Financing Your Used Car

When selecting a lender to finance one’s car, one should conduct or perform some extensive research over the internet. This assists in finding the most suitable lender to obtain a loan. One may use search engines to locate the lenders by keying in their company names. The financing options vary depending on the type of vehicle. The financing options for brand new cars are different from those of used cars. One should acquire value for their money when financing their used vehicles. A car begins to depreciate the moment a person purchases it and commences to drive it. There are three main options that a person has when planning to finance their vehicle.

They include contract plans, used-car loans and hire purchase. Hire purchase is a traditional means, which aids in spreading the costs thus easing the payment process. When selecting hire purchase as a means of financing one’s used car, one should budget accordingly to accommodate the monthly fees that the seller may deduct until the agreed period is over. Hire purchase is the most popular, mainly because the initial deposit is quite low. Compared to contract plans and used-car loans, this means is cheaper in terms of the payable interest. One may also negotiate the interest rates with the seller in order to obtain the best financing deal.

Contract plans require the buyer to deposit some money as a way of securing the car for purchase. After paying the deposits, the seller deducts the agreed monthly installments from the buyers account. After completing the monthly payments, one has the option of maintaining the vehicle while under the sellers care, or one may make a balloon payment. When a buyer makes a balloon payment, it means that they obtain full ownership of the vehicle. Contract plans have lower monthly fees, as compared to the hire purchase method of financing one’s used car. When one fails to meet the monthly payments of both the contract plans and hire purchase means, it means that the seller reserves the right to repossess the vehicle. Therefore, people should organize themselves financially before purchasing a used car.

Alternatively, one may obtain a loan from their bank as a means of financing the used vehicle that one intends to purchase. The benefit of obtaining a car loan is that it secures the vehicle therefore, meaning that the seller cannot repossess the said vehicle. Bank car-loans have competitive rates and this ensures that their customers have various repayment options. They are also easy to manage and organize, in terms of finances and this makes it an efficient means of financing one’s vehicle. Once a person obtains a bank loan, they may fully purchase the car, by making balloon payments. The bank deducts money from their customers account depending on the agreed interest rates. The buyers may sell the car before completing the loan payments and accomplish something else with the money. When looking for a suitable lender to finance a used car, one should compare the rates and benefits before selecting a particular means.

Working in the IT Sector

Over the past two decades IT recruitment has become a huge industry in and of itself. The growth of computers and digital infrastructure in the modern workplace has been profound and this has driven a greater intake of qualified professionals for development, maintenance and implementation of IT systems across organisations of all sizes and scales.Today, it is believed that over three quarters of those in employment make use of IT as part of their job role’s central duties. This is particularly so in administrative roles, where 90% of managers, professionals and secretarial/admin staff cite the use of computers and computer systems as central to their daily activities.This use of IT systems is supported by the 900,000 people in the UK who work directly in the IT sector as well as the 600,000 people working in IT or telecoms in other industries. Overall it is estimated that one in twenty (5%) people in employment work in IT, working in roles that are often unseen by other members of staff but which are vital to the continued performance of everything from individual workstations to network security and cloud data storage systems.Despite the wide range of IT-based qualifications in existence, recruitment to the sector places more emphasis on experience and ability than academic education. In fact such qualifications are generally earned on-the-job rather than in academic study prior to employment and as such, most IT-related degrees have a heavy emphasis on vocational studies.Often selection is based upon the individual’s knowledge of a network system, a programming language, or other such case-specific disciplines within IT. However existing familiarity with the proposed system is not always vital. Like any other industry, the candidate’s personal ability in technical and analytical skills. Of particular importance, according to the 2008 TARGET jobs report on IT, are skills such as problem solving, analytical thinking, flexibility and adaptability, as well as perseverance and motivation.The key to successful progression and advancement in IT though is communication – the ability to make technical issues and other details understandable to outside departments – and the ability to understand how IT relates to the company’s overall strategy and can affect profitability. Whilst these are almost exclusive to the ability to actually work with the complexities of IT systems in practice, they are vital to progression to the management and consultancy roles which make up the upper end of the IT sector.

Forethought and Training Makes Managers

Senior management in every industry is well-known for setting-up our best skilled workers for failure. It is as if we are specifically trying to sabotage our own companies by reducing the workforce skill level and using poor management to try to fix it. A fancy new title and a raise does not a manger make. A top-notch management selection process and training program is the only road to ensure future success.Leaders Make Great Managers:The best worker does not make the best manager, the natural-born leader does. Though scholars continue to argue the finer details, it is widely accepted that “leaders are born and managers are made.” Leaders are followed. The directives of Managers are carried out. The Leader is the person spreading news from the grapevine, teaching trade tricks, and from whom co-workers seek advice. At breaks, the Leader can be found telling “there I was” stories with an attentive audience and organizing the weekend fishing trip or bar bash. The Manager is the person given that title by executives to be in charge of people, projects, and money.In theory, anyone can be taught to manage well. Managers can be taught efficiency, organization, project flow, and even to earn the respect of those they manage. Managers, as the theory goes, cannot be taught how to lead. Though it is possible that the best worker is also a natural leader, this is rarely the case. Instead of looking to the firm’s best workers to serve in open management roles, consider promoting and training the natural leader. Management selection processes should begin pre-hire with an eye on identifying potential leaders. These employees should then be observed in their current role for signs of leadership and future advancement.Tiered Management Structures:Think large when developing the structure of management. All large companies were once small. So, instead of waiting until the company is large and then having to revamp the entire reporting chain; develop the structure at the outset. It is better to have a structure with unfilled positions, or those not currently needed in the smaller organization, then it is to remodel the entire structure at a later date to adapt it to the growing firm.In some industries, the lowest level of management is the Shift Manager, Department Director, or Section Chief. In construction, we refer to this position as Foreman, Job Supervisor, or Superintendent. Each firm must chose these titles carefully and the reporting hierarchy with which they are associated. For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that the person who manages workers directly is called the Department Manager (DM). The Department Manager keeps the work flowing, assigns tasks, coordinates with other departments, ensures items are in-stock, and briefs the client, all while still working alongside their subordinates to facilitate the day’s activities. Department Managers report to the person who manages a number of departments, a position that is primarily office and paperwork intensive, usually called the General Manager (GM). GMs, in turn, report to a member of the Executive Staff, usually the Chief Operating Officer (COO).It is not uncommon to further break up the management levels of DM and GM into subcategories. For example, the DM category could be sub-divided into: Junior Department Manager, Department Manager, and Senior Department Manager. A Junior DM may be the term used to describe a new entry into the management ranks who works under the direction of a DM or Senior DM. A DM would be an experienced manger with a bigger workforce and larger job assignments. Finally, a Senior DM would have the most experience at assisting with employee training, x-large projects, and those jobs requiring specialized skills or in dealing with detail-oriented clients. The Senior DM would likely run the largest or most complex department. The GM ranks could be similarly divided.It is also wise to have pre-management positions that introduce potential entrants to the ranks without the accompanying official responsibilities. Thus, an Assistant Department Manager would serve as a normal crew member most of the time; but would be available to take over a portion of the project as needed by the DM. Additionally, they will fill-in as acting DM when the DM is on vacation or off work for personal reasons.Management Training is Essential:The most successful restaurant-chain in world history, McDonald’s, is the brunt of many jokes. They are, however, so successful because they are experts. Not only are they experts at “flipping burgers,” their world-renowned Hamburger University is a benchmark for educating management trainees on operation procedures, customer service, cleanliness, and business development. Similarly, Disney, United Parcel Service (UPS), Dell, and many others have been recognized as best-in-class for management and/or customer service training.Unfortunately, many other industries have the opposite distinction. They are recognized as the industry that provides no management training or has the worst customer service. Digging deeper will usually find that these industries promote their best hopefuls with a new title and a pay bump, only to throw them to wolves by telling them to go run the workplace. Throwing a fellow in the Mississippi River to teach them to swim may have been accepted in Tom Sawyer’s day, but is a procedure doomed to fail with management trainees. At the very least, each level of management should be given initial training followed by annual re-occurring training that delves deeper and broader as employees move up through the ranks.The best place to start is with the job description. What skills/tools will make the new manager improve company profitability and enhance reputation? Focus on key business areas:
Customer Service
Communicating Professionally
Reoccurring Duties
Completing Paperwork
Management & Team Building
Organization & Time Management
Technical Skill Enhancement
Role in Company’s Profitability
Official Employee Interaction
Merit Shop Responsibilities
Next, find outside vendors of one to two-day seminar-style courses and add self-study activities (books, books-on-tape, videos, webinars, etc.) that specialize in training new or advancing managers. Those activities that are specific to your company (completing a Job Report, corporate marketing soft-skills, or parts scheduling, for example) should be taught in-house by the DM team or executive staff.Skills can be taught in week or multi-week long training intensive courses where a trainee focuses only on management training until completed. Or, conversely, management trainees can complete classroom training intermixed with field-work over an extended period of time (say, six months for management training).Whatever your company’s approach, it must incorporate four overarching themes to profit and succeed in the new economy:
Develop a management structure for where you want your firm to be, not where it is.
Hire even entry-level technicians (apprentices) with potential management in mind.
Constantly analyze the workforce to identify leaders for future management positions.
Train, train, and re-train.