3 traps business owners fall into when choosing insurance

Many small businesses rush to buy insurance policies because they think that doing so is an obligation or that they need the money to pay it. Unfortunately, many of these business owners fall into the traps that some insurance policies create. Here are three common pitfalls that you may encounter when choosing insurance policies.

It is natural for people to think about insurance in order to have protection for many different aspects of their lives. For instance, auto insurance to protect you from a collision on the way to work, home insurance to protect your house from damage and theft, and life insurance to provide for your family. Yet, behind these normal needs hide some dark secrets that could mislead non-experienced insurance takers.

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Expensive premiums on your car insurance

Why do insurance companies always ask you to pay a very expensive premium for what they offer? Not every insurance company is the same; rather, each company has its own distinct customer base.

It is common for premiums to soar in the market place for no reason, but it is not always true that you are exactly the type of customer that insurers are looking for. Loyalty to an insurance company is only effective when you are precisely the type of customer they can care for. Otherwise, it can be a good idea to shop around for an insurer whose cover matches your needs and your budget.

Other factors that can influence your auto insurance premiums:

  • A sudden change of address, as some locations may be deemed less secure for car owners, and therefore, your insurance will increase premiums.

  • Adding your teenager to your insurance policy.

  • Increased mileage or cross-state travel.

  • History of insurance claims or accidents.

Ineffective home insurance cover

The main problem when it comes to finding the right insurance for your home is that you need to understand the potential risks that can threaten your property. Failure to understand those risks means that you could pay a lot for insurance cover that doesn’t actually protect you when you need it.

These problems are some of the most common things people report when they are attempting to find the best home insurance.

  • Not understanding which DIY work is policy authorized, and cause damage accidentally that is outside the scope of the policy.

  • High-value belongings are not covered by the home insurance.

  • They have been forced to delay home improvement works to keep the cost of the home insurance policy low.

  • They didn’t know that some events, such as natural disasters, required additional purchases for adequate protection.

Inadequate life insurance

In the event that you die, having a life insurance policy that covers all of the assets you own protects you. For businesses, it is crucial to have life insurance policies that will help you and your family pay bills if you die. But you may find it difficult to make the right decision when it comes to buying a policy:

  • Not knowing the difference between a whole life policy and a term life policy and how they affect your family.

  • Accidentally choosing an unnecessarily high amount of coverage, which means you pay high premiums, but your family may never need the full amount.

  • If you have standing debts, not altering the policy coverage to reflect that financial situation.

  • Thinking that life insurance is only for old people and postponing it.

Finding insurance coverage that suits your needs is tricky, because many business owners have a lot of assets that need to be protected, including their property, their income and the value of their vehicles. Experts such as the Engarde Financial Group in Pittsburg can provide dedicated insurance advice to help you find the right cover for all your needs.

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Effektiv produktion och Lean System för Lean ProduktionEffektiv produktion och Lean System för Lean Produktion

Lean är en metod som ursprungligen skapades av Toyota och har sitt upphov i Toyotas produktionssystem (TPS). Denna metodik har sedan dess blivit en grundpelare inom tillverkningsindustrin och har expanderat till många andra sektorer. Lean fokuserar på att eliminera slöseri, höja effektiviteten och skapa värde för kunderna genom ständig förbättring och hänsyn för personer. I denna artikel kommer vi att undersöka lean och de olika lean-System som tillämpas inom lean produktion.

Grundläggande principer i Lean

Lean bygger på fem väsentliga principer:

  1. Definiera värde: Fastställ vad konsumenten faktiskt värdesätter och vill betala för.
  2. Kartlägg värdeflödet: Granska hela produktionsprocessen för att hitta och eliminera slöseri.
  3. Skapa flöde: Säkerställ att produktionen sker smidigt och utan störningar genom hela värdeflödet.
  4. Inför pull: Tillverka endast det som behövs, när det krävs, för att minska lager och överproduktion.
  5. Sikta på perfektion: Kontinuerligt förbättra alla processer för att eliminera slöseri och höja kvaliteten.

Lean System

Lean system är strukturer och metoder som implementeras för att nå de väsentliga principerna i lean. Här är några av de mest viktiga lean-systemen:

Just-In-Time (JIT)

JIT är en central del av

lean

produktion och syftar till att tillverka precis det som krävs, när det krävs och i den mängd som krävs. Detta minskar lagerkostnader och ökar effektiviteten. JIT kräver noggrann planering och en tillförlitlig leveranskedja.

5S

5S är en metod för att skapa och upprätthålla en organiserad, ren och säker arbetsplats. Namnet kommer från de japanska termerna Seiri (Sortera), Seiton (Systematisera), Seiso (Städa), Seiketsu (Standardisera) och Shitsuke (Skapa vana). Genom att använda 5S kan organisationer reducera slöseri och skapa en mer produktiva arbetsmiljö.

Kaizen

Kaizen betyder “förbättring” på japanska och handlar om kontinuerlig förbättring. Det innebär att alla medarbetare, från cheferna till golvet, är delaktiga i att föreslå och implementera små förbättringar regelbundet. Kaizen uppmuntrar en kultur av ständiga förbättringar och förnyelse.

Kanban

Kanban är ett grafiskt system för att hantera arbete i process och se till att produktionen flyter smidigt. Det tillämpar tavlor och kort för att illustrera uppgifter och deras status, vilket hjälper team att ordna arbete och identifiera flaskhalsar i realtid.

Implementering av Lean

Implementering av lean kräver en strategisk och systematisk metod. Här är några steg som organisationer kan följa för att framgångsrikt med lean:

  1. Utbildning och träning: Säkerställ att alla medarbetare känner till lean-principerna och hur de kan användas i deras dagliga arbete.
  2. Involvering från ledningen: Ledningen måste vara involverade och stödja lean-initiativ för att skapa en kultur av ständig förbättring.
  3. Identifiera slöseri: Kartlägg befintliga processer för att identifiera områden där slöseri finns.
  4. Implementera lean-system: Använd lean-system som JIT, 5S, Kaizen och Kanban för att ta bort slöseri och förbättra effektiviteten.
  5. Granska och förbättra: Regelbundet granska resultaten och gör anpassningar för att vidare förbättra processerna.

Fördelar med Lean

Att införa lean kan ge många fördelar, såsom:

  • Förbättrad produktivitet: Genom att eliminera slöseri kan företag producera mer med färre resurser.
  • Bättre kvalitet: Inriktning på ständig förbättring leder till högre kvalitet på produkterna.
  • Reducerade kostnader: Mindre lager och effektivare processer reducerar kostnaderna.
  • Ökad flexibilitet: Lean gör det möjligt för organisationer att omgående justera sig till skiften i efterfrågan och marknadsförhållanden.
  • Högre arbetsmiljö: Metoder som 5S hjälper till en säkrare och tryggare arbetsplats.

Utmaningar med Lean

Även med fördelarna finns det också svårigheter med att införa lean:

  • Motstånd mot omvandling: Medarbetare kan vara motvilliga att ändra etablerade arbetsmetoder.
  • Start kostnader: Införandet av lean kan innebära investeringar i utbildning och ny utrustning.
  • Kulturella förändringar: Att skapa en kultur av ständig förbättring kan ta tid och behöver involvering från hela organisationen.

Sammanfattning

Lean och lean-system erbjuder en effektiv metod för att höja produktivitet, kvalitet och kostnadseffektivitet inom tillverkningsindustrin och andra sektorer. Genom att koncentrera sig på att eliminera slöseri och ständigt höja processer kan företag skapa ett konkurrensfördelaktigt värde för sina konsumenter och upprätthålla långsiktig framgång. Att begripa och använda lean-principerna och systemen är vägen till att nå dessa mål.

Ex-Pope Admits Errors in Handling of Abuse CasesEx-Pope Admits Errors in Handling of Abuse Cases

Ex-Pope admits errors in handling of abuse cases

Former Pope Benedict XVI has acknowledged that errors were made in the handling of sexual abuse cases when he was archbishop of Munich.

In a letter released by the Vatican, the former pontiff asked forgiveness for any “grievous fault” but denied personal wrongdoing.

A German report into the Catholic Church alleged that he failed to act over four child sex abuse cases.

Then known as Josef Ratzinger, he was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.

The report by a German law firm alleges that abuse continued under his tenure, and that the priests accused of carrying out the abuse remained active in church roles.  To learn more about Catholic Churches in Orlando Florida visit Labor of Love Ministries.

In his first personal response to the report, the Pope Emeritus, now 94, wrote: “I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate.”

He described the actions against victims of sexual abuse as a “most grievous fault.

“As in those meetings, once again I can only express to all the victims of sexual abuse my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness.

“Quite soon, I shall find myself before the final judge of my life”, he added.

Before the report was released in January, Pope Benedict had denied he had attended a meeting in 1980 about sexual abuse cases when he was archbishop of Munich.

But after the report’s release, Pope Benedict said he had indeed attended the meeting. His personal secretary at the time, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, said the omission was an oversight in the editing of the statement released at the time and was not done out of bad faith.

Pope Benedict referred to this in the letter, stating that he felt deeply hurt by how this oversight had been used “to cast doubt on my truthfulness, and even to label me a liar.”

The former pope became the first Church leader to resign in more than 600 years in 2013, citing exhaustion. Since then, he has led a largely quiet life in the Vatican City and is known as pope emeritus.  Find out more about the Pentecostal Churches in Orlando by visiting Labor of Love Ministries.

How to Choose a PR AgencyHow to Choose a PR Agency

How to Choose a PR Agency

A PR agency works by crafting pitches and contacting press on behalf of clients. These pitches are usually sent via email to targeted press lists and followed up via phone or email. These campaigns often include media relations, which involves working with journalists and the media to produce positive press for their clients. It is the ultimate goal of PR outreach to promote positive feelings toward clients and their products or services.

Channel V Media is an award-winning PR agency

Channel V Media is an award-winning PR and marketing firm that provides a range of services to businesses. Their strategic PR and marketing planning services help translate client goals into compelling marketing messages that drive bottom-line results. Their publicity services transform business information into content for the media and audience, and create compelling storylines that inspire action.

Channel V Media has worked with more than 150 technology companies, and has extensive experience bringing international companies to the U.S. market. Their focus is on developing corporate brands and redefining market categories. They’ve partnered with companies like Innovid, Maxymiser (acquired by Oracle), Shapermint, and Albert Technologies to elevate their brands and products.

Havas PR has 30 agencies

Havas SA is a French multinational advertising and public relations company operating in more than 100 countries. It is the largest advertising group in the world and includes three main operational divisions, each of which offers a broad range of communication services. Havas is named after Charles-Louis Havas, who founded the first French press agency in 1835. The news agency was later incorporated as Societe Anonyme (plc).

Havas PR’s global network includes 30 agencies in 37 countries, employing over 1,500 PR professionals worldwide. It offers a variety of services to clients, including corporate and reputation management, consumer and lifestyle PR, technology and eCommerce PR, travel and tourism PR, issues management, crisis management, and more.

1,500 PR professionals

Havas PR is a global public relations firm with more than 1,500 PR professionals working across 30 offices in 37 countries. The agency offers a full range of services in consumer and lifestyle PR, corporate and reputation management, technology and eCommerce, government and causes, travel and tourism, and issues management and crisis management. Its clients include major international brands. It has achieved impressive results for many of its clients.

Its services range from senior counsel to insightful research to strategic communications planning. The company has over 1,500 PR professionals around the world and has clients that include 59 of the Interbrand 2013 Global Brands and 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies. It was ranked the seventh largest PR agency by Holmes Report and currently has an estimated fee income of $400 million. It is part of the WPP Group, one of the largest global communications firms.

Crafting pitches is the creative side of working at a PR agency

Working in PR agencies is more than just pitching stories. The creative side of working in this industry includes crafting pitches to get the attention of influential media members. Whether pitching a new client, selling an idea to the CEO of a big company, or telling an interesting story about your organization, you should always have a strategy in mind before you get started.

While writing pitches, PR professionals must take time to understand the norms of journalists. Pitches that do not respect the journalistic process will damage the relationship and degrade trust. To avoid this, always position your sponsor as a reliable and cooperative partner. In addition, ask the journalists tough questions and differentiate between fact and fiction. PR professionals should spend time getting to know reporters and journalists and building relationships.

Finding a PR agency that has the right expertise

When hiring a PR agency, you need to be sure that they have the experience and the knowledge to work with your business. You should also be aware of your budget so that you can compare the price ranges and find the agency that fits your needs. The agency you choose should also be transparent and provide you with a contract and creative brief. The service you receive should be worth the price, and you should look for a PR agency with a proven track record.

The best PR agencies can provide you with a variety of services to suit your company’s needs. They can help you meet your marketing objectives and ensure that your budget is maximised. They will also provide you with a full account team, so that you will be able to get help from multiple sources. This gives you a diverse perspective on your marketing strategy and fresh ideas. PR agencies will also have the experience and connections to schedule, track, and measure activities effectively.