Obama remembers McGovern as 'champion for peace'

"George McGovern dedicated his life to serving the country he loved. He signed up to fight in World War II, and became a decorated bomber pilot over the battlefields of Europe. When the people of South Dakota sent him to Washington, this hero of war became a champion for peace. And after his career in Congress, he became a leading voice in the fight against hunger." ? President Barack Obama in an emailed statement

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"George believed deeply in public service. It defined him as a Senator and as a man. And he never stopped serving for his entire life - whether it was his courage in World War II, his time in Congress, or his fight to eliminate hunger at home and abroad." ? Vice President Joe Biden in an emailed statement

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"We first met George while campaigning for him in 1972. Our friendship endured for 40 years. As a war hero, distinguished professor, Congressman, Senator and Ambassador, George always worked to advance the common good and help others realize their potential. Of all his passions, he was most committed to feeding the hungry, at home and around the world. The programs he created helped feed millions of people, including food stamps in the 1960s and the international school feeding program in the 90's, both of which he co-sponsored with Senator Bob Dole." ? Former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an emailed statement

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"Ann and I extend our condolences to the family of George McGovern, the unwavering standard bearer of his party and a hero of World War II." ? Former Massachusetts Gov. and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney via Twitter

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"Although he and our father were political rivals, they had much in common: a deep love of country; an abiding passion for the issues about which they cared; an unwavering commitment to serve the American people. Over the course of his long and productive career, George McGovern earned the respect of Americans around the country and across the political spectrum." ? Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, whose father, President Richard Nixon, beat McGovern in the 1972 presidential election, in an emailed statement

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"Today, 31 million children will participate in the school lunch program thanks to the tireless efforts of Senator McGovern - a humble, compassionate and caring man who always looked out for those in our society who needed a helping hand. His influence in fighting hunger extended far and wide, and our world is a better place because of his generous spirit." ? Former Republican presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-KS, in an emailed statement

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"George McGovern was a self-made man who served our nation, in war and in peace, with courage and conviction. He worked hard on behalf of South Dakota, and made history as the only South Dakotan to be nominated for President. Linda and I extend our sympathies to the McGovern family." ? South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican, in an emailed statement

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"George McGovern - always a gentleman and an outstanding member of the Greatest Generation. RIP." ? U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., via Twitter

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"George McGovern was a voice of clarity and conviction at a time when America needed it most. He spoke to many of us who opposed the war but loved our country, because he was the genuine article, a soft-spoken, decent and gentle man who lived a remarkable life with humility, a decorated bomber pilot who never bragged about his own heroism, even as he ran into the buzzsaw of the negative and destructive politics that marked the Watergate era." ? U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in an emailed statement

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"George McGovern was clearly one of South Dakota's most outstanding public servants. The USA and the world would have been better off if he had defeated Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election." ? Al Neuharth, a South Dakota native and founder of USA TODAY, The Freedom Forum and Newseum, in an emailed statement

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"G McGovern - a great man . War hero, teacher, congressman, senator, presidential candidate, and life long advocate for peace God bless." ? Tom Brokaw, a South Dakota native and special correspondent for NBC News, via Twitter

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"George McGovern lived a life of exemplary service. George's legacy of service will live on at the leadership program created in his name by his beloved Dakota Wesleyan University and in the hearts of all of those who took courage and inspiration from his public life and quiet, but powerful voice in the counsels of government." ? U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., in an emailed statement

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"George McGovern was a South Dakota institution. He has inspired countless Americans to get involved in the political process and will be remembered for his passionate commitment to South Dakota and to the hungry of the world." ? U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., in an emailed statement

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"As the Democratic nominee for president, Senator McGovern put principle over politics and stood up for what he believed in. He lived his values, dedicating his life to fighting the scourge of poverty here at home and around the world. The forces of social justice lost a great fighter today, and Senator McGovern will be sorely missed." ? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in an emailed statement

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"George was a compassionate man with a truly deep devotion to public service. Whether it was serving as a bomber pilot in World War 11, as an international leader in fighting hunger, as a talented teacher, or as Senator, he served with uncompromising values and commitment." ? U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., in an emailed statement

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"Senator George McGovern never stopped fighting for the causes of peace, freedom, and human dignity at home and around the world. ... While many of his ideas may have been ahead of his time, they have since helped shape our policies as a nation." House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer, D-M.D., in an emailed statement

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-remembers-mcgovern-champion-peace-161307047--election.html

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Focus And Timing Are Key | Small Business Trends

business cartoon focus timing

Being a cartoonist means worrying about every sentence, every word, every punctuation mark. Brevity is wit after all.

For example, I?m still unsure as to whether this cartoon would be funnier with an exclamation point after the first sentence. Which is funnier:

?Focus, people! Or Focus, people.?

It?s hard to know. I tend toward a more understated approach, but then again, they?re jack-o-lanterns that know the end is near. Maybe both sentences need an exclamation point.

In the end, it probably isn?t going to make or break a cartoon. ?But years later, I still look at this cartoon and wonder.


Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/10/business-cartoon-focus-and-timing.html

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Think Like An Entrepreneur To Close More Sales | Business 2 ...

Over the past few weeks, I?ve been getting up early and going to networking groups here in the Dallas area in order to meet new people in sales, since I?m relatively new to the area. (Don?t get me wrong ? I still think these ?leads clubs? are utterly worthless for making sales ? like I said, I?m just out to make new friends and nothing more!)

I?ve been showing up at sales networking groups, the kind where everyone goes around the room and gives their 30-second commercial, then someone in the group gets to give a 5 or 10 minute presentation on what they sell.

The other kind of group I?ve been going to is where business owners and entrepreneurs get together to network and meet like-minded people. These tend to be more informal ? usually evening or happy hour mixers, with no formal ?commercials? or guest speakers.

Every time I go to an entrepreneur/business owner mixer, nearly everyone in the room knows who I am. Several people have all of my books and products, and at least 1 or 2 people always call me their hero. They ask for autographs and to take photos with me. Most are very successful, driving brand-new six figure cars and living the good life.

To the contrary, at the sales rep mixers, maybe a tiny fraction of everyone there even knows who I am, let alone has my products. Most are struggling to pay the bills and keep the beater car running. They?d rather spend their free time watching television than learning how to improve their sales skills.

This is exactly OPPOSITE of how it should be!

Here?s the big ? very big ? difference between these two different types of groups:

- The people at the business owner/entrepreneur mixers are making money. Big money. That?s because they never stop learning. That?s why they have all my books, along with other great authors like Jeffrey Gitomer, Napoleon Hill, and more.

- The people at the sales networking mixers are usually hungry for sales. Sometimes starving for sales. That?s because they?re showing up at these mixers, with nothing to offer, looking for a free handout of leads. They don?t have my books, nor those of others, because they?re not making an effort to continue their professional education and learn new and better methods of selling. And that?s why they?re starving.

Which category do you belong to?

If you?re in the latter ? the people who aren?t selling anything, and, not coincidentally, don?t have my books and products ? what?s your excuse?

Do you even have an excuse?

I?m guessing not.

Here?s the thing: Successful people never stop learning. Never. One of the things that seems to impress everyone I meet is that I?m always trying to learn how to improve, and I?m very humble about it. I know that no matter how well I?m doing, there is always room for improvement. Always more to learn from others.

That?s why I bought a Kindle ? the sheer amount of reading I do practically necessitates one!

With all that in mind, here?s a question for you:

What are YOU learning ? TODAY ? to help you sell more?

If you can?t answer that question, then here?s a suggestion:

Go out and buy some great sales books, like the Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer. Get on YouTube and find some good sales training videos, not to mention online forums like Focus and LinkedIn groups where you can discuss your sales challenges with others, and learn how to improve.

Stop wasting your time chasing prospects who won?t call you back. Never make another cold call again. Give up the ?leads clubs? and breakfast mixers where everyone shows up, gives their 30-second commercial, and goes back to work empty-handed, with an hour lost from the day to boot. Stop listening to your sales manager ? the reason he?s in management and not in sales is because he can?t sell. (Good sales reps make way more money than sales managers.)

Instead, start learning how to market yourself to prospects, hot, qualified prospects who are ready and willing to buy from you ? today. Build a presence online. Start blogging. Build an email list of prospects, and send them useful information on a regular basis. Start giving free presentations to groups of prospects, whether you do it as a free luncheon, or you speak in front of local service clubs.

By the way, speaking in front of groups of business owners and executives is REAL networking, not the silly leads clubs!

The list of ways and means of generating hot leads without cold calling is far, far too long to include here ? that?s why I?ve written entire books on the topic. But if you start to change your mindset now, away from cold prospecting and toward finding ways to position yourself as the authority figure in your industry and your community, then you might as well start shopping for your brand-new six figure car today!

Source: http://www.business2community.com/sales-management/think-like-an-entrepreneur-to-close-more-sales-0307204

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Construction Under Way in Many Neighborhoods | New Albany, Ohio

STREET REPAIR, CURB AND CURB RAMPS

Neighborhoods throughout New Albany are undergoing improvements that include minor street repair, street repaving, curb repair and curb ramp replacement.? In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the city is required to make improvements to curb ramps if streets are repaved.? For this reason, residents may notice that some existing ramps will be removed and then replaced.? Other ramps are being removed but not replaced, and still other new ramps will be installed where they currently do not exist.? Any work performed related to curb ramps is being performed in strict compliance with the ADA.? As these improvements occur, underground drains, irrigation lines and other features in the tree lawn strip will be carefully maintained and repaired if damaged. Once the improvements are complete, the area will be top soiled and reseeded with hydro-seed.? If curb ramp construction is occurring adjacent to your home and you have additional questions, contact New Albany Public Service Director Mark Nemec (855.0076; mnemec@newalbanyohio.org).? For a complete listing of street maintenance work occurring throughout New Albany, click on the ?More Information? button.

Source: http://www.newalbanyohio.org/news-and-notices/construction-under-way-in-many-neighborhoods

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Working Out at Rice | Owl Admission Blog

Looking for a place to relieve your stress, take a constructive break or simply work off that oh so delicious west servery cinnamon bun? While, you are in luck. Rice has a plethora of fun and interesting exercise options.

I loved to run in high school and worried about worried about not being able to continue this in college. However, Rice soon alleviated this fear. On any given day you are bound to pass many people running one of the? two common outside routes. The first is the inner loop which is about two miles. It also has the added bonus of passing by the Sallyport, Turrell Skyspace and other Rice architectural staples. The second route is the outer loop, which is a longer and an equally as beautiful trail run. You also have the option of joining one of Rice?s many club or intramural sports or just working out indoors at the recreation center.

The recreation center includes everything from treadmills and weights to ping pong tables, racquetball and basketball courts. We even have our own outdoor pool. The recreation center also offers a variety of interesting classes such as Zumba and spinning. If you are looking for more information about the recreation center or exercises options at Rice I encourage you to check out http://recreation.rice.edu/home/ .

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This entry was posted in Athletics, Student Life by Alexandra. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://admission.blogs.rice.edu/2012/10/19/working-out-at-rice/

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Recap: St. Louis vs. San Francisco | MLB Baseball | Rock Hill Herald ...

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Overcoming an injury to Carlos Beltran and a lengthy weather delay, the St. Louis Cardinals gained the upper hand in the National League Championship Series with a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 from Busch Stadium.

Matt Carpenter belted a two-run homer in his first at-bat in place of Beltran, while Kyle Lohse worked out of a number of jams over a 5 2/3-inning stint as the defending World Series champion Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the best-of- seven set after waiting out a stoppage of nearly 3 1/2 hours during the bottom of the seventh caused by thunderstorms.

Despite issuing a season-high five walks along with seven hits, Lohse (2-0) held the Giants to one run before turning things over to the St. Louis bullpen. Four Cardinal relievers combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings, with closer Jason Motte perfect over the final two to notch his second save of this NLCS.

Beltran left after one inning with a left knee strain the veteran outfielder suffered while grounding into a double play in his only plate appearance.

The Giants came through with several clutch hits in evening this series with a 7-1 triumph in San Francisco in Sunday's Game 2, but stranded 11 baserunners while going 0-for-7 with men in scoring position in this one.

"I think we had our chances throughout the game," said San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy. "It was a frustrating game."

Pablo Sandoval finished 2-for-5 and drove in the Giants' lone run, while starting pitcher Matt Cain (1-2) permitted all three St. Louis runs over the first 6 2/3 innings.

Marco Scutaro was in the San Francisco lineup after exiting Game 2 with a strained left hip, the result of a hard slide the second baseman endured from the Cardinals' Matt Holliday, and also collected two hits.

Carpenter, the Cardinals' top pinch-hitter over the course of the regular season, immediately demonstrated his value off the bench with his club trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning.

Cain set down seven of the first nine St. Louis hitters before giving up a single to Jon Jay with two outs in the inning, and the 16-game winner couldn't sneak a slider past Carpenter as the super sub battled back from an 0-2 count to send a blast over the home bullpen in right field to put the Cardinals in front.

"I was just trying to grind out these at-bats and fight when I'm up there, and tonight was an example of that," Carpenter said. "(Cain) threw a slider across the middle of the plate and I was able to put a good swing on it."

The Cardinals generated little offense off Cain over the next three innings, with the steady right-hander yielding just a single hit over that span.

San Francisco had considerably more scoring opportunities during that time frame, but couldn't cash in due to a lack of timely hitting and Lohse's clutch pitching.

Angel Pagan flied out to leave two men on in the fourth, while Scutaro's leadoff single an inning later was erased when Lohse induced Sandoval to hit into a double play. Another San Francisco threat was thwarted in the sixth when Trevor Rosenthal relieved Lohse with runners at first and second and retired Pagan for the final out.

The Giants again made a bid in the seventh, when Sandoval and Buster Posey delivered back-to-back one-out singles against Edward Mujica. However, Mitchell Boggs came on to strike out both Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt and preserve St. Louis' one-run edge.

St. Louis would get to Cain for some insurance in their half of a seventh that was stretched out by the massive delay. David Freese stroked a one-out double and Daniel Descalso was intentionally walked to put two on for Pete Kozma, with the rookie shortstop serving a single to center that loaded the bases. Pinch-hitter Shane Robinson then hit a soft grounder to second that plated Freese and gave the Cardinals a 3-1 advantage before the skies opened up.

"(Robinson) just didn't hit it hard enough for a double play," Bochy remarked. "It was a big run, but as you saw, we couldn't score again. Their bullpen did a good job on us."

When play finally resumed after an interlude of three hours and 27 minutes, Javier Lopez took over for Cain and retired Jay to prevent further damage.

San Francisco's bats remained cold following the break, however, as Motte set down all six hitters he faced to close out the drawn-out contest.

The Giants' only scoring occurred in the top of the third, when Scutaro followed Pagan's leadoff single with a double down the right-field line and Sandoval advanced both runners on a groundout.

Game 4 will take place Thursday at Busch Stadium beginning at 8:07 p.m. (et). Adam Wainwright will get the call for the Cardinals, with two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum tabbed to make his first start of this postseason for San Francisco.

Game Notes

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/17/4345522/recap-st-louis-vs-san-francisco.html

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Orionid meteor show reaches its climax

It has been 26 years since Halley's Comet last passed through the inner solar system ? but this weekend, skywatchers have a chance to see leftover bits of the comet light up the night sky in the Orionid meteor shower.

The Orionids can best be described as a junior version of the famous Perseid meteor shower and is scheduled to reach its maximum before sunrise on Sunday morning. Patient night sky observers with clear, dark skies could see dozens of meteors an hour, according to NASA.

This will be an excellent year to look for the Orionids, since the moon will set around 11 p.m. local time on Saturday night and will not be a hindrance at all; so the sky will be dark for prospective meteor watchers right on through the first light of dawn on Sunday. [Photos: Orionid Meteor Shower of 2012]

The orbit of Halley's Comet closely approaches the Earth's orbit at two places. One point is in the early part of May producing a meteor display known as the Eta Aquarids.

The other point comes in the middle to latter part of October, producing the Orionids.

How to watch
This weekend's meteor shower is known as ?Orionids? because the meteors seem to fan out from a region to the north of well-known Orion constellation's second brightest star: the ruddy Betelgeuse.

Currently, Orion appears ahead of us in our journey around the sun, and has not completely risen above the eastern horizon until after 11 p.m. local daylight time. At its best several hours later, at around 5 a.m. ? Orion will be highest in the sky toward the south ? Orionids typically produce around 20 to 25 meteors per hour under a clear, dark sky.

Typically, Orionid meteors are dim and not well seen from urban locations, so we suggest that you find a safe rural location to see the best Orionid activity. Actually, Orionid activity started to increase noticeably on Oct. 17, when they started appearing at roughly five per hour.

After peaking on the morning of Oct. 21, activity will slowly ease, dropping back to around five per hour around Oct. 25. The last few stragglers usually appear sometime in early to mid-November. [October's Best Night Sky Sights (Video)]

What to expect
The best time to see the Orionid meteor shower is anytime from about 1 or 2 a.m. local daylight time until around dawn, when the shower?s radiant (in Orion?s upraised club, just north of the bright red star, Betelgeuse) is highest above the southern horizon.

The higher the radiant, the more meteors appear all over the sky. The Orionids are one of just a handful of known meteor showers that can be observed equally well from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The Orionids are one of the better annual meteor shower displays, producing about 15 to 20 meteors per hour at their peak. Add the five to 10 sporadic meteors that always are plunging into our atmosphere and you get a maximum of about 20 to 30 meteors per hour for a dark sky location. Most of these meteors are relatively faint, however, so any light pollution will cut the total way down.

In recent years, this shower has been rather active for a few days before and after its Oct. 21 peak. Step outside before sunrise, for instance, on Saturday or Monday mornings and if you catch sight of a meteor, there?s about a 75 percent chance that it likely originated from the nucleus of Halley?s Comet.

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"They are easily identified ? from their speed," David Levy and Stephen Edberg write in "Observe: Meteors," an Astronomical League manual. "At 66 kilometers (41 miles) per second, they appear as fast streaks, faster by a hair than their sisters, the Eta Aquarids of May. And like the Eta Aquarids, the brightest of family tend to leave long-lasting trains. Fireballs are possible three days after maximum."

In fact, a dazzling fireball lit up the night sky over California on Wednesday night, creating a brilliant light show and starting many witness with a loud sonic boom.

Story: Stunning shooting stars light up California sky

Recent studies have shown that about half of all the Orionids that are seen leave trails that lasted longer than other meteors of equivalent brightness.

This is undoubtedly connected in some way to the makeup of Halley?s Comet. So it is that the shooting stars that we have come to call Orionids are really an encounter with the traces of a famous visitor from the depths of space and from the dawn of creation.

Halley?s legacy
Halley's Comet takes roughly 75 years to circle the sun. But if you?re 30 years old or younger, you either have little or no memory of this famous cosmic vagabond (your next chance will come in the summer of 2061). Or maybe, if you were around back then, you didn?t see Halley at all because of light pollution or the comet's low altitude above the horizon.

That's what makes the Orionid meteor shower, and its partner the Eta Aquarids, so special: They give Earth a glimpse of Halley twice a year.

Comets are the leftovers of the day of creation, the odd bits and pieces of simple gases ? methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide and water vapor ? that went unused when the sun and its attendant planets came into their present form. All comets eventually disintegrate into meteor swarms and Halley?s is well into that process at this time.

These tiny particles ? mostly ranging in size from dust to sand grains ? remain along the original comet?s orbit, creating a ?river of rubble? in space. In the case of Halley?s comet, which has likely circled the sun many hundreds, if not thousands of times, its dirty trail of debris has been distributed more or less uniformly all along its entire orbit.

When these tiny bits of comet collide with Earth, friction with our atmosphere raises them to white heat and produces the effect popularly referred to as "shooting stars."

Meteoroids that are released into space from this cometary debris are the remnants of a comet?s nucleus. When they hit Earth's atmosphere, they flare up in bright meteors. Any pieces that reach Earth are called meteorites.

Story: Show us your sky highlights

If you snapped any photos of the Orionid meteor shower and want to share them with Space.com, send the pictures, comments and location info to managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49479429/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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Help Us Innovate the Innovation Process - Polly LaBarre - Harvard ...

In the creative economy, innovation is more important than ever. Innovation is the only insurance against irrelevance. It's the only antidote to margin-crushing competition, the only hope for out-performing a dismal economy, and the only way to truly amaze your customers. Innovation, in operations, products, business models and ecosystems, isn't merely a competitive advantage, it's the competitive advantage.

We all get it: innovation is the lifeblood of every organization. Yet more often than not, when innovation occurs, it's a "happy accident" rather than the product of a deep-rooted innovation competence. Dig into the genesis of a paradigm-busting new product or service, and you'll usually find that its success owes more to the indomitable spirit of a lone innovator than to the obliging climate of an inherently pro-innovation management model.

The fact is, most companies aren't very good at game-changing innovation. That's why it's usually the newcomers, rather than the incumbents, who upend industry rules (think of Apple in music, Amazon in web services, or Salesforce in enterprise software). Want some hard evidence? In one recent McKinsey study, only 24% of respondents felt that their company wouldn't benefit from a more robust pipeline of new ideas.

For industry incumbents, the problem isn't a lack of resources or a shortage of human creativity, but a dearth of pro-innovation values, processes and practices. And when innovation programs do get launched, like an internal venture fund or an idea wiki, they tend to either be organizationally isolated or easily marginalized.

Through the years, we've spoken to hundreds of individuals who've struggled to make their organizations more innovative and most seem to end up deeply frustrated. This is hardly surprising. Operational goals like productivity, predictability and alignment are woven deeply into management systems and processes. Innovation, experimentation and risk-taking ? not so much. Until we solve this DNA-level problem, rule-bending innovation, when it happens at all, will occur in spite of the system rather than because of it.

Remember, the disciplines of management were invented ? more than a hundred years ago ? to drive variety out of organizations. The goal was to excise the irregularities, in an effort to ensure conformance to work rules, quality standards, timetables and budgets. Today, though, it's the irregular people with their irregular ideas and irregular methods who create the irregular successes and profits. All too often, the quest to routinize the irregular ends up routing innovation. The goal? Organizations that are paragons of penny-pinching efficiency and bastions of rule-busting innovation.

Ultimately, every management process must be a catalyst for innovation. The planning process needs to put a premium on game-changing ideas; the budgeting system needs to give innovators quick access to experimental capital; IT systems need to support idea sharing and the fluid formation of innovation teams; performance management systems need to track innovation performance at every level; training and development programs need to bolster innovation skills; market research and customer insight efforts need to surface the deep, unarticulated needs that open up opportunities for radical innovation; R&D and new product development must encourage the sort of perseverance that is often needed to turn nascent ideas into billion-dollar businesses; the compensation process has to reward those who take smart risks; and the criteria used in hiring and promotion need to give weight to creativity and innovation leadership.

For now, too many companies are still approaching the innovation challenge in a piecemeal fashion, a web-based suggestions box here, an awards program there, and a corporate incubator over there, somewhere. These efforts are typically incomplete (an idea market where the criteria and timetable for evaluating submissions aren't clearly spelled out), or they're isolated (an idea market that isn't directly linked to talent management and resource allocation processes). The innovation process is in need of some innovation itself.

To that end, we're launching the HBR/McKinsey M-Prize: Innovating Innovation Challenge. The goal: to create organizations in which innovation is instinctual, in which the passion to create is palpable, and where rewards for innovation, monetary and otherwise, are truly mouth-watering.

Tackling a problem of this depth and breadth is going to take a lot of help. So if you're eager to get innovation out of the wings and onto center stage, we hope you'll contribute a "story" (a real-life case study of a company's innovative practices), or a "hack" (a bold, new idea for making innovation endemic in our organizations).

We're looking for examples and ideas that will help us how build innovation into the woof and warp of our organizations. While there aren't many businesses that have yet made innovation a true core competence, we can, with your help, build a composite picture of how every element of a company's management model can be retooled to make it innovation-friendly. While no one organization has put all the pieces of the innovation puzzle together, we should be able to assemble all of the pieces in one place via this challenge. In doing so, we'll give managers around the world the chance to identify the missing pieces in their own innovation programs, and to learn from companies that may have found a piece they're still looking for.

Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/how_can_we_innovate_the_innova.html

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The Appropriate Accounting Services Can help Your Business ...

A question often asked by small business owners is, ?What Aurora accounting services does my small business need?? Interestingly enough, the answer is? ?It depends!? Inalmost every instance, a combination of tax, reporting, payroll and general accounting or the ?big three? is needed.

The mixture of those services will be decided by the type of business and the size, as well as predicted future circumstances.

For an extreme example, say your business has recieved word that it will be audited soon, you will without a doubt want to hire a CPA or enrolled agent to have with you and guide you through the audit. Alternatively, you could hire a bookkeeper or tax accountant, though, when facing the IRS you will need your strongest allies with you.

Under more typical circumstances, the size and scope of your business will dictate the services you need. These needs may range from simple quarterly tax assistance and QuickBooks review, to full-blown monthly managerial accounting consulting. Managerial accounting can include the creation of score cards, dashboards, or even daily feedback systems to help you manage your business, profitability and cash flow at a glance.

See why ?it depends??

Zeroing in On What You Need

Often times it makes the most sense to sit down and work together to determine the particular services you will need for your business. From there it is a matter of exploring service level options.

For example, in smaller businesses it is not uncommon for an owner or a spouse to manage the books using QuickBooks. For these businesses, just a small amount of quarterly and year end payroll and tax preparation assistance is all that?s needed.

In larger businesses a person is employed to be a bookkeeper and your accountant?s role shifts to an overseer and a consultant. The staff person will hand things off to the outside accounting service for final review and submission. In these cases the value your accountant brings in terms of managerial guidance can far outweigh the value brought from the accounting functions themselves.

Finally, in some businesses, both small and large, the ideal solution is to completely outsource all of the bookkeeping, tax accounting, and managerial accounting to an outside firm so that value creating employees are focused on the business? core competencies.

No matter which types of services and service levels you ultimately choose, your main goal should be to ensure that you are building your business on solid financial ground.

And that means staying on top of financial information on a regular basis.

Wrapping Up

With the many hats you are probably wearing already it is both practical and wise to consider hiring the services of a professional accounting firm. By allowing a skilled professional accountant to handle some or all of the responsibility of your business? accounting, your overall efficiency improves.

So let?s repeat the question,

?What accounting services does my small business need??

The answer is ?most likely several?. And now you have a better idea of where to begin when choosing those services and service levels for your business.

If you are looking for excellent accounting services in Naperville or a company to take care of your small business accounting in Naperville then this accounting firm must be your 1st call.

Source: http://cannabismrsacure.letstalkaboutpot.com/the-appropriate-accounting-services-can-help-your-business-flourish/

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