire through e-mail or phone.

Michael Coleman
National Sales Manager
http://www.thinveneerstore.com
sales@thinveneerstore.com

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2 Ways Of Connecting To The Internet With The Samsung Galaxy Tab

If you have seen the Samsung Galaxy Tab, your initial reaction must be awe. You must be entranced with the sleek, slim, compact, and lightweight design. However, one of your concerns may be ways of connecting to the internet with this tablet. There are actually two ways to connect to the internet with the Tab. Here, you will find out more about the two ways to do so.

3G Internet Access

With 3G internet access, you can connect to the internet wherever you are. Depending if you have 3G coverage in your area, you can enjoy 5.76 mbps or uploads and 7.2 mbps of downloads. This simply means that you can enjoy more with broadband internet.

2 Ways Of Connecting To The Internet With The Samsung Galaxy Tab

With this much internet speed, there are so many things that you can do on the go. Checking your emails will be easy to do. Web browsing will be possible wherever you go. You can make use of instant messaging services from wherever. Video conferencing will be easy. Video streaming will be seamless. Uploading your multimedia on your favorite social network will be instant. Lastly, downloading anything from the internet will be lightning fast. Internet access on the go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be sheer pleasure.

Wi-Fi Internet Access

There will be instances when you do not have 3G coverage in an area, or you might want to connect to the internet in another way. In these cases, there is another way to connect with this compact tablet. You can make use of a wireless network through the tablet's Wi-Fi capabilities.

Setting this feature up is simple. If you have access to a home or office wireless network, you can easily connect to the internet. All you will need is the internet service provider and a wireless router. This will allow you to do anything from browsing, surfing, chatting, emailing, video streaming, downloading, and uploading via Wi-Fi.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab also allows you to access the internet via hot spots. These too are wireless networks. These hot spots can be found wherever you go. They can be found in the mall, cafés, restaurants, shops, and many more establishments. With these wireless networks offered, you are sure to gain another way to access the World Wide Web.

As you can see, there are two options you can make use of to access the web. You can use the device's 3G or Wi-Fi capabilities. These are the 2 ways of connecting to the internet with the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

2 Ways Of Connecting To The Internet With The Samsung Galaxy Tab
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This author writes about the latest mobile phones such us Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung Genio Touch.

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Easy Bedroom Decorating Ideas

Decorating your bedroom can be a great way to give your self a tranquil retreat, yet so many people neglect this room. Often times people focus on the public rooms of the home - the kitchen, living room and guest bathroom but the bedroom is your own private sanctuary and you owe yourself to decorate it!

If decorating your bedroom seems like an overwhelming task, you might want to take it easy and make small changes over a period of time instead of one huge change. On way to ease yourself into decorating the bedroom is to start with the walls. Artwork can make a huge difference in the look of your bedroom and is one decorating idea that you can easily reverse if the look doesn't work.

What is the first thing you notice when you walk into someone's home? The walls, right? Walls enclose the home, giving a thematic impression. So, if your walls are empty you've got to get to work to populate them. Wall hangings can be expensive, but that's only if you purchase something by a famous dead artist. You can create your own artwork without any art instruction whatsoever. First, you have to consider your theme. If you have a Victorian, feminine or shabby chic bedroom theme then you will want floral or feminine artwork. A modern bedroom theme will look best with prints in sleek frames. A tropical look? Then get some jungle style prints or prints of exotic animals and birds.

Easy Bedroom Decorating Ideas

Do you have hundreds of pictures and just don't know what to do with them? If the idea of a personalized bedroom picture wall appeals to you, you could arrange the photos into a huge wall photo collage. Examples include pictures of exotic places, weddings, and children growing up. If there is a teenager in your home, their bedroom is probably home to a huge collection of music CDs. They can create their own wall collage using the cover art from their CDs. Although you will have more fun creating your collage yourself, there are companies that will take care of this for you. The cost ranges from about for an 8x10 to 0 for a 20x24 wall collage.

If your bedroom contains foliage, you might want to consider pressing leaves or flowers and framing your work; the best of these are flat. You basically place the leaves or flowers in a book to allow them to dry flat. They are ready for your wall hanging when they become crisp. This shouldn't take longer than a week or two. After the items are pressed, you will just need to mount the artwork and hang it on your wall.

When you decorate your bedroom with artwork you are only limited by your imagination. Don't be afraid to experiment. As mentioned previously, artwork is easily reversible. So, be imaginative and creative and design your artwork.

Easy Bedroom Decorating Ideas
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Lee Dobbins writes for Bedroom Designs and Decorations where you can learn more about designing your dream bedroom.

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Purchase of Real Estate in Germany

The actual and legal conditions for a real estate purchase in Germany differ considerably from those in other countries. The transfer of title is carried out in two steps: The conclusion of the purchase contract and the entry of the transfer of title into the land register.

The Land Register

The land register (Grundbuch) is administrated by the Land Registry at the particular Local Court. The function of the Land Register is to inform the public about the legal relationships in regard to a specific parcel of land. Albeit being a public register only such individuals gain access to it who can demonstrate a justified interest, e.g. banks and other creditors, public notaries, estate agents and potential purchasers.

Purchase of Real Estate in Germany

In order to review the legal situation, each potential buyer is well advised to demand an actual extract of the land register. It is a basic feature of the German real estate law that transfers of ownership is effected by the transcription of title in the land register. Any individual who is nominated in the register is always and automatically the lawful owner of the property. Due to its publicity, the contents of the sheets are ascribed public faith and credit. As a consequence, everyone can rely on their accuracy and further research regarding the title held by the seller need not to be carried out. I

Each property has to be registered on a separate sheet. Past entries in the sheets are deleted by the officers of the Land Registry by underlining them in red. The files attributed to each sheet contain all relevant deeds regarding present or future entries in the register.

Every sheet is divided into an inventory listing (Bestandsverzeichnis) and three sub-sections (Abteilung). The inventory listing identifies the cadastral district (Flur) and unit (Flurstueck) of the real estate and its size. The first section nominates the owner of the estate and the legal ground of his acquisition (purchase/ inheritance etc.). The second section shows all encumbrances in regard to the estate such as easements on the real estate or personal easements, heritable building rights, pledges or claims for recurrent payments or services, usufruct, priority notices, the owners limitations regarding the right to dispose of his title. The entries in the third section document if the real estate has been used before as a collateral security. These informations are important for any potential purchaser because irrespective of the individual who owns the property, each bailee of a lien on the real property is entitled to put the real estate onto auction in order to enforce his money claim.

The Purchase Contract and its notarisation

A purchase contract should provide stipulations at least about the following issues at least:

Name of the parties

Description of the purchase object

Conveyance of property/ Priority notice of conveyance (important because it blocks further entries in the land register)

Purchase price

Change of possession

Warranty

Costs of the purchase and their distribution

The purchase of real estate is subject to a mandatory notarial recording. Conversely to the legal situation in most other countries, unless the contract is notarized any agreement is invalid. Therefore, any purchaser should take care that the complete agreement he has made with the seller is presented to the notary (Notar) and included in the official deed. As the costs for the notary are usually born by the purchaser it is custom that the purchaser decides who shall effect the recording. It is the notary`s duty to convert the parties mutual agreement into an efficient and legally binding set of rules. As a specialised and impartial lawyer, he advises the parties from an independent point of view about rights and obligations arising of the purchase contract. Consequently, it is his main task to identify contractual loopholes and to prepare the draft. Moreover, notaries offer to take and keep the purchase price in a notary trust account until all conditions for a vested transcription are met (approval by the municipality, payment of the estate purchase taxes, entry of a priority notice in favour of the purchaser in the land register). As the costs for the notary are usually born by the purchaser it is custom that the purchaser decides who shall effect the recording. As the deed is established in German the notary would be obliged to call a sworn translator unless the parties waive this requirement and call someone who can translate for them.

During the notarization ceremony the notary reads the document out loudly to the parties before they sign the deed. Notaries have to explain the contract details to the parties if questions arise but they are prohibited to give advice in favour of one party. The notarization may take place in English or any other language if the notary is fluent. As purchase contracts may be complicated any purchaser should study the draft and join the notarization personally. However, each party may also can be represented by an authorised representative. After the notarization the notary manages the necessary entries in the land register. The transcription of title is accomplished after app. six months. However, the basic contractual obligations (payment, entry of priority notice, transfer of possession, benefits and the liability for public charges) are performed within one month since the notarial recording.

The notary fees and the fees of the Land Registry are accounted according a schedule as provided in the Fee Act (Kostenordnung). They usually add up to 1,5 % of the purchase price. The commission for estate agents usually amounts to 3 % plus VAT for both parties. The tax rate on the purchase of real estate is 3,5 %. In Berlin it is 4,5 %.

The purchase from a building developer

According to this contractual scheme, the purchaser obligates himself to buy a house or an apartment and effects payment ready at a time when the construction of the building has not been completed. Such contracts (Bautraegervertrag) usually stipulate a purchase of undeveloped real estate plus the obligation of the developer to construct a building on it. The predominant conflict of interest between the building developer and the purchaser concerns the time and mode of payment.

3 of the Agents-And-Building-Developers-Decree (Makler und Bautraeger Verordnung) defines the progress payment as the statutory mode of payment. Furthermore, the building developer is bound to several preconditions before he can claim any payments from the purchaser. Finally, 3 Sec. 2 of the Agents-And-Building-Developers-Act provides maximum percentage installments of the purchase price which the developer can claim upon the accomplishment of particular steps of the construction.
Thereby, the developer has not the right to receive any payments unless...

- a valid building agreement has been concluded,
- a priority notice of conveyance has been entered in the land registry (as a second step the transfer requires the entry of the purchaser in the land registry),
- the release of the property from previous encumbrances created by the contractor to obtain financing for the project has been assured. This is usually performed by obtaining a note of promise issued from the developer`s bank. As a condition for grating that note the bank demands that the purchase price is paid onto a particular account. Only upon receipt of the funds the bank has to clear the register. The law stipulates the particular requirements for such promise note. It shall also apply in case the building is not accomplished; instead of this the bank can reserve the right to pay the funds back, not more than the current value of the property)
- a building permission for the house has been granted and
- finally any right of the contractor to withdraw from the contract have ceased.

In spite of the granted promise note, there are substantial not covered risks in the event of the insolvency of the building developer because in that event the still outstanding purchase price is regularly not enough to complete the building. Furthermore, the purchaser can be liable to his bank for a prepayment penalty if the money is paid back by the bank that issued the promise note.

Instead of granting the fore mentioned measures for securing the purchaser claims the developer can also furnish a directly enforceable guarantee issued by a bank. The guarantee covers the total amount of claims for repayment of the purchaser funds.

The MaBV stipulates that the purchase price is paid in up to seven installments as stipulated in the contract which compound these elements:

- 30 % after the earth moving
- 28 % after completion of the structural including the carpenter work
- 5,6 % for the tiling of the roof and the fixing of the rainwater gutter
- 2,1 % for the preliminary installation of the heating system
- 2,1 % for the preliminary installation of the electric system
- 2,1 % for the preliminary installation of the sanitary facilities
- 7 % for the windows
- 4,2 % for the interior plaster
- 2,1 % for the floor pavement
- 2,8 % for the tiling in the sanitary rooms
- 8,4 % after the building is ready to move in and the possession is handed over to the purchaser
- 2,1 % for the work at the face of the building
- 3,5 after full completion

The finance of the purchase should be clear at the time when the contract is concluded. An insolvency of the purchaser at a later date has no effect on the performance of the contract because the mortgage has already been paid out..

Development of land under ones own responsibility - the Baugruppe as an alternative to the commercial building development

The Baugruppe is a partnership of convenience which targets at circumventing the commercial building developer. The partners are free to choose and plan their building concept. The savings which can be gained in comparison to the use of a professional building developer can amount to 20 % of the building costs.

A Baugruppe relies on harmony and communication among the partners and their willingness to compromise in problematic situations. At least one partner besides the architect should be able to account the costs arising in the building process. Since everything is subject to mutual consent of the group and has to be organized by the partners a lot of spare time has to be spent on the project. The partners should both have a common vision but also an estimation of what can be achieved realistically. The architect should be able to temper the building phantasy of the partners.

The Baugruppe is usually organized as a private partnership. The agreement provides the joint and several liabilities of the partners even in the event that one of them dies.

Conversely to the contract with a developer there are no fixed prices. The architect contract should therefor consider unforeseen costs for rising raw materials so a buffer of 10 % of the costs in the individual financial planning. A legal protection insurance is also advisable if rising costs have their origin in sloppy craftsmanship. For negotiations with the crafts enterprises, construction companies and so on a lawyer should be engaged right from the start. Insurance should be taken out in order to get protection against insolvencies of crafts and construction enterprises to which money has already been paid for the raw materials and against thefts and damages which may occur during the construction process.

Banks are generally skeptical to finance projects initiated by a Baugruppe. Mortgages and maybe even the pledging of salaries may serve as collaterals. In regard to obtain proper financing the adherence to ecological standards may make governmental subsidies available.

Purchase of Real Estate in Germany
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Henning Haarhaus
German Attorney at Law and Certified Tax Specialist
Schloßstr. 29, 12163 Berlin
Tel. ++49/ (0)30/ 7720-6623
Fax ++49/ (0)30/ 7719-0023
http://www.kanzlei-haarhaus.de/english/Overview-english.htm

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Godzilla 2012: A New American Godzilla Movie

Godzilla is an internationally recognized icon, beloved by people all over the world. Created by Toho Pictures, Godzilla first appeared in the film Gojira in 1954. The monster was filmed using an actor in a large latex suit. The film was a huge success and ushered in a whole era of fantasy monster movies from Japan. Godzilla has appeared in 28 films in a career spanning more than 50 years.

1998 brought us the first ever Godzilla film made by an American studio. The Sony/Tri-star Production Godzilla starred Mathew Broderick and was directed by Roland Emmerich. The film was a financial success, but a disappointment with Godzilla fans. Godzilla's character was drastically changed from his Japanese origins. It was a completely CGI created monster and looked less like a dinosaur and more like a giant iguana lizard. Also gone were Godzilla's characteristic radioactive fire and invulnerability to military attack. This didn't go unnoticed in Japan and in 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars the Japanese Godzilla fights and easily defeats a CGI monster that closely resembled the American Godzilla, referred to as Zilla.

Now, it's time for America to have another shot at making a Godzilla movie. In March, 2010, Legendary Pictures along with Warmer Brothers Studios announced they are co-producing a new Godzilla movie to be released in 2012. Past collaborations between the two studios have produced such hit movies as The Dark Knight, 300, and Inception. Godzilla fans will be happy to know that Legendary Pictures is keen on avoiding the mistakes of the past. The new movie will have no connection to the Sony film and remain true to the original character. Thomas Tull, chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures is quoted as saying, "Godzilla is one of the world's most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise...Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has." Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are producing along with Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and Brian Rogers.

Godzilla 2012: A New American Godzilla Movie

This film will be a 3D project, live-action, but with a CGI monster. It will also feature one or more monster opponents. In January, 2011, Legendary Pictures announced they had signed British director Gareth Edwards to helm the project. In October, 2010, the unknown, independent director released Monsters, a sci-fi movie about alien invaders. The movie was shot on a shoe-string budget with only five crew members, including two cast members. Edwards shot the movie himself. Though made on a small budget, the film had a big budget feel and got rave reviews and won Edwards several film awards. Edward's background is in visual effects and he knows how to effectively use them to tell the story. Monsters used effects sparingly with only glimpses of the aliens through most of the film. The story focused squarely on the two human characters. Now Edwards will bring his fresh talents to work for Legendary on Godzilla, in what is sure to be a huge multi-million dollar picture. There are no details yet as to a script or writer.

Godzilla 2012: A New American Godzilla Movie
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For more details and to keep track of new developments to this picture, please visit: Godzilla 2012 Movie

Jason Winter is a content writer and teacher living in Japan. For more details about the new Godzilla 2012 movie, visit his site: http://hubpages.com/hub/Godzilla-2012-A-New-American-Godzilla-Movie

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The Relationship Between Leadership and Influence

What is the relationship between leadership and influence? Is leadership always influence and is influence always leadership?

To say that leadership always entails influence is like saying that all snow is white. It's true but the inference doesn't work the other way. That is, not all white things are snow. Similarly, although all leadership is influence, there are lots of types of influence that don't count as leadership. Here are a few examples:

- Intimidating or forcing someone to do something.
- Bribing someone to do your bidding.
- Paying for things you want someone to do for you.
- Teaching a student to behave better in a classroom.
- Encouraging your children to eat their vegetables.

The Relationship Between Leadership and Influence

The last two examples are not leadership because they have nothing to do with a group striving to achieve a goal. Teaching students and encouraging children to eat vegetables is for their own interest, not for the good of a larger group. Similarly, salespeople may be very influential but their influence is self-interested. The salesperson and the customer do not constitute a group.

Formal Authority and Leadership Influence

Suppose you are the boss and you decide to ramp up production by 50%, requiring everyone to work faster and longer hours without overtime. Is this leadership? No, it may be influence but it is not leadership because the employees had no choice. To say that leadership is informal influence means that followers have a free choice to follow or not.

What are some prime examples of true leadership influence? One of the most familiar is Martin Luther King's demonstrations against segregation on buses which led the U.S. Supreme Court to outlaw this practice. King had no formal authority or other power to move the U.S. government. This is the real meaning of leadership.

Another example of genuine leadership influence was the Sony employee who influenced management to adopt his idea for PlayStation despite their feeling that Sony wasn't into making toys.

Whenever you convince your colleagues or your boss to adopt a new idea, you have shown them leadership. Or, you might simply set a good example for others and, if they follow, you have shown leadership.

Market leading businesses influence their competitors to change course, another example of real leadership.

When executives make decisions that take their teams in new directions, they are taking managerial actions, NOT showing leadership because employees have no choice.

To count as leadership, influence must be informal and followers must get on board completely of their own free will. Leadership is also a group phenomenon and is aimed at serving some unselfish purpose, something to improve the group's effectiveness.

For this reason, even if your children willingly follow your plea to eat their vegetables, you haven't shown leadership because you and your kids are not a group working toward a common goal.

Informal leadership and Influence

We often distinguish between formal and informal leadership. The only difference between these concepts is that the informal leader takes charge informally. The formal leader has been given formal authority to govern the group while the informal leader is granted this role by the group itself. The informal leader has personal power - charisma, knowledge or some form of expertise that the group values.

It is vital to recognize that the conventional concept of informal leadership is not the same thing as saying that all leadership influence is informal. The conventional concept, formal or informal, is all about being in charge of the group. The claim made here is that real leadership is independent of position, as it was in the case of Martin Luther King. He was not an informal leader in the conventional sense - the Supreme Court didn't recognize him as their informal leader. As another example, a technical geek might influence his peers to adopt a new piece of software. He has influenced them informally. However, this geek might be so disinclined to manage the group that they might never view him as their informal leader - someone who they would turn to for help in organizing their day to day work, who they would look to for advice and the resolution of conflict. The geek's informal leadership is a one-off act, not an ongoing role. His influence is informal but he is not what we normally call an informal leader because he has no interest or ability to take charge of the group in a managerial sense.

So what? By reformulating the meaning of leadership, I am saying that the old distinction between formal and informal leadership is outdated. There is really only formal and informal management because all leadership is informal where this term refers to willingly following someone's lead NOT to informally taking charge of the group.

Conclusion

Leadership influence involves a group changing direction because of someone's informal influence. It is always disinterested because, if you influence people to support you by appealing to their needs, you are effectively operating as a salesperson, not a leader. True leadership asks people to set aside their personal needs and do something for the good of the group. Think again of Martin Luther King. He was campaigning for justice, not to be elected U.S. president. His leadership entailed personal sacrifice in the interest of a higher cause.

The Relationship Between Leadership and Influence
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See http://www.leadersdirect.com for more information on this and related topics. Mitch McCrimmon has over 30 years experience in executive assessment and coaching. His latest book, Burn! 7 Leadership Myths in Ashes, 2006, challenges conventional thinking on leadership. Warning: you might find it annoying if you are committed to the usual platitudes about leadership.

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The Top Five Morgan Silver Dollars

Why waste everyone's time? Let's skip the appetizers and get to the meaty stuff right now: The Morgan silver dollars poised to increase the most in value in the years ahead are the 1895, 1892-CC, 1894, 1878-CC, and the 1883-CC. Pretty bold prediction, eh? At this point, the reader now has three options: (1) Stop reading and act upon this information, (2) Stop reading and get on with life, or (3) Continue on, evaluate the analytical approach to identify the "Top Five" Morgan dollars, and then implement a variation of (1) or (2) above. If you've gotten this far, we encourage you to continue on with option (3).

First, a little background info on the Morgan silver dollar...

The Morgan silver dollar is today one of the most popular of all collector coins. First minted in 1878 following the passage of the Bland-Alison Act, the new dollar was named after its designer, George T. Morgan. Political pressure by powerful silver mining companies, in a gambit to stabilize the price of their commodity at artificially high levels, created the impetus driving the legislative action. Bland-Alison led to the overproduction of silver dollars, resulting in millions of these unused "cartwheels" languishing in bank and Treasury vaults. Indeed, few coins have ever been released under more dubious circumstances than Morgan silver dollars. Minting continued until 1904, and then again for one more year in 1921, when the series finally came to a close.

The Top Five Morgan Silver Dollars

For decades thereafter, Morgan dollars were largely snubbed by hobbyists. Many dates, including those in mint state condition, could be obtained for as little as .00. This situation shifted dramatically in 1962, when the US government began selling original 1000-piece silver dollar Treasury bags to the public at face value. Stories of rare dollar finds circulated widely, touching off a veritable Morgan mania. Within a matter of months, all but a small fraction of the federally owned coins were transferred from government vaults to private hands, consequently expanding the Morgan dollar collector base far beyond anything seen previously.

Since then, Morgan silver dollars have proudly perched themselves atop the catbird seat of the numismatic world. Their physical size, availability, beauty, and historical significance have consistently attracted herds of new buyers. Numerous boom-turned-bust cycles have come and gone, sometimes driven by pure speculative motives, but from a long-term perspective, most Morgan dollar prices have trended somewhat positive.

Unlike some controversial promoters in the past, I do not propose purchasing Morgan silver dollars simply as investment vehicles. However, for collectors hoping to satisfy their numismatic yearnings AND acquire coins destined to be worth substantially more in the future, Morgan dollars do present a few opportunities. As noted above, as a whole, Morgans have gained moderately in value over the years. The crucial challenge, then, is to identify which members of this series have enjoyed the best growth patterns in the past. The underlying logic is clear: coins that have demonstrated the strongest gains over a long period of time are the coins best positioned to show similar price advancements with the continued passage of time.

In order to measure past performance and thus visualize Morgans most likely headed toward a bullish future, I developed a systematic approach. First, I researched individual Morgan dollar retail prices as they existed in 1950, for a broad range of conditions, and entered this data on a computer spreadsheet. Moving forward in time, values from the years 1980, 1995, and 2000 were likewise recorded. Finally, estimated selling prices in 2005 were juxtaposed with counterpart data from those earlier years. Because grading terminology has evolved over the 55 year period, certain assumptions were made to progressively track price movements throughout the time spectrum (e.g. an "Uncirculated" value in 1950 is equivalent to the "MS-60" of today).

For each date and condition, compounded annual return rates were computed from 1950 to 2005. [Editorial note: compounded annual return rate is the accepted yardstick for comparing investment performance. Of course, coins do not grow at a guaranteed uniform rate, such as bonds do, but if a coin is purchased at a certain price, and that price is compared with the value of the coin at some later date, the compounded annual return rate can be calculated for the time period in between]. Return rate computations were made from 1980 to 2005, 1995 to 2005, and 2000 to 2005. For each Morgan dollar, the data was placed in tabular format.

Next, I calculated a "composite" score for each date by averaging all the compounded return rates computed for that date. I then ranked all the "composite" scores. The Morgan silver dollars with the highest scores are as follows:

Date: Score:

1895 11.37

1892-CC 10.54

1894 10.43

1878-CC 10.28

1883-CC 10.25

So, it would appear, based on past performance over a period of 55 years, the 1895 is the Morgan silver dollar with the best hope of appreciating significantly in the years ahead, followed by the 1892-CC, 1894, 1878-CC, and 1883-CC. Not surprisingly, dollars of the Carson City Mint occupy 13 of the top 16 positions, thanks to persistent collectors scrambling for bona fide artifacts of the romantic American West. On the opposite end of the rankings, Morgan silver dollars having the bleakest long term prospects include the 1898, 1899-O, 1884, and the 1888-O, followed by the 1897 coming in dead last with a score of 2.66.

Anyone whose dual objective is to acquire Morgan silver dollars with a bullish future ought to begin looking at the "Top Five" above. Purchase coins in the best condition you can afford, but be sure the coins are clean, problem-free, and CERTIFIED by a reputable grading service. Be prepared to hold for at least five years. Morgan dollars have skyrocketed in value in the last three years, so some cooling off may be in order before the next upward cycle.

If a polling firm were to survey the population of US coin collectors, it is very possible that Morgan silver dollars would win the vote as the most appealing coin in American coinage history. These beautiful coins have been the heartbeat of the hobby for many years, with no retreat in sight. Ironically, these same coins spent the better part of a century hidden away in government vaults, unseen, unwanted, and unloved. My, how times have changed!

The Top Five Morgan Silver Dollars
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Author Daniel J. Goevert is the webmaster of US Coin Values Advisor (http://www.us-coin-values-advisor.com), specializing in coin value trends and listing bullish US coins. Other offerings include detailed coin collecting advice as well as an illustrated history of the United States and the US Mint.

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How to Block Your Cell Phone Number When Calling Someone

There may be times when you don't want the person you are calling to see your phone number. Reasons why you may want to conceal your cell number include:

o You don't want the person you are calling to see that you've called them 10 times in a row.

o You don't know the person you are calling and don't want them to have access to your number.

How to Block Your Cell Phone Number When Calling Someone

o You are calling a business or an unknown number and don't want them to know your number.

If you decide that you would like to keep your cell phone number a secret, you will need to block your number. Blocking your number can be done temporarily or permanently. Temporarily blocking your number on a call by call basis is a good idea if there are only a few people whom you wish to hide your number from. To temporarily block your number so it is not displayed on the recipients caller ID simply dial *67 before dialing the number (I.E. *67 111-111-1111).

Keep in mind, you should know that when you use *67 to temporarily block your number there will be nothing to inform you that your number has been successfully blocked. Therefore, if you want to make sure it works, do a quick check and call your home number first before you attempt to use this service on someone else.

If you really want your cell number to be private, and wish to block your mobile phone number permanently, you will need to contact your wireless provider and request a "line block". Once the line block has been established, your number will not appear to anyone. However, if, for some reason, you would like your phone number to be displayed for the recipient, you can reveal your phone number by dialing *82 before dialing their phone number.

Finally, you need to know is that your cell phone number will not be blocked from any toll free numbers (I.E. 800 numbers), or from emergency services.
In addition, blocking your cell phone number may be a good idea if you are attempting to find out who owns a phone number by calling the mystery number back.

How to Block Your Cell Phone Number When Calling Someone
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Steven Cowen is a seasoned writer specializing in articles about telephone privacy and telecommunication consumer laws.

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OEM Vs Remanufactured Ink Cartridges - Which is a Better Value Purchase For Your Printer?

With a large number of companies offering high quality remanufactured ink cartridges at economical prices as compared to OEM cartridges, the printing market is going through a major consumer shift. But before choosing a printer cartridge it is important to have an understanding of the various products available in the market in order to get optimum printing results while cutting unnecessary expenses. Printer manufacturers usually sell their printer at cost and make their profits on supplies. Most printer users are surprised when they find out that replacement cartridge needed for the printer they recently bought is as nearly expensive as a brand new printer. Remanufactured cartridges are the solution to this costly problem.

So what is OEM Cartridge? OEM, which stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer), cartridge is produced by same manufacturer as the printer, such as HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark, and Dell; just to be used specifically for their printers. On the other hand remanufactured ink cartridges are recycled from used OEM cartridges by companies other than the original manufacturers and can be used in branded printers. Remanufacturers collect empty cartridges either directly from consumers or empty brokers, test the cartridge functionality, clean, refill, test quality and repackaged.

One of the main reason for the popularity of remanufactured ink cartridges are the highly economical prices being offered which are much lower than OEM cartridges. While remanufactured cartridges can save printing costs anywhere between 25-40% in contrast to OEM cartridges, the latter are known for their high consistence in print yield and quality. Therefore it is very important to be aware of the various individual features and benefits of printer cartridges as listed below in order to make a wise choice.

OEM Vs Remanufactured Ink Cartridges - Which is a Better Value Purchase For Your Printer?

Unlike OEM cartridges which are assembled by machines in big factories, remanufactured cartridges are mostly assembled and packaged by humans. Therefore, one can expect human errors which translate to defect rate about 1%-3% for ink cartridges and 3% - 5% for toner cartridges. It is important to note that OEM cartridges do not offer 100% reliability, although defect rate may be much less than that of remanufactured counterpart. The buying decision between OEM and remanufactured cartridge is basically a trade off savings and reliability. For most people, saving offered by remanufactured cartridge out weight the reliability that comes with OEM cartridges.

Print quality - This is major concern for most users. Can remanufactured ink give same quality as an OEM cartridge? The answer is "Yes". With some of the latest technologies being used by the remanufacturers, the quality of prints is as good as the cartridges being produced by original brands such as HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark, Dell.

Page Yield - You may not believe it, but it is true when some remanufacturers claim that their cartridges can give higher page yield than OEM cartridges. OEM cartridges are not filled with ink completely full, but only with enough ink to give certain page yield promised by the manufacturer. Since the marginal cost of ink is quite low, remanufacturers sometimes overfill the cartridges. Please ask the remanufacturer about ink volume contained in the cartridge and compare it to OEM cartridge ink volume.

Warranty - Like OEM cartridges, the recycled ones also come with a warranty and money refund offer in case of defects which makes the latter a more cost effective and safe bargain purchase. Quality certification - With the latest technologies being used by the printing industry, most remanufactured ink cartridges come with ISO certification which makes them a superior product like the original cartridges.

Quality testing - All quality remanufactured ink cartridges go through a standard procedure of post testing in order to ensure consistency in their performance which meets OEM standards with better cost savings.

Environmental concerns - If you concern about the environment, remanufactured cartridge is your choice. As printer cartridges are non-biodegradable in nature, the usage of remanufactured ink cartridges is a much more energy efficient and environmental friendly option than purchasing OEM cartridges. Please note that compatible cartridges are not the same as remanufactured or recycled cartridges. They are molded from new plastic so they have negative effect on environment as new OEM cartridges. It is important to ask the seller if the cartridge you are buying is remanufactured or compatible. They are not the same!

OEM Vs Remanufactured Ink Cartridges - Which is a Better Value Purchase For Your Printer?
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Shwe Khaw
http://www.tonerpirate.com/
Start saving on Toner and Ink Cartridges today!

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No Credit Check Computer - How To Purchase A Computer On Credit Without Having Your Credit Checked

So you want a new computer...you need a new computer for work or school, yet you just don't have the spare cash it would take to go out and buy one right now, nor the credit to buy one on time. You need to investigate the newest way to get a brand name, brand new machine with a small down payment and regular monthly payments after that - a no credit check computer. When you buy one of these computers, you won't be turned down because of credit problems. Forget checking the classified section of the newspaper for a used computer, or perhaps visiting a local pawnshop to try and get a machine at a reasonable cost. This new options puts a great computer within everyone's reach. Best of all, it will be totally paid for in a year's time, and all yours!

You Now Have Options

Computers are now a huge part of many people's world. Once you have owned one and have seen the difference it can make in your life, it's very difficult to do without your own personal machine. Several companies realized the problems that some people were having trying to acquire a machine for themselves or their children, and set out to do something about it. They have come up with a plan that makes it simple for anyone to become the owner of a new computer. They offer both laptops and desktops, along with monitors, and some even offer plasma televisions.

No Credit Check Computer - How To Purchase A Computer On Credit Without Having Your Credit Checked

Guaranteed Approval

Here is how these programs work:

Your credit will not be checked by these specialty merchandise lenders. Instead, you make a small down payment. Then, you are scheduled to make 52 weekly "layaway" payments. You do not have to wait a year before you can get your computer though. Once you have made payments as outlined in your credit agreement for 6 weeks, the company will finance the rest of the cost of a computer for you, and your new machine will be on its way to you. You will be helping your credit history out when you purchase a computer with one of these plans, as your prompt weekly payments will boost your credit rating. If you want to pay the computer off in a shorter time than one year, you have that option as well. You get a year of free technical support along with your computer.

The weekly prices for these machines are very reasonable, starting in the low 20s as of this writing. Most are covered by a two year warranty.

Don't You Deserve a New Computer?

A no credit check computer is a smart and satisfying choice for anyone who needs a wants a new computer. Kudos to these companies for helping to make the dream of computer ownership possible for all.

No Credit Check Computer - How To Purchase A Computer On Credit Without Having Your Credit Checked
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Find out how getting an Experian free credit report can help you detect and stop identity theft by visiting http://www.creditreportguideonline.com, a popular credit report website that provides tips, advice and helpful resources including information on how to get a free FICO score.

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