10 Reasons Your Business Should Use Google Chrome
Google Chrome is the search company’s jump into the browser market. The web browser is directly aimed to compete with Internet Explorer, further intensifying the grudge between Microsoft and Google. However, what does Google Chrome mean for your business? It’s no secret that many other browsers have historically lacked in certain areas. For example, Safari and Firefox have their “Internet Explorer only” web site issues, and Internet Explorer has security and crash issues. Google Chrome is a new take on a web browser. It serves not only to be the gateway between you in the World Wide Web, but also to be the centerpiece of your interactions on your computer. Chrome offers many advantages. Here are 10 reasons your business should use Google Chrome.
1. Price – You can make the argument that Internet Explorer comes pre-loaded on all your company computers. However, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re indirectly paying for it. Google Chrome is free, and open source. One can download it, and theoretically put smart engineers to work customizing it and making it even better than before.
2. Google integration – Most companies that wish to have an online presence will probably have to deal with Google at some point. Paid Search campaigns and the like can be bolstered by utilizing Google Chrome. In the future, there will most likely even more synergy between business staples such as Google Analytics and Google Adwords.
3. Security – Security has been a major issue with many other browsers. Specifically, Chrome’s chief competitor, Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer has been known to allow malicious worms access to entire companies. Needless to say, such an event can turn out to be extremely costly for any business. Google Chrome periodically downloads updates on two blacklists. One of the lists is for malware while the other is for phishing. Much like Firefox, users will be warned before they attempt to visit a site that could be harmful.
4. Stability – Chrome goes after another weakness of Internet Explorer by offering increased stability. The way Chrome is designed, there’s a separate process for each site instance and plug-in. This mechanic successfully prevents different functions from interfering with one another. This is an excellent element to both stability and security. If you run a business that may require you to complete a variety of tasks within your browser, then Chrome is a clear winner. Chrome also has a process management utility that is called the “Task Manager.” This utility allows the user to see which sites are taking the most memory, and downloading the most bytes. For some businesses which have to deal with hundreds of workers going to demanding sites, it can help them control what sites to block if they are simply too demanding on the computers and/or internet connection.
5. Speed – I today’s high-octane business world, speed is paramount. Persons testing Chrome against all the other major competing browsers, including Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 7 and 8, and Safari, showed that Google Chrome indeed functioned faster, with more stability. This test utilized the SunSpider Javascript Benchmark in order to obtain the results. If you want people in your business getting their work done fast, then Chrome is clearly the way to go.
6. It’s not Internet Explorer – There’s nothing more debilitating for a business then constant crashes. Internet Explorer has well known instances of crashing repeatedly, and this can cause significant losses of productivity, or even worse, important data. Chrome’s stability and speed offer a strong counter to a browser which, while used by many businesses, can be quite buggy at times.
7. Did I mention open source – Open source code is perfect for businesses for a variety of reasons. One reason is that when every person can edit the code, security updates, and routine glitch updates can happen much more frequently than if one is forced to wait for the company itself to research and fix issues. Open source also provides businesses the opportunity to look at ways to make the browser more tailored to fit the needs of the business.
8. Your employees will love it – There are some pretty interesting and engaging elements to Google Chrome. The ability to have a look at the sites you’ve most recently visited right from opening the browser saves having to put bookmarks (which, as well all know was a very tiresome experience). The tabbing options give workers the opportunity to be on a variety of web sites with only one window open (sure other browsers have tabbed browsing, but Google’s looks cooler!). They also get to use a Google product, which has that Apple-ish “cool” factor. Google Chrome Addons, of course, can make for a more personal experience for each employee, and could probably provide actual utility for productivity, depending on the add-on.
9. Competitive advantage – With extra speed, stability, open source code, integration and potential increased integration with other Google products, Chrome offers a company quite a bit in terms of a competitive advantage. In today’s business world, many corporations can have difficulty separating from the pack in their respective industries. Google Chrome can be one of those separating factors.
10. It never hurts to try – Yes, a lame excuse, but if you’re a small business company looking for a new browser, or just want to see how it will affect any aspect of your operations, then Google Chrome is worth the download. You can easily keep multiple browsers on corporate computers. If nothing else, give your employees some variety and choice in what they use.
Google Chrome isn’t perfect, and lacks many of the great add-ons that Mozilla Firefox has. However, if your business is looking for a free, fast, and simple browser, then Chrome should be strongly considered.
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It’s an unfortunate part of the job universe. Sometimes people just have to get fired. Even if they are trying their hardest, it may just not be working out. Sometimes it gets even worse if you’re the one who has to do the firing, even though your boss is the one who wants it done. However, lamenting the pains of having to fire someone can be pretty boring. One way to spice things up (at least for yourself) is to come up with creative ways to fire someone. Most firings today are done with emotion and “concern” for the person being fired. However, I feel that if the firing experience is unique, the now jobless former-employee may never forget it, and truly focus on being a better worker. At the very least, you can have a good laugh about your crazy antics with the other managers at the office. So without further adieu, here are 30 creative ways to fire someone.
1. The Geico Technique – Sure it’s been done in movies, but it would be even more hilarious in a real-life firing situation. Simply ask the person being fired into your office, and tell him that you’ve got bad news and good news. If they ask for the bad news first (which we hope they do), you can tell them they’re fired. If they then ask for the good news, you guessed it; “I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.” However, if they say what’s the good news you must use a different technique.
2. The Fake Promotion – If your about-to-be-canned employee asks for the good news first, you can say, “you’re getting a promotion!” Then be sure to add in a bunch of perks to the promotion, quote a new salary if you have to. If they ever ask “really?” or when you’ve decided enough’s enough, simply get a straight deadpan face and say, “just kidding, you’re actually fired.” Your employee’s face sure will be red!
3. The Yoda Technique – Speak normally, and tell them all the things wrong with their performance, etc. Just when you’re getting to the part where you tell them they are now jobless, switch into a Yoda voice and say “Fired, you are!” and then give them a complimentary DVD of the original Star Wars trilogy (don’t give them the new episodes, they’ve just been fired, remember!?).
4. The Unemployment Line – Ask the employee to go for a ride with you. Then, you drive them right to the unemployment offices. Be sure not to talk to them the whole time. Then, when you get there, throw them out of the car and drive off. They’ll get the message.
5. You’re Fired Candy Gram – Who doesn’t love candy grams!? Nothing says “you’re fired” like a nice box of chocolates delivered with a song to someone’s office/cubicle. Make sure the song mentions all the things that they have done wrong during their employment, or else they won’t get the message.
6. The Marty McFly Fax – In Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly (the main character) gets fired by his boss via a fax that simply reads “YOU’RE FIRED.” This is a simple, brilliant idea. You could also change it to an e-mail if you were so inclined.
7. The Google Bomb Firing – Yes, Google Bombs are much harder (okay, near impossible) to do now. However, if you know someone is going to get fired months in advance. I suggest spending millions of dollars Google Bombing their name to bring up dictionary.com’s definition for “unemployed.” Won’t it be a laugh when they come in one day and you tell them to Google their name?
8. Fired During a Fire Drill, or Real Fire – I don’t think anyone has ever made the connection, but it’s such a great pun that you almost have to do it. Schedule a fire drill, or perhaps set a real fire (although I wouldn’t recommend it) in your office. As everyone is running around panicking (or calmly congregating outside, depending on your fire alarm method), get on a megaphone and say “This is a fire (drill) because [employee’s name] is FIRED!” Everyone will probably have such a hearty chuckle, it could be worth the thousands of dollars worth of damage.
9. Give the Employee an Atomic Fireball During the Firing – Another pun with equally humorous results. When the employee comes into your office, offer them an atomic fireball. If they accept it, and enjoy it, ask them “do you like atomic fireballs?” When they respond, “yes”, you can then say “great because you’re fired!” and subsequently throw several more Atomic Fireballs at them.
10. Pig Latin Irefay – Fire the person in pig Latin. I’m not quite sure how it would go exactly, but the employee won’t be either. It would definitely be more effective to conduct the entire meeting in Pig Latin, ending with an emphatic, "Ou’reyay Iredfay!" Eventually they’ll figure it out though when their security clearance is revoked so they can’t come into work. Or you can just direct them to a pig latin translator.
11. Just Stop Paying Them – The Office Space technique can really work wonders. It avoids confrontation and is amusing to observe. Just stop paying your employee without ever telling them that they’re fired. Be sure to have payroll refer the employee to you and you refer the employee to payroll. Making office pools for how long it takes before the employee realizes he/she is fired is another positive outcome of this technique.
12. Have IT Change Their Password – You can be very creative by having IT change the employee’s computer password to “imfired” or “unemployed.” When they go to ask what the new password is, they’ll have quite the surprise on their hands!
13. Make Your Kids Fire Them – Who knew that bring your son/daughter to work day could actually have value for the company. Simply have your kids do all the firings for the day. The fired employees won’t feel so bad when they’re firing comes from an adorable child. Kids do say the darndest things!
14. Fired Fruit Basket – People usually send fruit baskets for appreciation. Why not change the entire meaning of a fruit basket by sending a fruit basket with a “You’re Fired” card? Even though the employee will still be upset, at least they get some fruit out of it.
15. Donald Trump Himself – Depending on your commitment to unique firings, you could decide to pay Donald Trump to come say “you’re fired” to the employee. Make sure Trump is hiding in a closet or under a desk to provide extra surprise.
16. Fake Murder Fired – Set up the meeting with the soon-to-be jobless employee. Then, make your office look like the spot of a violent murder. Sprawling out on the floor with loads of professional movie-quality makeup making it look like you’ve had your throat slashed or something horrid is a great idea. When your employee comes in, they may decide to scream or call for help. Be sure to then jump up and yell “just kidding, I’m not dead, but you sure are fired!”
17. Window Washer Drama – If the employee has a nice office with a window, simply give a nice piece of paper to the window washer that reads, “you’re fired!”
18. Fake Kidnapping Firing – Call your employee up and claim to have their loved ones. Spouse, child, or both is usually the most effective. Demand a ransom, and when they agree to it simply say “Just kidding, it’s me, and you can’t afford that ransom anyway, because you’re fired.”
19. Scoreboard Firing – Your company may have box seats to several venues. Invite the employee to come to a game. At the opportune time, have them look as the scoreboard flashes “You’re Fired!” over and over. Although, funnier things have been seen on scoreboards.
20. Hire Before Fire – Hire the employee’s replacement BEFORE they are fired. Be sure to give the replacement the former-employees office. When the old employee comes in and sees a new employee in his office/cubicle, hilarity is sure to ensue.
21. Arm Wrestle for the Job – Invite your employee into your office, then challenge them to an arm wrestling match. If they lose, they lose their job. However, if they win, they get a raise. Even if they lose, you can still fire them, which is funny because you just made them waste time and energy arm-wrestling you before the inevitable canning.
22. Make an Human Resources Employee Do It – On second thought, I think that’s a bit mean. No one should ever have to talk to HR.
23. The Tricky Business Birthday Cake – At the office, there will often be cakes when someone has a birthday. If someone who is going to be fired also has a birthday coming up, give them a “you’re fired” cake. Everyone can have a laugh, and the person being fired still gets a cake out of it.
24. Elaborate Office Musical Number – Shows like Family Guy often break out into musical numbers at random times. If you’re going to fire someone, what better time then to start singing? Getting the whole office involved is a great way to build a stronger team through ostracizing one of the former members via music!
25. The James Bond Theme Firing – When the employee enters your office, make sure some James Bond music is playing softly in the background. Also make sure you have a huge captains chair and you’re facing the window away from the office door (preferably smoking a Cigar). Spin around slowly and say “Well [employee’s name], I’ve been expecting you…” You can then go into the whole firing speech. A little theatrics can go a long way when firing someone.
26. The Show and Tell Surprise – Oftentimes kids have special “what my parents’ jobs are” show-and-tell days. Find out when your employee has such a day, and then surprise him or her at their children’s school. When they are giving the presentation about their job, be sure to jump in and inform them that they no longer have that job. Feel free to stick around and see what they say to the little wide-eyed children.
27. Massive E-Mail Oops – E-mail the employee informing them of the decision and the reasons behind it. Accidentally CC the entire company for added hilarity.
28. You’re Fired Tattoo – This idea is great because it could be used many times. Tattoo “You’re Fired” somewhere on your body. The more creative the body part that it is tattooed on, the more interesting every firing will be. Personally, I feel the buttocks would be the most amusing spot.
29. Silly String Canning – When the employee comes into your office, use a can of Silly String to cover them, and then spell “You’re Fired” out on one of the walls (assuming you have enough Silly String left over). If the person looks confused or asks what’s going on, you get to say “you’ve just been canned!” Just make sure Silly String isn’t banned in your town.
30. Have Their Car Impounded – Again, if you’re going for a lest controversial, yet equally hilarious firing, you can always have their car impounded. Be sure the tow truck operate knows why the car is getting impounded. How many people can actually say they were informed that they were jobless by a guy working at an impound yard? I’d venture to say not many!
So there you have it, 30 unique ways to fire someone. Firings don’t always have to be dull. Making the firing as devastating as possible is a great way to add some spice to the otherwise monotonous business world. Of course, if you’re actually planning on firing someone, I suggest you don’t follow any of these suggestions, since most people would probably get pretty upset.
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When starting any business, there are certain intangibles one should have. Creativity, a solid work ethic, the ability to organize, modify, and stick with plans, and general business knowledge can all go an extremely long way when setting up a business. However, growing that business requires these skills and more. Open courseware is one of the greatest things to happen to education in recent memory. With open courseware, it is possible for persons to learn more and improve their careers. For business, courseware cam help you learn new ways to grow a specific business. While there are many instinctual elements to entrepreneurship, knowing theory, techniques, new innovations, and other solid business strategies can give a much needed edge over competition in whatever specific industry you may be in. With this idea in mind, there are a variety of options for free open courseware that can help you grow your business.
1. Economics Interactive Tutorials - This course is lead by Dr. Samuel L. Baker, at the University of South Carolina. This class concerns the basics of economics, which is something that is very essential to growing a business. If there’s no demand for your product, don’t over supply.
2. Introduction to Marketing – For the Entrepreneur who may not have had any marketing experience.
3. Economics Lecture Notes – Professor Brad DeLong, Berkeley University makes his in depth Economics 101 lecture notes available to all. They come in both .doc and HTML versions. DeLong also has a macroeconomics page.
4. Marketing Strategy – If you are trying to seriously grow a business, you need to think outside of the box. This course is strongly recommended for entrepreneur, and anyone who has goals to see their business expand.
5. Environmental and Natural Resources Economics - This course is taught by Steve Hackett, at Humboldt State University, Taking a look at trends, going green is a fantastic business decision. Learning about economics and natural resources, via lecture slides that go in depth on the topic.
6. Introduction to the Study of Language – The economy is global, and businesses wanting to have success can increase their reach by having knowledge of other languages. In fact, as countries become more diverse, this discipline will become even more important. Keeping that in mind, Professor Philippe Schlenker’s UCLA class would be a good choice.
7. Mandarin Chinese – If the market is Global, its heart is moving to China. If the Beijing 2008 games aren’t enough to convince you, consider the sheer growth of China’s economy year over year. Learning Mandarin Chinese via The Free Online Language portal would be a great decision for your business. If you want to grow, expanding into China is the next logical step. Knowing Mandarin Chinese can give you a leg up on the competition.
8. Business Law – You can’t expect to go far in your business if you don’t understand Law. If you’re trying to grow your business, you may have to do it via mergers or acquisitions. Understanding the law behind this can help you significantly.
9. Globalization, Migration, and International Relations – This is another course that can build off of the idea that expanding your business can be done internationally.
10. Economic Analysis of Law – Another business and law related course that can help you navigate the sometimes-complicated business laws that exist.
11. Computing, Audio, and Music – If you think you can’t expand a business without investing time in technologies. Being proficient at computing, as well as any alternative technologies can give you an edge over the competition.
12. Taxes and Business Strategy – Taxes are part of any business. You can always hire someone to help you, but knowing a little about taxes can also be extremely helpful. Business strategy is, once again, something solid to have a background in if you have lofty goals for your organization.
13. Language and Mind – Depending on how in-depth you wish to get in your language knowledge, this course can be very useful for further expanding your understanding of other languages. The goal in taking such a course would be top increase fluency to a point where it is quite the boost to your business.
14. Modern Technology – Offered by the University of Winnipeg, this is another technology class that can make sure you are always with the times when it comes to technology and your business.
15. Sociology – Some may wonder what sociology has to do with business. Sociology can be a tremendously useful when trying to reach customers with the end-goal of growing the business.
16. Principals of Microeconomics – A basic course that helps to give the foundation for Microeconomics.
17. Principals of Macroeconomics – Another basic course that helps to give the foundation for Macroeconomics.
18. Entrepreneurial Finance – Knowing the financial aspects from an entrepreneur context can really help your business. Business is a lot more than revenue minus expenses equals profit.
19. Business Analysis Using Financial Statements – Being able to analyze where your business has come from and where it’s going is one of the best things you can do. In order to grow your business you need to be able to assess what has worked, and what could be improved. Some people think analytics to be a lost art form. Get a leg up on the competition by proving them wrong.
20. Information Technology Essentials – Going off of other technology courses, learning IT can be quite the boon to one’s fledgling business. Discovering new ways to be organized, meet goals, make goals, and generally interact with your customers can certainly help your business grow by leaps and bounds.
Growing a business isn’t impossible. While it is an extremely daunting task, if you have the knowledge, it can be much, much easier to do. Taking some of these free open courseware classes can provide you with that essential knowledge. If one were to ask Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, or another highly successful business person what he could change about his path, he or she might mention wanting to have had more business-centric knowledge before embarking on risky business ventures. Get a leg up on the competition with superior knowledge, and you’ll find it was worth it to donate your time to free open courseware.
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