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The forklift truck has been around for a century, but today it is found in every warehouse operation around the world. There are seven classes of forklifts, and each forklift operator must be certified to use each class of truck that they’ll operate. Classification depends on factors such as applications, fuel options, and features of the forklift. Knowing the difference between them can help you decide on which one to get, whether you decide to lease, rent or buy your next forklift....

Supply chain is happening all around you. If your company somehow makes a product, or procures a product, or procures then makes a product that you then sell to a customer, you have an end-to-end supply chain that might need optimizing. How do you know if your end-to-end supply chain needs optimizing? This is the litmus test: Are you getting your customers what they want, when they want it—and spending as little money as possible accomplishing that?...

When you’re interviewing for a sales position, your goal is to sell yourself to the hiring manager. A sales job interview is one of the most challenging interviews there is, since interviewers will have high expectations for your persuasive powers. During the interview, you’ll need to do more than simply respond to questions. Hiring managers will expect you to show that you’re an effective salesperson, too. That means showing the interviewer that you’ve got the sales skills and experience that they are seeking....

Although many people think that the only way to get a rewarding job is to follow the traditional process of applying to advertised positions, the truth is that there is a huge amount of unadvertised and “word-of-mouth” hiring that goes on, particularly by nonprofit organizations like museums and small local businesses. Non-profits like museums often have very limited budgets, and so they may decide to only announce a job on their own website, rather than spending the money to post it on professional job boards....

Millions of Americans have company-sponsored health plans and retirement benefits. To make sure employees receive their benefits and to watch over benefit funds, a U.S. Department of Labor regulates these plans through federal law. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) sets rules for employers to protect employees who participate in employer-sponsored pension plans and health plans. This article gives an overview of ERISA requirements for businesses that have one or more of these plans....

The hard work of developing a new manager begins at the time of promotion. Unfortunately, too many senior managers get this entirely wrong. They identify an individual with “leadership potential,” extend a promotion, fund a training course and then proceed to disappear, leaving the first-time manager to flail and often fail. This flawed formula is painful for all individuals involved and costly for the organization. Sadly, this process is repeated across organizations....

It should come as no surprise that the company that upended the hired-vehicle industry with its revolutionary “push a button and get a car” business model offers plenty of career opportunities for information technology (IT) types. Getting a position with Uber isn’t a speedy ride, however. Uber at a Glance Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp founded UberCab in 2009 as a limo time-sharing service. The following year, Uber debuted the app that customers use to order and pay for a car, and the company quickly took off....

Guitar Hero 5 is a musical rhythm game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in 2009. It offers a four-person band experience, with instrument controllers available for lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals. It also introduced several new features, including drop-in/drop-out gameplay, a competitive mode, and new avatars. Like other entries in the series, it has cheat codes that can unlock hidden effects, features, and more. Use them to turn yourself into a rock god....

There are several reasons that you may need to end a business phone call. Maybe you’re on a deadline or need to move on to the next call, or perhaps you’re on the line with a chatty person and the call isn’t progressing. Whatever your reason, it’s always important to end the call politely and professionally, leaving the person on the other end with a favorable impression of you and your company....

You’ve measured the pros and cons, and you’ve come to the conclusion that a career in advertising is right for you. Back in the fifties and sixties, it was relatively easy to get a job at a good ad agency and work your way up through the ranks quickly, if you had the talent. But these days, the competition is intense. There are schools devoted to producing highly-skilled art directors, copywriters, and account teams....

The origin of ice hockey is unknown; however, ice hockey probably evolved from the game of field hockey that has been played in Northern Europe for centuries. The rules of modern ice hockey were devised by Canadian James Creighton. In 1875, the first game of ice hockey with Creighton’s rules was played in Montreal, Canada. This first organized indoor game was played at Victoria Skating Rink between two nine-player teams, including James Creighton and several other McGill University students....

Workers’ compensation insurance is mandatory in most states. If your business employs workers and you are not a qualified self-insured, you are likely obligated by law to purchase a workers’ compensation policy. While workers’ compensation coverage is a necessary expense, there are steps you can take to lower your premium. For your efforts to be successful, you must understand how your premium is calculated. Premium Calculation Workers compensation premiums are calculated based on the following formula:...

Vendor management allows you to build a relationship with your suppliers and service providers that will strengthen both businesses. Vendor management is not about squeezing your vendors for the lowest price possible. The process of vendor management involves the back-and-forth of a successful relationship so that both the supplier and the buyer can benefit. The process should be structured so that it is a win-win for both sides. Communicate Regularly and Frequently...

Volunteers may not get paid, but they may qualify for tax deductions based on their out-of-pocket expenses. However, in order to take those tax deductions, volunteers must itemize their deductions when filing their annual tax return. This means that the standard deduction does not allow volunteers to enjoy a tax break for their money spent. So if you volunteer and spend money while doing so, here’s what you need to know about itemizing your deductions so that you qualify for these savings....

If you’re tired of paying for rent and groceries, trade in your current job for one of these options that include free room and board. Whether you’re looking for a short-term gig or a permanent position, an unskilled job or a professional occupation, this list has opportunities for you to consider. Security faithhoca/E+/Getty Images Lots of businesses hire after-hours security. Some of those companies opt to have their security guards live on-site....

Loan programs are a critical resource provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The programs help small business owners—many of whom might have difficulty obtaining a loan on their own—gain access to capital. The SBA typically doesn’t directly loan the money, but instead works with partner banks, credit unions, or other lenders to provide the loans, which are partially guaranteed by the federal government. There are several different SBA loan programs to help meet a variety of needs, from starting a business to buying real estate....

Unless you’ve made the big switch over to an electric vehicle such as the Nissan Leaf, you’ve most likely experienced some sort of bone-chilling terror at the gas pump over the past few years as fuel prices wildly fluctuate … mostly in the upward direction. Although the cost of filling up your tank has become the stuff of nightmares and the price of crude oil is probably the scariest thing affecting your personal finances, look at it this way: At least your car isn’t displaying anthropomorphic or even homicidal tendencies (even though you might after pulling out of your local Chevron station)....

Whether you aspire to become a media videographer or just want to know how to shoot professional-looking videos, you need more than good equipment. Mastering several basic video tips will ease the frustration many videographers experience. Before long, the standard tricks will become so routine that you’ll be able to concentrate on creativity and not just the basics. Shoot Steady Video A tripod is an easy answer to producing steady video, but avoid becoming dependent on it....

Advertising blunders are commonplace, from mom and pop operations to the largest multinational corporations (just look at Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner monstrosity). While some mistakes can be attributed to bad luck, indecisiveness, or just being tone deaf, some are down to a simple lack of preparation and research. As a small business owner, you may not have the money and resources of a Fortune 500 company, but that does not mean you cannot be buttoned-up....

Core competencies intimately entwine in understanding and predicting which employees will become your superstars. Every business needs to plan for the future. That means figuring out early-on which employees have high potential and then coaching and training them. You want to make sure that when a high-level position opens up, you have an employee ready to take over. Of course, this is always a gamble—you don’t know who will quit after you’ve spent money training them—and you don’t know when the right positions will open up....