The Lucky Cabin

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was launched in the 1970’s and in the beginning the firm’s focus was in leveraged buyouts. Lately in an uncommon endeavor to make their acquisitions have less of an ecological impact, KKR have set up a unique green proposal that has fundamentally transformed the way business concerns and environmental activists function. When Henry Kravis from KKR and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together a year ago environmental matters in the business world became a hot topic. Their mission is to offer encouragement to their affiliated enterprises in avoiding environmental threats such as hazardous waste not to forget reckless water consumption. Eco-efficiency (a term initially propagated by the WBCSD) is the methodology deployed to achieve these objectives, by applying techniques such as waste reduction, reducing the waste of resources and maximum use of renewable resources. Successful though it was the management didn’t even realize the full program’s benefits until Ken Mehlman, the head of the project and global public affairs, reviewed the project when it had been operating for a year.

Only then did Ken Mehlman learn that eco-efficiency wasn’t solely preserving the local environment, but additionally it was saving business concerns a great deal of money, making the program almost an instant success. Almost all of the businesses owned by Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman nowadays are actively involved in the Green Portfolio Project. Still, when you consider that the group has a 2009 portfolio with a value of eighty-six billion USD, you may be sure this wasn’t a simple see what a huge accomplishment this is.

The original program has evolved far beyond its basic remit and now encompasses new initiatives. To illustrate, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co joined the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program which instructs interns taking an MBA how to encourage cost-effective, green principles.

KKR and Ken Mehlman have made the effort to develop a variety of systems that have the ability to manipulate various resources. With this information available, any type of business can assess all of their everyday operations and find out where any issues can be resolved while at the same time seeing their progress.

Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund truly are innovators when it comes environmentally sound business techniques. Their developments have made cutting back their environmental impact simpler for firms in every industry and established that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.

Numerous misunderstandings besiege Freemasonry - frequently pejorative connotations of an old boy network, or yet more evil suggestions. Still, nothing could be further from the truth. As a brotherhood, Freemasonry provides a chance for men to meet and enjoy cordial fellowship. Improving oneself is a crucial aspect of being a freemason. Freemasonry advances aiding other people as well, and charity is a real way in which Masons serve people.

One of Freemasonry’s customs is not to look for new individuals to become members. Nonetheless, anyone ought to feel uninhibited to approach any Mason to acquire more information regarding Freemasonry.

Membership is for males only, over 18 years old, and you must match the qualifications of character and reputation, should be of good moral character, and have faith in a supreme being.

A man who wishes to become a member must be recommended by 3 Masons of the lodge he desires to join. He has to realize that his character will be enquired about. After recommendation by the fellow members, he will then be recognised as an applicant for membership in Freemasonry.

Masons often assume items like Union Jack badges that subtly identify themselves to other Masons while communicating the lodge they are a member of.

As you probably know, volunteering is a great way to help build stronger communities as well as assisting those in need. But how much time does it take to arrange? Actually, it’s a great deal simpler to get involved when a volunteer event is pre-planned. Of course you’ll have more fun volunteering when your colleagues are getting involved right along with you. This is a call for other companies to look to the example of firms like Adaptive Marketing LLC. As well as shopping programs including BusinessMax (MVQ*BIZMAX) made for the benefit of consumers, Adaptive Marketing organizes local volunteer activity to give its employees the time to give back to the local community. Company based charitable works like these used to be rare, limited events — in today’s world, so much more can be achieved. Looking at just one company, Adaptive Marketing has provided its employees with opportunities to take part in everything from tennis shoe recycling efforts to local tree-planting days. In cases like these, the times, locations and dates of the events were published well in advance, making sure that staff knew what to expect, and how much time each event might specifically require from them. Making sure volunteers have their say in what activities are available is also important. Companies involved in this like Adaptive Marketing, (as you’d expect from the company behind BusinessMax (MVQ*BIZMAX)) present their staffers with a wide range of initiatives in their community. Staffers may find themselves community projects in arts, working with children and young adults, working on environmental initiatives and so on. A volunteer who enjoys himself is an effective volunteer, consequently, by providing so many programs Adaptive Marketing guarantee that their staff members will make progress on all the initiatives.

If companies urge their staffers to consider volunteering at local schools, it tends to be during an individual event or a regularly scheduled task. There are those who claim they haven’t time, but even they may be able to squeeze in a Saturday morning park clean-up. You’ll find plenty of tales of organizations finding ways to help the citizens of their home town. Like many other firms, Adaptive Marketing maintains volunteer initiatives to support the people of its hometown and to spread goodwill through the local community as a result of the charity work carried out by its members of staff. Helping around your home town leaves you feeling like a better person — just the sort of thing to motivate members of staff both in their daily work and their volunteer activities.

When Henry Kravis and George Roberts set up Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the mid-seventies with the support of the First Chicago Corporation, their specialization was in leveraged buyouts. But they have set up a groundbreaking project which concentrates not alone on maximum ROI, but also on the environmental impact of the companies they control.

Green business practices became a hot topic in 2008 when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the independent Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together. Issues like toxic waste and irresponsible consumption of water resources are a priority in their corporate mission. Eco-efficiency (a term first introduced by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) makes up their mission’s framework, through using environmentally aware policies like waste reduction, reducing the waste of resources and using clean energy. Simple and effective, but the KKR and EDF did not understand the full benefits of the project until the head of the program and global public affairs, Ken Mehlman, evaluated the project following a year in operation. Much to everybody’s surprise, Ken saw that eco-efficiency not only cut back on the overall impact on the environment, but also increased the profitability of all their companies too. To date, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman have almost all of their firms involved in eco-efficiency. Seeing that this portfolio of business organizations has a net worth of 86 billion dollars, you may be certain this wasn’t an easy feat. The initial project is expanding to encompass new ventures. For example, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co got together with the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program an enterprise which instructs MBA students how to introduce cost-effective, environmentally friendly principles. KKR and Ken Mehlman have been formulating a variety of metrics which have the ability to administer various resources. With this information available, any sort of business can assess each of their day-to-day activities and ascertain precisely how they can improve while at the same time letting them to determine how ecologically friendly they are becoming. Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to become more environmentally friendly. So, in conclusion, the work of these organizations has made green business techniques not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their radical ideas are setting a new standard in the high-pressure business world of today.

Steve Schwarzman’s story is one of altruism and dedication. In 2008 Steve Schwarzman made fifty-three on the list of the most wealthy people in the U.S.A., but it’s his phenomenal success in the financial sector as well as his generosity to non profit organizations that set this story apart from the crowd. This goes to show that the greatest qualities in achieving success are work plus perseverance.

Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter Peterson established the private-equity management and financial advisory company Blackstone Group in the eighties. These days the Blackstone Group is known worldwide with ventures as different as Legoland and Celanese, to name but two.

Living for most of childhood in near Philadelphia, PA, Steve commenced his schooling in suburban Philadelphia. He went on to get his degree from Yale University in 1969. After that, he opted to advance his training at the well known Harvard Business School, receiving his Master’s degree in Business Administration in 1972. Once he had concluded his education, Steve started a job at Lehman Brothers investment bank. By the very young age of 31, he had already been appointed a managing director. Stephen A. Schwarzman served as an associate professor at the venerable Yale School of Business Management and also supports a number of charities, educational programs, and the liberal arts. Moreover, he is the most recently appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. In addition, he told the public in March of 2008 that he had given a hundred million dollars to the New York Public Library to help in financing their expansion. He is also one of the trustees of the library.

So you won’t be too surprised to learn, America’s elite look to Steve Schwarzman as a role model - As one of Times Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People alive, Steve is now in the center of media attention and impacting economics globally. His quick rise to power in the financial industry is certainly amazing, and no doubt his generosity has given business tycoons an unprecedented new standard to follow in future. So the business community waits with baited breath to see what Steve will do next. Stephen A. Schwarzman is no doubt a fascinating businessman who has made his mark on the United States and the business community worldwide.

You are almost certain to have come across Mr. Naveen Jain in connection with him being the CEO as well as co-founder of Intelius, Inc. the predictive intelligence company. Well beyond having made the Forbes list “400 Richest in America” in 2000, this prosperous businessman has gained an assortment of coveted awards including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Albert Einstein Technology Medal, and the WSA Industry Achievement Award, to cite merely only three. But that is not where it ends. Because Mr. Jain and his kin are equally as zealous about philanthropy and will seek to give succor wherever possible.

The present young generation indisputably are this world’s most priceless resource. Naveen Jain also views children as being at the very core of his enterprises, and he leverages any chance available to support them. This is the chief reason why he is so unfailingly leveraging every opening available to him to offer assistance wherever at all possible. In consequence, Naveen Jain, his relations and his employees at Intelius, Inc. have pledged a lot of time to charities such as TreeHouse, the Overlake Service League, and Hopelink. Of course they will assign a great amount of financial aid, but more importantly, they pledge their time and effort to the most deprived and danger prone children. Naveen Jain also helps by sponsoring the Children’s Hospital in an attempt to restore children’s health, as well. As Naveen Jain is a former student of the Indian Institute of Technology and XLRI Jamshedpur, it’s no wonder that teaching holds an extremely high prerogative within his humanitarian works. This also incorporates movements and charitable organizations that run the gamut from the regional to the global. Thus Intelius and its CEO are aiding deserving causes and philanthropic agencies like the Children’s Hospital, the University of Washington and the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club.

Getting food to the hungry of the planet is another great aim to Naveen Jain and those around him and to him, it makes not a iota of difference. Although he is aware that the project of obtaining provisions for all the world’s starving is an eminently staggering one, he is also cognizant that the impossible can really be achieved provided that the whole world endeavors towards a common end. If this CEO should actually have his way, there will be a conclusive cessation to privation and hunger all over the world one day.

One might easily be pardoned for supposing that being the man in fully responsible for a highly thriving market leading business plus being a devoted family man would leave him little spare time for benevolent engagements. Regardless Naveen Jain ensures that each one of his charitable projects is given as much assistance as he can possibly ramp up. This philanthropic man is certainly way more than a mere captain of Web commerce. He is, beyond that, also an absolutely extraordinary personality and a true community hero.

Arranging a stag weekend is nerve-wracking - whether you are the excited groom-to-be or the well-meaning best man. You need to be certain that everyone involved has a wonderful time and that the stag do is a weekend to remember - for the right reasons, of course!

So what are the crucial ingredients for the ideal stag weekend? Well, for most guys, it must be action-packed and it must be fun.

Getting the location right will decide your stag do’s success. Whether you are heading just 20 miles away or jetting off further afield, you need a location that caters for all your entertainment needs both night and day.

Scotland has all the facilities for a fantastic stag weekend, mixing a large range of adrenalin-fuelled activities set in amazing countryside with the friendly hospitality for which Scotland is known.

Make sure that your intended destination provides everything you need before making any bookings. And don?t forget to check that both the place and its events staff have an excellent history of staging successful stag weekends. If in doubt, it’s definitely worth asking for references from previous visitors.

By putting on a plenty of different activities during the weekend, you should be in a position to keep everybody in the group happy. Pro event organisers with years of experience of organising stag weekends in Scotland will be able to suggest a suitably eclectic mix that includes something for everyone.

If you book with a credible out of doors experience company, the possibilities for an exciting stag weekend in Scotland are unlimited. There’ll be loads of activities to test your stag group from daybreak till nightfall, not to mention the night festivities.

No matter how busy they?ve been during the day, stag parties are always ready to go hit the club and chat about the afternoon’s fun over a few shandies.

All you will have to do is to let the event company know what kind of night out you want. Ensure that your selected stag weekend package includes travel between the evening’s entertainment and your group’s overnight accommodation and, so that there are no last-minute panics.

That way everybody in your party can focus 100% on having a good time and celebrating their friend’s forthcoming marriage.

Did you know thousands of people around you are making lots of money using the power of Internet?

Did you know you could start your own online business and make a living out of it? Did you know you could be your own boss and make your own decisions?

What do you want from life? Are you tired of struggling to make two ends meet? May be you are fed up with commuting to work and living under a time clock. If you like independence, can make simple decisions easily and are prepared to devote your energy and time to your project, you will succeed! There are lots of business opportunities available on the Internet; you just need to choose the right one and GIVE IT A TRY.

As I have already mentioned, thousands of people around you are making lots of money using the power of Internet. You can be one of them too. It just needs a little bit of effort and investment of both time and money.

Now the question arises, where do I get started?

Well, the answer to this question is quite simple.

In the beginning when Internet started developing its roots, lots of people started their research about how to make money from it and Ecommerce came into being. These people tried various ways and means to make money. Only a few succeeded. But these few are now counted among the most successful people and are millionaires. If you would have to do this kind of research and use trial and error methods, it would take you years to build your own business. But you can fast track your journey to success.

As of today, things are much different. We can easily find out how these people became successful by reading their success stories. We can find out how they reached their goals and made millions just by using a computer and an internet connection. We can also get to know which steps could lead you a profitable business and which ones could put you in debt!

Yes, there’s the point! You can follow their steps and build your own business. Just use the method of duplication, and you can succeed too.

Copyright © Jagruti Bhimjiani
http://www.GrowRich-Online.com

About the Author:
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.GrowRich-Online.com

Check out Jagruti Bhimjiani’s Blog

After using the business networking organization Linkedin.com for two weeks, I was invited by a contact on Linkedin to establish a profile and join OpenBC, another networking organization. I spent several hours opening my OpenBC account and creating a
profile, much like the one on LinkedIn. For those of you are
unfamiliar with Open Business Club (OpenBC), it is a Europe-based
professional networking site similar to LinkedIn. I was eager to develop more contacts in Europe, so I went into the registration with optimism and enthusiasm.

For the first month, new members are given a premium membership to try out different features of OpenBC. I could not see much benefit from the premium membership that I would not have with the free membership. People from throughout the OpenBC network appear on searches, not just members of the user’s much smaller network of friends. However, searches are limited to 200 profiles, so if you are looking for someone who works for General
Electric in Europe — and there are thousands — you have a slim
chance of finding that person without more detailed information like his or her name or the city where he or she lives.

The major drawback of OpenBC is that while a user can upload a large group of email addresses and invite those email addresses to link with him, there is no facility for otherwise sending invitations to more than one user at a time. The creators of OpenBC explain this as a requirement to prevent spamming. However, for someone who wants to develop ties to Poland and invite Polish users to join his network, it is exceedingly tedious to invite people one-by-one with a message for
each recipient.

Similarly, if you wanted to invite people who work for Volkswagon, you would have to invite them one by one into your network. After several hours, I gave up with the tedium.

A second drawback of OpenBC is that it has not yet achieved widespread appeal. I looked for people working at the Swiss mutual fund called Unifund SA. OpenBC had no contacts at Unifund; Linkedin had six or seven. Similarly, I looked for employees of Moore Capital Management in London, one of the largest hedge funds in the world. OpenBC had no contacts at Moore; Linkedin had over a dozen people working for Moore and 4 of them were in London.

So for now, I plan to stop working on my OpenBC profile and just check it once a week to approve anyone who wants to link with me. There are definitely more users from Europe on OpenBC than on LinkedIn, but I have not found any way to gain from those additional users.

There may be an even better alternative to either LinkedIn or OpenBC for developing professional networking contacts. It is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service called Skype. I recommend all my professional business contacts download Skype, which is free to join and free to download, at
www.skype.com

Last week, a recruiter posted a job opening about an equity option market making position with a London-based hedge fund. After doing some research on the Internet, I discovered the firm is most likely Moore Capital Management.

I am presently using Linkedin to reach out to a Director at Moore
Capital Management located in New York city. If the introduction goes through, then I will ask him if he knows who is in charge of the equity option trading desks in London.

However, if this person in New York belonged to Skype, then I could just “call” him for free over my computer and carry on a voice conversation. Sometimes people prefer to answer an inquiry quickly over the phone, rather than to have to type out an email message and send it.

Even if he does not subscribe to Skype, the service offers a method of calling phone numbers using your computer speaker and microphone for about 2.5 cents within the United States, and for less than 3 cents to most of the countries of Western Europe and Latin America. The charge to call Romania was about 12 cents/minute, which is not cheap, but certainly cheaper than AT&T’s rate.

The long distance dialing to a “land line” is called Skype Out. It is activated when a user purchases a 10 British pound quantity of long distance minutes, which do not seem to expire as long as the user does not leave them idle for 180 days.

A 10 pound investment is about $18.08 American dollars at today’s
conversion rate. It strikes me that $18.08 is a very reasonable
investment to make for the ability to reach out and call people
world-wide for low Skype rates. I know there are job hunters in this forum. Instead of wasting time and energy writing various contacts and trying to find the hiring manager for the position you want, imagine the ease of picking up your computer microphone, dialing a number on your computer, and talking directly with that person (after being bounced around a few times to get that person’s name).

Skype seems to be the most efficient way to establish a professional business network, schedule conference calls between Skype members at no cost, and find new power dealmaking opportunities.

Michael A. S. Guth is a trilingual (English, German, French) qualified transactional lawyer and financial manager with fifteen years experience and legal expertise in the areas of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; securities regulation and hedge fund creation; and deal structuring / business transactions. To further compliment his legal skill set Michael is an experienced investment banker having worked within the top tier investment banks, namely Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Bank, working with an international clientele. He played an instrumental role in developing an index-tracking fund and answered technical questions on fund management marketing calls. He advised clients on pre-IPO investments, stock repurchases, and using structured finance products to manage risk. Previously directed the risk management and financial control groups for two trading floors. Contact him through his web page at http://riskmgmt.biz

These Actions of Awesome Hospitality will help you manifest the power of approachability through your organizational front porches.

AWESOME ACTION #1: Go Beyond the Door
My friend, Pastor Bob Farr of the St. Peters Church of the Shepherd, told me about a man he encountered after the worship service one Sunday. Bob went into the lobby to say goodbye to some of his members. He noticed a man standing along by the coffee kiosk, so he approached him. He introduced himself and thanked him for coming.

In a reserved tone the guest said, “You know Pastor, I’ve been coming to this church for the past 9 weeks. I know I’m shy and all, but not one time has anyone said hello to me.”

“Really?” Bob asked, “You know, our staff works very hard to be hospitable and friendly to everyone - especially new members. I’m surprised nobody has approached you!”

“Well,” he continued, “I am usually greeted at the door when I walk in, but that’s it. Once I get through the lobby and into the service, I feel invisible. Anyway, this morning I told myself: today is the 10th and final time. It’s my last chance. And if nobody says anything, I’m outta here. But, thanks to your hospitality beyond the door, I think I’ll stick around.”

Have you ever felt this way - like someone made the initial effort to extend hospitality but their willingness trickled away after a few minutes? It’s kind of like ordering your food at a restaurant, getting the food delivered by your server, and never seeing her again until the check comes. (As if delivering the food was all that mattered.)

My good friend Shep Hyken, CSP who is a motivational speaker and author of The Loyal Customer and Moments of Magic, says that “someone’s assessment of excellent service is measured in proportion to the amount of time you spend after what’s basic, needed or expected.” So not unlike “Going Beyond Hello” in the Attitude of Awesome Hospitality, the first step in the Actions of Awesome Hospitality is also Going Beyond - beyond the door, that is.

AWESOME ACTION #2: Talk to Strangers
One of the reasons we have difficulty going beyond the door and extending ourselves to The New Guy is because we’re afraid of talking to strangers. We live in a culture of fear that tells us strangers are different, so therefore they will hurt us. (Ironic, isn’t it - hospitality means “the love of strangers.”)

This fear has a way of manifesting itself into our actions. Take public speaking, for example. It’s the number one most common social phobia of humans. Why? Because they’re afraid of being negatively judged by others - and their performance is a reflection of that fear.

But do you know what the second most common social phobia among humans is? According to the Social Anxiety Association, it’s talking to strangers. Lyn Lofland, in her book A World of Strangers, explained it perfectly: “Active avoidance of contact is constantly boosted by the fear of contamination from those are not like us.”

Wow. Contamination. That’s a powerful word. Combine that with our inherent fear of rejection - albeit by a person we don’t even know - and it’s no wonder people don’t feel welcome at so many organizations!

But as the definition says, a stranger is someone with whom you have not yet been acquainted. So people make it out to be a lot scarier that it really is. And in the process of becoming an effective and engaging communicator one conversation at a time, you must have the courage to transform a stranger into a neighbor and neighbor into a friend. That’s what hospitality is all about.

AWESOME ACTION #3: Dismiss Judgment
A few days before giving one of my Awesome Hospitality into Authentic Relationships programs, I had dinner with my best friend (and mentor) William Jenkins. I asked him what he thought the major challenges to organizations were, to which he replied with this story:

“Every year when I used to teach high school English, the administration would send us our student lists about a week before classes began. Some teachers - the moment they got their lists - marched right back upstairs and spent the next hour making roll changes. They selected specific students they didn’t want (or that didn’t seem to belong) in their classes and switched them out.

I, on the other hand, took that time to get a cup of coffee! In fact, I didn’t even look at my class list until the day classes began - because I was going to teach everybody the same.

Anytime someone new walks into the door, the room or the organization, dismiss your judgment about them. Even if they look like they won’t fit in - they still deserve your hospitality. And it all starts with that first step onto someone’s front porch.

AWESOME ACTION #4: Sacrifice Your Comfort
As I explained, the reason humans are so terrified of public speaking is because of the fear of being judged. But in addition to talking in front of scores of new faces, simply being in front of scores of new faces can be uncomfortable. And at every meeting of every organization, there’s a good chance The New Guy will experience this fear when they walk into their first meeting.

Let’s take your Professional Association, for example. Imagine your monthly meeting takes place on a cold, winter morning at your local banquet hall. All the board members, staff and veterans show up a few minutes ahead of time at about 7:45 A.M. (They gotta get the closest seats and the hottest food!)

At 8:06, when the program begins and most people have already sat down to eat, in walks Aly, a newly registered member. She’s already in a bad mood because she had to park seven blocks away. Huffing into a room full of strangers, hair out of place from the hike, she scopes out a place to sit. She feels terrible for showing up late and tries to be an inconspicuous as possible. To her dismay, there’s only one seat left: the one all the way in the front of the room.

Aly reluctantly makes her way up to the front, turning as beet red as everyone watches her every move. Finally, after whispering an apology to the speaker she was so excited to hear, she sits down and takes out her notebook.

Has that ever happened to you before?

It’s happened to me on a number of occasions. And not just because I have a non-existent sense of direction and couldn’t arrive on time if my life depended on it, but also because members are often unwilling to sacrifice their comfort for someone new.

So if you’ve been a member of an organization for six months, a year or five years - you’ve already become accustomed to the group. You’re all settled in. And you’ve had enough time to get comfortable. Now you must reinstate the Golden Rule for the sake of The New Guy and temporarily sacrifice your comfort. Extend awesome hospitality to that one person who so desperately needs to feel welcome; because if you don’t - they may never come back again.

And don’t assume other people - Greeters or otherwise - will do this. If everyone assumes someone else will take action, nobody will take action. That’s called diffusion of involvement.

Here some final Awesome Actions you can use to ensure the comfort of new members:

© 2005 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, “The World’s Foremost Expert on Nametags” and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their approachability and become UNFORGETTABLE communicators - one conversation at a time. For more information contact Front Porch Productions at http://www.hellomynameisscott.com.