http://www.instabriefs.com/ en Copyright 2006 Tue, 12 Sep 2006 18:00:19 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Organizations in the U.S. define inventory to suit their needs within Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP), the rules defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) (and others) and enforced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other federal and state agencies. Inventory management affects organizations' internal operations through their cost accounting methods. Identification of goods using Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) assists in managing inventory. While financial accounting uses standards that allow the public to compare firms, cost accounting functions internally to an organization and with much greater flexibility. A discussion of inventory from standard and theory of constraints-based (throughput) cost accounting perspective follows some examples and a discussion of inventory from a financial accounting perspective. http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/inventory-management/inventory-management-overview.php http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/inventory-management/inventory-management-overview.php Inventory Management Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:37:09 +0000 While accountants often discuss inventory in terms of goods for sale, organizations - manufacturers, service-providers and not-for-profits - also have inventories (fixtures, furniture, supplies, ...) that they do not intend to sell. Manufacturers', distributors', and wholesalers' inventory tends to cluster in warehouses. Retailers' inventory may exist in a warehouse or in a shop or store accessible to customers. Inventories not intended for sale to customers or to clients may be held in any premises an organization uses. Stock is simply cash in disguise. If stocks are uncontrolled, you are encouraging theft moreover it will be impossible to know the actual level of stocks and therefore impossible to control them.

Manufacturing organizations usually divide their "goods for sale" inventory into: materials and components scheduled for use in making a product (Materials and Components or Raw Materials); materials and components that have begun their transformation to finished goods (Work in Process, or WIP); and finished goods - goods ready for sale to customers]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/inventory-management/inventory-management-fast-fact.php http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/inventory-management/inventory-management-fast-fact.php Inventory Management Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:38:23 +0000 When a dealer sells goods from inventory, the value of the inventory reduces by the cost of goods sold. For commodity items which one cannot track individually, accountants must choose a method to identify the nature of the sale. Two popular methods exist: FIFO and LIFO accounting (first in - first out, last in - first out).

FIFO regards the first unit which arrived in inventory the first one sold.

LIFO considers the last unit arriving in inventory as the first one sold.

An organization's inventory can appear a mixed blessing, since it counts as an asset on the balance sheet, but it also ties up money that might serve for other purposes and requires additional expense for its protection. Inventory may also cause significant tax expenses, depending on particular countries' laws regarding depreciation of inventory. (See Thor Power Tools Decision.)

Inventory appears as a current asset on an organization's balance sheet because the organization can turn it into cash by selling it. Some organizations hold larger inventories than their operations require in order to inflate their apparent asset value and their perceived profitability.

In addition to the money tied up by acquiring inventory, inventory also brings associated costs for space, for utilities, and for insurance to cover staff to handle and protect it, fire and other disasters, obsolescence, shrinkage (theft and errors), and others. Such holding costs can mount up: between a third and a half of its acquisition value per year.

Businesses that stock too little inventory cannot take advantage of large orders from customers if they cannot deliver. The conflicting objectives of cost control and customer service often pit an organization's financial and operating managers against its sales and marketing departments. Sales people, in particular, often receive commission payments, so unavailable goods may reduce their potential personal income.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/inventory-management/inventory-management-helpful-h.php http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/inventory-management/inventory-management-helpful-h.php Inventory Management Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:39:05 +0000 Well-planned, properly scheduled and effectively communicated jobs accomplish more work, more efficiently, and at a lower cost. This work will disturb operations less frequently, and be accomplished with higher quality, greater job satisfaction, and higher organizational morale than jobs performed without proper preparation. Maintenance Planning focuses on and deals specifically with the preparatory tasks that lead to effective utilization and application of maintenance resources. It is vital for planners and for those who interface with the planning and scheduling function and are dependent upon the many contributions of planning and scheduling operational excellence. http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/maintenance-planning/maintenance-planning-overview.php http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/maintenance-planning/maintenance-planning-overview.php Maintenance Planning Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:40:18 +0000 Maintenance Planning includes maintenance management, performance, and control.

Maintenance Planning requires the clarification of the scope, responsibilities and contributions of the Planner/Scheduler function and the support of other functions to Job Preparation, Execution, and Completion.

Maintenance Planning covers the basics commonly contained within world-class programs for effective execution of maintenance work: planning, parts acquisition, work measurement, coordination and scheduling.

Global economies are changing faster than many companies can react. Varying demands on production are so intense that many long-range schedules are simply set aside. For a company to remain in business and stay profitable, plant management is asking maintenance to keep equipment running longer, with fewer failures, and at lower overall costs.

This session introduces the fundamentals of planning and scheduling, provides practical applications to the maintenance planning function, and instills the principles and techniques of effective planning and scheduling.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/maintenance-planning/maintenance-planning-fast-fact.php http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/maintenance-planning/maintenance-planning-fast-fact.php Maintenance Planning Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:42:33 +0000 Maintenance Planning requires those involved with the planning to be involved with and understand many things. These things include:

How to evaluate and justify your maintenance program: Value = Benefit - Cost

Why your maintenance should be driven by life cycle maintenance plans

How to apply equipment life cycle planning and costing in daily planning

The Plan, Do, Review cycle of continuous improvement for Maintenance Planners

How to effectively manage maintenance performance

What is planning and why plan maintenance jobs?

Selling, planning & scheduling to management and operations

Understanding the nature of maintenance activities

Where planning fits into good maintenance practices

Managing the planning & scheduling function

Backlog management

Sizing the maintenance staff

The planning process (Micro)

Detailed planning process

Parts and equipment

Estimating, crew size & manpower requirements

Analytical estimation and slotting

Coordination with operations

Scheduling maintenance work

Job execution and feedback

Job close out and follow up

Planning and scheduling metrics

Planning major maintenance shutdowns and management of projects

Management of projects and major maintenance shutdowns

The Job itself

Using CMMIS to aid planning and scheduling

Because keeping a Web site fresh and up-to-date takes a significant amount of time, it is strongly suggested that the Web Manager and Page Maintainers for a site set up a regular schedule for updating timely content on their site, such as the calendar and newsletters. Set aside a block of time when this will be done.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/maintenance-planning/maintenance-planning-helpful-h.php http://www.instabriefs.com/planning-and-scheduling/maintenance-planning/maintenance-planning-helpful-h.php Maintenance Planning Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:43:19 +0000 Enzymatic Therapy, Inc. is committed to providing the highest quality in nutritional supplements and natural medicines on the market. Their products range from bladder health to natural sleeping aids. Enzymatic Therapy states their mission as “to improve the health of America by addressing core health issues, with therapeutic products tailored to the health condition of the individual”. The company intends to do just that…one supplement at a time. http://www.instabriefs.com/nutritional-supplement-manufac/enzymatic-therapy/enzymatic-therapy-overview.php http://www.instabriefs.com/nutritional-supplement-manufac/enzymatic-therapy/enzymatic-therapy-overview.php Enzymatic Therapy Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:28:34 +0000 Today’s Enzymatic Therapy, Inc. is comprised of four different companies, Vitaline Formulas, NF Formulas, Tyler Formulas, and the original Enzymatic Therapy. The founders include Jed Meese, Dr. Bruce Canvasser, Dr. Corey Resnick, and Terry Lemerond, who came together to join forces in 2000.

Enzymatic Therapy reports to be the “leading provider of natural medicines to medical professionals” and “one of the leading providers of natural medicines and dietary supplements to health food stores and retailers”.

Their motto and personal goal is to help everyone around the world experience “What Better Feels Like”.

In 1983, Vitaline Formulas, one of the founding companies, was the first to introduce a CoQ10 supplement which is still distributed today by Enzymatic Therapy, Inc.

Enzymatic Therapy offers a wide range of products giving a natural medicine option for some of the most common health related issues facing society today.

“Heartburn Free” was introduced in 2001 as a natural extract that helps relieve occasional heartburn, upset stomach, and acid indigestion issues.

“Whole Body Cleanse” is a two-week supplement program for gentle and natural detoxification of the intestinal system.

A starch blocking supplement called “Body Rewards Carb Defense” is promoted as being 50 times more powerful than any other product out on the market of its kind.

The customer favorite “Hot Plants” line focuses on improving sexual health (drive, performance, function) and is available in both men and women formulations.

In 2005, Enzymatic Therapy introduced the now best selling natural sleep aid, “Alluna Sleep” a non-habit forming alternative to traditional sleeping pills.

The “Earth’s Promises” line is a group of dietary supplements made up of color-coordinated combinations of fruits and vegetables. Choices are available in the “goodness” of green (peppermint, elderberry, and strawberry kiwi), purple (berry pomegranate), and orange (carrot, mango, and papaya) formulations.

“Escalation” is a product out of Enzymatic Therapy’s energy category. It is an Ephdra free formula that provides not only energy but calorie burning abilities.

Enzymatic Therapy offers products specialized for both men and women as well as specific age groups such as teens and over 50.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/nutritional-supplement-manufac/enzymatic-therapy/enzymatic-therapy-fast-facts.php http://www.instabriefs.com/nutritional-supplement-manufac/enzymatic-therapy/enzymatic-therapy-fast-facts.php Enzymatic Therapy Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:31:31 +0000 A full listing of products and their uses can be found on the Enzymatic Therapy website.

Other product categories offered from Enzymatic Therapy, Inc. include eye health, heart health, joint health, brain and memory health, anxiety and well-being, bone health, men’s health, weight management, women’s health and many others.

Enzymatic Therapy products can be purchased online from several supplement websites like www.homeherb.com and www.nutrovita.com.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/nutritional-supplement-manufac/enzymatic-therapy/enzymatic-therapy-helpful-tips.php http://www.instabriefs.com/nutritional-supplement-manufac/enzymatic-therapy/enzymatic-therapy-helpful-tips.php Enzymatic Therapy Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:33:33 +0000 Offices large and small almost always have meeting rooms large enough to handle their own staff and perhaps a few additional visitors. But if your company plans to organize a large meeting, or needs to conduct a meeting in a city, state, or country other than the one of where your main office is, you will need to find a meeting facility. Thankfully, the provision of meeting space is an industry in itself, and your only trouble in finding the right facility will probably be choosing among the large variety of options. http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/meeting-facilities/meeting-facilities-overview.php http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/meeting-facilities/meeting-facilities-overview.php Meeting Facilities Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:35:34 +0000 The meeting room that you select will depend on several factors. Most obviously, where does the meeting need to take place geographically, and what type of facility will best suit the meeting? Hotels are a very common choice for meeting facilities, but there is also a multitude of other options available. Investigate meeting at a college, country home, museum, or in a high-rise.

Do you need to have high-speed internet access? Even if you can't immediately think of a way that you would use the internet during this meeting, it often comes in handy when you least expect it.

What kind of audiovisual equipment do you need to have available? Also, what kind of business center services or trained support staff might this meeting necessitate?

What kind of activities will take place during the meeting, and what type of set-up will they require in the meeting room? Many meeting facilities have flexible furnishings which can accommodate several different types of activities (presentation, panel discussion, large group discussion, breaking up into small groups).

Finally, do you need food? If the meeting is an all-day training session, you certainly do need food. Even if it is a much shorter meeting, food makes people happy -- it makes them glad they're there. Coffee is also a necessity in today's fast-paced, high-powered business climate!]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/meeting-facilities/meeting-facilities-fast-facts.php http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/meeting-facilities/meeting-facilities-fast-facts.php Meeting Facilities Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:43:40 +0000 Because hotels are the most common choice that businesses make when it comes to choosing a meeting facility, some companies like to avoid having their meetings in hotels. www.UniqueVenues.com specializes in connecting companies with interesting and distinctive venues. They have a print guidebook as well as a web site, for ease of selecting a venue. Their slogan, "if it's not a hotel, you'll find it here," really says it all. This company offers venues in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

HQ is one of the most commonly used companies to find meeting space as well as other types of temporary office space. They have 750 meeting room locations (which breaks down to 3700 individual meeting rooms) in 60 countries, and can accommodate meetings of between two and 50 people.

If you have had a good experience with a certain meeting room provider in the past, you may be able to set up repeat meetings easily through that company's website or through a quick phone call. For example, if you have done many meetings at a local Marriott hotel and found that it met your needs, look on www.Marriott.com for information about more facilities in other cities where you might need to hold meetings.

The IACC, the International Association of Conference Centers, applies certain standards to certify certain conference centers and allow them membership in the association. For very professional conference centers that are dedicated to hosting meetings (rather than being chiefly a hotel or other organization that also happens to host meetings), search for accredited conference centers through the IACC web site.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/meeting-facilities/meeting-facilities-helpful-tip.php http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/meeting-facilities/meeting-facilities-helpful-tip.php Meeting Facilities Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:44:44 +0000 Not all business projects or situations require the stability of permanent office space. Depending on your business needs, you might want to rent a furnished or unfurnished office space for certain period of time. Sometimes when companies seek out temporary office space, they also obtain temporary support and staffing to help them to accomplish whatever project has brought them to this new location. http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/temporary-office-space/temporary-office-space-overvie.php http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/temporary-office-space/temporary-office-space-overvie.php Temporary Office Space Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:48:31 +0000 One situation which might demand temporary office space is the situation of a short-term project. The company might set up in a new city in order to fulfill a single contract or oversee a single construction project. Another common situation where this occurs is in the case of political campaigns.

A second situation could be when a company is in transition. There might be a very good chance that they will expand soon after moving to this office -- so they don't want to sign a longer lease or furnish a smaller office, only to relocate again in a matter of months.

"Business incubators" are facilities that rent or lease temporary office space for small businesses and start-ups. In the situation, there might be several businesses sharing certain common spaces such as their waiting rooms or reception areas. Each company requires a relatively small area of private space to conduct their business' own activities. They anticipate that they will grow and take on a larger, more private office space in a matter of time.

A final situation in which it would make sense to look for temporary office space is when something happens to make a company's more permanent or previous office space unusable. For example, a great number of companies were displaced by Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. Many of these sought temporary office space in the Gulf Coast area or across the country.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/temporary-office-space/temporary-office-space-fast-fa.php http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/temporary-office-space/temporary-office-space-fast-fa.php Temporary Office Space Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:52:40 +0000 A commercial real estate agent will be able to help you locate permanent office space in your area, but may not be as well informed about temporary office space openings. Check whether commercial real estate agents in your area ever handle temporary office space. Probably the most popular way to find temporary space is through an agency or online listing group that specializes in just that. The newspaper classifieds are also popular way to find this type of situation.

For the temporary office space that you rent or lease to be useful to you and your company, it needs to have the capabilities to do the things that you would do in a more permanent office situation. The two main features to look for are furnishings and connectivity. If you plan to be there for about a month, you can't waste two weeks of that time making sure everyone in your company has a desk. Nor can you waste valuable time getting the cable internet connection set up, or making sure there are enough phone or fax lines.

Companies like HQ offer temporary office space for as short a time as one hour or as long as several years. There are also often options for you to sign up for the space for an indeterminate period of time, extending your lease from month to month or even from week to week.]]> http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/temporary-office-space/temporary-office-space-helpful.php http://www.instabriefs.com/office-space/temporary-office-space/temporary-office-space-helpful.php Temporary Office Space Tue, 12 Sep 2006 18:00:19 +0000