Operation Improvement Inc.

Calibre is a  program that runs in many different PC environments to manage a database of eBooks. From there, you can convert books between formats, and upload books into cell phone apps, iPads,  and standalone eBook readers like Amazon's "Kindle" and the Barnes & Noble "Nook". On the Android phone, the eBook reader app is called: Aldiko)

eBooks come in multiple formats, and some are copy protected.  Copy protected books must be read in the corresponding reader program. If you buy an eBook from iTunes, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble and it is protected, you will need to use their reader software.

If you can, add unrestricted books to your library in ePUB format. An ePub contains several components (like a ZIP file) and can support books with full color pictures, fonts, table layouts, etc - just like HTML web pages. ePUB is positioned to be the future standard for eBooks.

Dr. Charles Hobbs, the time management guru of the 70's, was quite clear that "prioritization" of tasks was a process. He advocated a daily review of things to be done - anticipating the context of the next 24 hours. "What should I work on today?'

I don't plan to watch "Undercover Boss". I work in the "red zone". Nevertheless, it is a brilliant idea. This may or may not turn out to be "good television" - but it is absolutely vital that business leaders validate their notions of how their people work.

The following information was gleaned from a "Black Hat" security briefing on the web, and I composed these notes to put the vulnerability into the context of our typical call center client. - Ron.

Most companies have dozens, hundreds, or more phone numbers provisioned by the phone company for use with their telephone services. Unfortunately, most companies do not manage these numbers as a corporate asset. There is an important reason to actively manage a short, "defined purpose" (e.g. 'support', 'advertising tracking', etc.) set of numbers, and to publish only the necessary and few numbers  for use by the calling customer.

Scam artists can rent and use the same, inexpensive SIP trunk, Voice over IP, and "Asterisk software-as-PBX" technology that we use to lower phone costs and improve call center metrics. If they can get your customers to think -their- 800 or local telephone 'scam' number is really -yours-, then this is what happens.

I have had many skeptics in my classes. Some are convinced they know it all, or at least "enough". There are those who have endured the uninspired "copy of a copy" process, project, program and task management training typical of large corporations. Others have suffered under leaders who would build a timeline by vote rather than analysis, and who would continually poll his team for a completion estimate that was more in line with his wishes. The variations of error are endless.