Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The Purpose of Shredding Services for business security

Almost everyone has heard of shredder services and maybe even seen the shredding bins around businesses, but what is the actual purpose of a shredding service? As it turns out, paper and material shredding is one of the most important parts of risk management when it comes to businesses and individuals. Especially in this day and age, there are people who are out looking for confidential information in order to steal important personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account information, or personal finance information. In addition, information can also be obtained and used for unethical purposes for businesses or individuals. Using information like this to commit crimes or for malicious purposes is becoming more frequent as technology advances and the usage of computers and the internet becomes more commonplace.

But what types of places really need to use shredding services? Surprisingly, it's more than you'd think. Although so much information is now being processed through electronic systems, many businesses and institutions still use quite a bit of paper or other materials for information storage. Think about a hospital, for example. From the moment one arrives, paperwork is being filled out. Names, addresses, social security numbers, and an entire assortment of personal information is written on the intake form alone. Although these forms may be scanned into a computerised system, something has to be done with the original. This is where shredding services come in.

Original documents care usually placed in a locked bin or container (only able to be opened by shredding service employees, of course) and stored until they are full or ready to be picked up. From here they are taken to an on or off-site shredding company where they will be shredded enough in order to make all documents unreadable and all information unable to be attained by potential information thieves.

Banking is another big industry that required shredding services. From the moment an account is opened to the second it is closed, paper documents are being filled out. Not only that, but cards are being manufactured and turned back in. A discarded credit or debit card is one of the easiest and most common ways to have money or even an identity stolen. With this card alone, one can potentially have full access to all money in a bank account and can even charge more than what is in that account, depending on the type of card.

There are so many other businesses and industries that use shredding services though - schools, most public and private businesses, government agencies, law firms, and virtually every field related to health care. It's no wonder shredding services are needed. Although the main reason for shredding is to remove and destroy all personal and private information that could potentially be used for ill intent, there is one other purpose they serve. Everyone has a right to privacy, and shredding services exist and work as well to protect that individual right.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Easy Loan Consolidation.

Debt consolidation is probably the best thing that any person that finds themselves in debt can do for them to ensure a bright financial future. One fixed monthly payment on a strict schedule can allow you to budget accordingly and actually see an end to the monthly payments. Generic process of debt consolidation involves a debt counselor who would figure out exactly how much debt you have outstanding and everything about the debt. Then he would figure out which debt is needed to be paid off first so that you do not end up losing anything like your home or vehicle, so he takes care of that type of debt first and foremost. After finally having figured out your entire financial situation he would contact your creditors that you owe money to and start negotiating with them in order to get your debt settled. And there after providing you with the affordable debt repayment plan.

Debt consolidation comes in many forms:

- Debt Consolidation Loan - Debt Settlement Program - Debt Management Plan - Debt Relief, Reduction and Elimination Program - Credit Counseling Service

Debt consolidation loan is a type of unsecured personal loan where several high interest debts can be consolidated it into one lower, fixed rate loan. There are two major uses for Loan Consolidation. First is Student Loans Consolidation and second is Military Debt Consolidation Loan

A debt settlement plan mainly involves negotiations with the creditors to reach a reduced payoff balance on debts and that cuts total debt of an individual, sometimes over 50%, with lower monthly payments. Whereas a debt management plan simply means managing your debt by taking one monthly payment from you and distributing the money among your creditors, with whom they've often worked out lower payments and lower interest and that too without taking on any more debt.

Debt relief is the aim of any debt consolidation company. The major benefit of enlisting in a debt reduction or debt elimination program is that you can lower your monthly bills into one payment, avoid bankruptcy and you can become debt free in less than five years, depending upon your personal financial situation.

Credit counseling is a very common form of online debt consolidation. It is also known as credit card consolidation. A credit counseling company will be able to lower your monthly payments by getting interest rate concessions from your creditors by contacting them and negotiating for lower interest rate on your behalf.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Processes of Hiring a Proper Bankruptcy Lawyer Orange County

Orange County is a very famous and popular state in California, USA. This place is very famous to be known as an environment friendly place. It suffered a huge loss in the year 1994 and went bankrupt. Slowly by the end of the year 1994 the problem was solved and it again came back to its original position. It also happened that all the people over there went bankrupt due to this and were in great problems. This may happen again. What the people will do if they went bankrupt again? At that point of time they must take the help of the bankruptcy lawyer Orange County.

The act of becoming bankrupt is very distressing but more distressing is the fact when you hire a bankruptcy lawyer Orange County but he is not up to the mark and is not fit for the job. You will be at the worst condition when you will find that your lawyer is not representing your case in proper way and is not protecting your interest properly. When you are bankrupt or are getting threats from the creditors then it is quite obvious that you will look for a bankruptcy lawyer. When you will meet him and will talk with him then only you can realize how efficient your lawyer is. It may happen that you have found out that they are not capable of protecting your interest. The thing that you have to keep in mind when you are going to the Orange County Bankruptcy firm for the lawyer then you must check that they have lawyers who are experienced and also certified in handling the bankruptcy case. In this article we will provide you with some tips on how you can avoid hiring a bad lawyer.

When you are seriously facing some bankruptcy issues then you must definitely take the help of a bankruptcy lawyer Orange County to get the best help and to get rid of this problem. You can get the best lawyer in the Orange County bankruptcy law firm. Never waste your time by thinking that you will find out the best bankruptcy firm in proper time. There are many people who went bankrupt and went to any lawyer and then are forcing the lawyer to get the work done quickly. This is not a correct procedure. It must be remembered that a bankruptcy lawyer needs some time to prepare the case of bankruptcy. Never try to hire a lawyer at the last moment as he may not be able to prepare a well case for you in such a short time span. At the end you will get a disastrous result.

When you have decided to get the service from the bankruptcy lawyer from a firm then you have to be very sure that he is well trusted and is reputed in the legal circles. Before hiring any lawyer it is advised that you find out a bit about his background and success stories. There are many firms that will provide you with many offers just to invite more clients. Try to avoid them as they are the fake and offer cheap services. You may even have to face that the lawyers are not facing you or are not attending the case on the scheduled date. So, it is always advised to hire a lawyer from a reputed source.

You can even personally evaluate the bankruptcy lawyer Orange County and his staffs by asking them about their experiences and success stories. It is very easy to get a bankruptcy lawyer but what is difficult is that you have to know the way to avoid the bad lawyer so that you can protect your interests and rights.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Advantages Of The Hsn Credit Card

You love HSN, so why would you not love the HSN credit card? You usually pay for your HSN purchases with a credit card anyway, so why not use the HSN card. Besides, you get benefits from the use of you HSN card that you wouldn't otherwise get from another credit card.

One of the benefits of your HSN card is that you get to earn points that earn you free shipping on shoes, jewelry items, cosmetics, and accessory items. These shipping deals put money in your pocket as they accumulate and you get to keep money that otherwise would have gone to UPS or FedEx.

Other benefits include the MasterCard logo, meaning that you can use your HSN credit card all around the world. If you want the MasterCard logo, make sure that you apply for the HSN MasterCard: there is also a non-network version of the card that you use only with HSN.

You can apply for either of the two HSN credit cards online, so you can know right away if you are approved. In additional to the points you earn, you also qualify for special discounts from time to time. Flex pay is one more example of how you can get Extra Flex payment terms on certain items.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Important Reasons Hotels Ought To Hire Outside Collection Agencies

Hotels give lodging accommodations on a short term basis. They typically provide further amenities, like meals, swimming pools, and alternative guest services. Some larger hotels may feature conference rooms and other facilities for corporate travelers. As such, they're utilized by traveling families, as well as corporate travelers.

Whereas hotels supply nice conveniences and much-needed services, they can also deal with money flow challenges from unpaid customers. These delinquent, overdue accounts frequently result from:

-Long distance charges- the hotel guest leaves behind unpaid telephone charges incurred during their stay.

-NSF checks
-Credit card chargebacks- This will happen when a guest's line of credit which is established upon check in is exceeded during their stay. Without the guest's specific approval, it may be tough for the hotel to apply the further charges.

-Travel Agency Discounts- Agencies may have booked the hotel property but only partially paid the bill.

-Late Checkouts- Guests who have paid in advance for their hotel can incur extra charges once they stay beyond their predetermined checkout time.

-Function Accounts- An events planner may pay an initial deposit to the hotel, but fail to pay the balance when the bill is due.

Alternative debt collection issues are hotel skips plus open billing, where open company accounts with the hotel aren't paid when the bills are sent. Any hotel property wanting to stay on top of their accounts receivable and minimize outstanding unpaid bills must implement sound debt collection strategies.

In-house Debt Collection Strategies
One of the first things any hotel property can do to improve on their internal debt collections is asking for more info on hotel registration cards. For example, asking for the guest's home telephone number is very important. In the past, several properties haven't asked for this. Without this, successful collections can be quite difficult.

Whereas a few guests may not want to offer that info, a possible answer could be asking for emergency contact information. This will result in more reliable phone numbers for guests. And it will prove very helpful should these accounts go delinquent plus you need to contact the guest.

Early Intervention Is Very Significant
Whether the hotel property is singularly-owned or handled by a property management firm, when it comes to past due accounts early intervention is vital to successful debt recovery, and a very significant debt collection strategy.

When a bill goes unpaid, a person assigned to handle late accounts has to contact the debtor to rectify the matter. In fact, when it involves NSF checks, they must be handled immediately. Don't accept another check, but ask for a different form of payment, such as a credit or debit card.

If you have got an ongoing open account with a corporate client, and/or you're owed by an events planner, you might offer payment arrangements to settle the past due account(s). At any rate, consistent contact via reminder notices and the phone is essential at this stage. The most successful recoveries occur within the 1st 60 to ninety days of a overdue bill.

If your efforts haven't proven successful in obtaining payment in full or ongoing payment arrangements, its time to think about outsourcing to a debt collection agency. Statistics attest that if an account isn't settled inside 90 days, internal efforts aren't likely to ever recover the monies. Usually, small balances are written off as uncollectible. Collection agencies can help tremendously if they're brought in early enough.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Online Etiquette Tips for Job Seekers

Employees that bring refinement, sophistication and good manners into a new role are the true gem Job Seekers of Recruitment. Being polite, respectful and presentable is a sure way to communicate "good breeding" and as stuck-up as that may sound, these are the deciding qualities that set good Job Seekers form Great ones.

Etiquette, in plain and simple English means good manners. While we could get technical and investigate the way this term has been described in the Oxford Dictionary, for the purpose of applying good manners when looking for a job online, it's best to keep things simple and user-friendly as such.

While most think only to apply etiquette during face to face situations, in fact this is defiantly not the case and etiquette should be practiced, rather, during person to person interaction. Netiquette or online etiquette is a term given to 'good manners' displayed when interacting on the internet and is fundamental to finding a job online. Job Seekers need to familiarise themselves with basic online etiquette (netiquette) in order to make a good impression and ensure that the correct impression is being conveyed during the job hunting process.

Job Seekers should always remember that during face to face interaction with Recruiters, body language, eye contact and non-verbal communication reinforces good manners. However, when networking online, and applying to online job adverts, these factors are absent and success is solely reliant on the way in which you conduct yourself online.

While this may have just added to the pressure already experienced when looking for a new job, to follow, is a list of Top Online Etiquette Tips to assist Job Seekers in making a terrific online impression.

Tip One: You Online Job Application is Going to a Person, not a Machine

Some Job Seekers forget that while their online job application is facilitated via the internet using technology, it is still being received by a real, live, human being. While they may be out of sight, Job Seekers need always keep this in mind and remember that the recipient to all online job applications is in fact a person very capable of forming the incorrect perception based on poor netiquette.

Tip Two: Virtue still Applies in Virtual Reality

Apply the same level of virtue online as what you would during any other attempt at finding a new job. All of the same job seeking rules apply online as what they do offline. If you wouldn't behave in a certain way in a face to face interview or walk in, fax or telephonic job application, don't do it online. Maintain your level of integrity regardless of the way in which you attempt to find a new job.

Tip Three: If You Wouldn't Say it to Their Face, Don't Say it to Their Inbox

We all tend to be far more guarded when face to face with another person as opposed to looking at a computer screen. Always apply the netiquette rule, which is, if you wouldn't say it to their face don't attempt to type it in an email or job application. Swearing, profanities and offensive language is absolutely out of the question along with prejudice or discriminatory comments. 'Flaming', the expression of strongly held opinions expressed with a great deal of emotion should be kindly reserved for personal blogs or forums and should certainly not be expressed in an online job application or response to a online job interview questions.

Tip Four: Don't repeat questions that you already have the answers to

We are all human and tend to make mistakes form time to time, however many of these can be avoided by paying close attention to detail. Avoid asking questions that you already have the answers to by reading the online job advert with care and as many times you need to in order to gather all of the information listed therein. Don't ask Recruiters questions where the answers have already been detailed in the job advert or on the company's website. In doing so, this displays lack of proactively and poor attention to detail and is a poor show of netiquette. By all means, ask relevant questions required to assess whether or not you should proceed with the application but pay very close attention to information that is relayed before asking a question that will waste the Recruiters time.

Tip Five: Pay Attention to Spelling and Grammar

While this may not necessarily be a question of etiquette, with resources at your fingertips such as Word, Spell Check and online dictionaries, poor spelling and grammar is a big no-no online. Be sure to check, proof read and check again anything that you submit online or via e-mail to Recruiters. In most cases such errors are as a result of carelessness and will stand out like a sore thumb to Recruiters during the short-listing process. Don't allow silly spelling mistakes and grammatical blunders hinder your chances at filling a vacancy that could possibly be all and more of what you are looking for.

Tip Six: Respect Recruiters Time and Bandwidth

While broadband access is on the up and up in South Africa and bandwidth restrictions are improving, try to remain conscientious of Recruiters resources. Never send large files to Recruiters that may take up time and bandwidth when they attempt to download them. Your CV and job application documentation should not be too large that it successfully crashes a Recruiters machine or takes time to download. Avoid sending large files, photographs or graphics when contacting a Recruiter online. If this is an integral part of your job application (in the case of portfolios) rather burn this to a disk and deliver these by hand or alternatively place such information onto an FTP site (File Transfer Protocol, or file transfer program) that facilitates secure and easy online access by Recruiters.

Tip Seven: Presentation, Delivery and Content

Tip seven and the final in this series are fact brief but just as important etiquette tips for online Job Seekers to practice. Follow these mini online etiquette tips when composing, presenting and delivering your online job application.

* Don't ramble in your communication - Be concise and straight to the point when contacting online recruiters. Remember time is money and Recruiters are looking for a fast delivery of accurate and relevant candidate information.

* Don't abbreviate - Using abbreviations in your message does not necessarily make this shorter. Avoid using abbreviations txt language and jargon. Converse with the Recruiter displaying articulation, confidence and enthusiasm.

* Use Capital letters only where applicable - When compiling any form of communication online, when done so using only capital letters is considered aggressive and a form of shouting online. Unless visually impaired or making use of technology developed for Job Seekers with a disability (where the use of the 'shift' key stroke or multiple keystrokes is difficult) always converse with generally accepted composition.

* Don't mumble - Converse to writing in capital letters, mumbling online is where communications have no capital letter usage what so ever. Place effort in the composition of your online communication and display the best level of online etiquette available to you.

* Include a subject line - When contacting Recruiters online via e-mail, always describe the content of your communication in a concise and explanatory manner.

* Don't format -never use loud colours, fancy backgrounds or over the top font types. When displaying your professionalism and legitimate interest in the vacant role present your communication in the most conservative and expert way.

Exercising good manners and differentiating between superior and inferior conduct online is very much a 'people specific' skill. Based on culture, upbringing and they way we have learned to do things, influence the way in which we behave and respond to different situations. Culture shapes our conduct and our etiquette and consequently different cultures require different forms and levels of etiquette. Polite and correct online conduct needs to be respected and practiced across varying cultures so as to avoid insult or potentially upsetting someone without the intention of doing so.

Copyright (c) 2008 Camilla Patten

Friday, October 12, 2012

A Good Business Dissertation Is Written To Target A Particular Audience

Students, who wish to do business management, have to submit a business dissertation. It is a lengthy document which consists of many sections and written on specific topics which relate to various facets of business management. The subject areas can involve marketing, management, and organizational behavior, HRM, Finance, production and many more. The dissertation can address any of these subjects provided it is informative and is relevant. Depending upon the subject area chosen for the business dissertation, it should be written in a manner which is suitable to the audience it is targeted for. For example, if the dissertation topic is about technology in the production floor, it is then targeted for a dissertation committee which has technical experts as well as academics from production management back ground. Therefore the language and format of the dissertation will incorporate technical aspects and include technical data etc, than that of dissertations written for other fields as HRM or business ethics.

A business dissertation has many sections which need to be written clearly and concisely. These sections include introduction, literature review, methodology, and discussions. The formatting should adhere to the requirements set by the dissertation committee. The common type of formatting for business research is the Harvard system and there are plenty of resources on line which gives detailed guidelines on how to follow this system. Students should acquire a thorough knowledge of the formatting requirements prior to embarking on the dissertation writing process.

The first step in writing a business dissertation is to select an appropriate and novel topic. Before conducting the actual research study, the students should submit their dissertation proposal to the Dissertation Committee for approval. A proposal for the dissertation must outline the intended study and the proposed dissertation questions or hypothesis being explored. The significance of the study and the intended contribution of new knowledge should be highlighted in the research proposal rationale. Once the approval for the dissertation has been granted the students can embark on the actual dissertation project. This involves drafting the introduction chapter, the conducting of literature review and writing this chapter and then the designing and writing of the dissertation methodology. Primary research for the dissertation takes up an extensive amount of time and must adhere to proper researching techniques. This is why you need to place extra attention to developing a sound and reliable research design and methodology for your study. A business dissertation may use quantitative research, qualitative research or a mix method. Depending on this choice, the research tools as surveys, questionnaires, observations, focus groups or interviews can be utilized.

Having gathered the data, they need to be properly analyzed. Dissertation data analysis is highly technical and students must apply proper statistical analysis methods or qualitative analysis methods in to evaluating, analyzing and interpreting the data gathered. These analyzed data will then be used to write the discussion chapter. Within the discussion, one must discuss the findings of the study in relation to the dissertation objectives and questions. The discussion should also address the managerial and business implications of the findings.

As apparent, the writing of a business dissertation is not a simple task. It calls for multiple skills and talents as well as expert knowledge of the theoretical framework applicable within which the dissertation study is grounded upon. Dissertations also call for excellent formal writing skills. Students often find it hard to come by all these skills and seek writing assistance from professional dissertation services.

These firms offer students the options of getting a custom dissertation written by a professional dissertation writer that is well qualified in the field of business management. These professional writing assistance services offer ideas, guidance, examples and editing and proof reading services as well for those who wish to fine tune their writing to a high standard.

After all, a lot is riding on the quality of dissertation you will be submitting. After investing money, effort and time in to studying many years in a degree program, the dissertation is the final submission you will make in order complete the requirements. As such, it is wise for students to seek professional assistance, if you encounter problems, especially in technical areas such as methodology design, field research or in data analysis.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Hire a Prince George BC Bankruptcy Lawyer for Debt-free Life

Are you going through tough financial problems? In present economic crunches, there is higher percentage of individuals going through financial problems. There are other factors too that lead to accumulation of debt and un-cleared bills. Loss of job, accident or injury, death of family member and many other incidents can cause financial instability. In such a scenario, it becomes difficult for an individual or a family to pay all the expenses and pending loan amount. If you are resident of Prince George, BC, then you can breathe a sigh of relief, as there are good law firms that provide best service of professional BC Bankruptcy Lawyer. One of the main advantages of Prince George BC bankruptcy trustee is that they are highly experienced and well versed with the legal matters.

Bankruptcy law is designed to provide the right assistance to the individual to get the life back to normal. The law gives the opportunity to clear the debts and live a debt-free life. You might be skeptical whether you are eligible to apply for bankruptcy or not. Well, a person has to use a bankruptcy trustee if he or she goes bankrupt. BC Bankruptcy Trustees not just help in filing bankruptcy, but also make the necessary settlement with the creditors. BC Bankruptcy Trustee provide the best solution to bankruptcy. Filing bankruptcy can change the lifestyle and it is advisable to take the aid of experienced bankruptcy lawyer.

In times of financial difficulties, many people find it difficult to get the right solution. To get rid of debts, most people resort to loan. However, it will be sensible to go for BC debt counselling. Debt consolidation management will effectively and successfully manage the debt and find the consolidation loan to meet the finance requirement. A consolidation loan is designed to pay out the existing loan by combining your commitments into a single payment. You can certainly take the advice of the BC bankruptcy lawyer to select the best option that suits your requirements.

BC bankruptcy lawyer provide huge benefits to the corporate bodies too. The downward spiral of the economic condition has led to many business firms applying for bankruptcy. This is the only suitable option to get rid of large drop in revenues, incurred ongoing operating losses and more. BC Bankruptcy Attorney will make the process of filing of the corporate bankruptcy smooth and easy. A special corporate questionnaire is provided by the law firm or you can download from their website that will help in selecting the best course of action.

For bankruptcy, it is advisable to take the right assistance from the professional law firm. The lawyer who has proper understanding of the bankruptcy law will ensure that you get rid of this hassle as soon as possible. You can go online and search for the BC bankruptcy lawyer to handle the legal matters. Before selecting the law agency, you can read the testimonials to get a fair idea about the capabilities of the bankruptcy lawyer. Be sensible and make a wise decision to live rest of your life debt-free.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Administrative Support Resume - Accomplishments Are Key

Writing an administrative support resume? Gain a competitive edge by including professional accomplishments that will motivate employers to call. A former recruiter identifies 5 questions to ask yourself when preparing your resume.
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Coming up with relevant professional accomplishments for use on a resume is not always easy. That's especially true if you're writing a clerical or administrative support resume, as much of the job of administrative or office support doesn't lend itself to the kind of over-the-top accomplishments that move the earth and win wars. Still, professional accomplishments are necessary: they breathe life into a resume, and provide an opportunity to get a leg up on your competition.

Help in Identifying Accomplishments for your Administrative Support Resume

If you find yourself staring into space while trying to come up with accomplishments for a clerical or administrative support resume, you've got plenty of company. But shaking free of writers' block is often as simple as forcing yourself to think beyond the everyday duties you perform. Here are some probing questions to ask yourself to get you started.

Did you improve the filing system for the office? If so, an accomplishment might sound like: Designed and implemented an improved file management system that reduced file backlog from three days to one.

Were you the point person in an office startup or expansion? If so, a resume accomplishment might sound like: Established office procedures supporting a doubling in medical staff with no subsequent increase in support personnel.

Did you have a hand in improving the efficiency or speed of office procedures? If so, an accomplishment might sound like: Developed a tracking and call-back system for delinquent accounts that reduced A/R collection period by 75%.

Did you save your company money? If so, an accomplishment might sound like: Reduced annual insurance expenses ,000 by re-negotiating malpractice, health and disability insurance policies.

Were you involved in the transition of something technical? If so, an accomplishment might sound like: Upgraded and migrated 6 office computers to a UNIX-based platform.

Did you receive training, or did you initiate a learning experience outside your job description? If so, an accomplishment might sound like: Enrolled in evening university classes (labor and employment law) to better assist legal staff in case work.

Were you recognized for exemplary performance? If so, a resume accomplishment might sound like: Received numerous customer comments and correspondence--as well as a company bonus--in recognition for exemplary customer service.

Your Administrative Support Resume - Target Your Next Job

Once you've asked the questions and identified a number of accomplishments that will look good on the resume, make sure those accomplishments speak directly to the kind of position you're seeking. If the position opening has been posted or otherwise advertised, you can glean loads of information from the job description that will help you target your resume like a laser beam.

Finally, if your paper is still blank after these exercises, make a commitment this day to begin keeping a journal of the contributions you make to your company. Remembered and recorded, professional accomplishments will serve you long after the initial accolades.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Business Analyst In Insurance Domain

The right balance of information and technical knowhow is needed for a Business Analyst to successfully complete his job in any sector. This dictum applies to the Insurance sector as well.

A Business Analyst should be well versed with the information that is needed for any Insurance professional to work in the Insurance domain. Since he has to analyze the processes and then help in the development of essential software for the projects in the Insurance sector, he needs to have both the information required of an Insurance professional and the technical knowledge required for the establishment of software designed for this sector.

Insurance as is known is generally divided into three major divisions: Life Insurance (dealing with safeguarding life and the risk of mortality and critical illnesses), General Insurance (dealing with the risk of damage to immovable property, motor, cargo, marine, household, and fire insurance), health insurance (dealing with risk of illness and disease, and thus covers reimbursements, medical claims, operation of panel doctors, cashless hospitalization, co payment etc.) The level of knowledge and range required is different in each stream and hence a Business Analyst has to have a certain demonstrable understanding of the workings of the particular streams in the sector and also desirably, adequate level of experience in the sector.
Functional Knowledge of Insurance applications is also essential, like new business, channel management, policy servicing, claims management, underwriting, reinsurance and finance. Along with knowledge of the business processes of the particular client company, a brief and thorough understanding of the requirements given by the regulatory authority of the Insurance industry is also mandatory. The terminology is varied for the Insurance sector, with changes even within the sector, for the different streams of the sector. Knowledge of these unique terminologies will help the Business Analyst to understand the client who is the end user's expectations and he will be able to draft them better into requirements efficiently.

Once functional requirements are known, the technical knowhow is also essential for any good Business Analyst to communicate to his software developer's team about the client user's expectations from the project. The Business Analyst should be aware of the basic MS- Office tools like Microsoft Word, Ms PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Visio, MS Access, and MS Project). These help in collating data and presenting it in proper format. Then knowledge of relational databases is also important for understanding the technicalities of Querying and Support. Basic programming languages that are used by software developers should also be known to the Business Analyst so that he can understand the developer's problems or point of view. These programming languages could be ASP, Dot Net, JAVA, J2EE, XNL, HTML etc.

In addition to these, knowledge and experience in insurance business applications, content management systems, portals, data warehousing tools can give any Business Analyst that extra edge over others standing next to him.
Thus, it's quite clear that a Business Analyst in the Insurance domain needs to know both sides of the coin the knowledge of insurance business processes and the relevant Insurance software packages.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

How a Lien and a Lien Holder Affect Your Auto Insurance Policy

There are all sorts of complications that arise when buying car insurance for yourself. The presence of a second party definitely complicates matters further. A lot of people who have a lien against their car feel overwhelmed, like they can't make their own decisions about their car insurance, or that they're not truly responsible for what happens to their car because they don't "own it."

To help dispel these rumors, in this article we're going to discuss a little bit about the ins and outs of holders, and how they affect your policy. The first place to start is with a definition: what is a lien, and what is a holder? A lien is a claim on property (in this case, your car) as security for the payment of a debt. That means if you can't pay your debt, whoever has placed the lien (the holder) can take your car away.

A lien can be placed on your car either by choice, or by force. By choice is when you're leasing a car, or when you're borrowing money. You are voluntarily making an agreement with someone else, agreeing to pay that person, and using your car as a promise that you will pay. You understand that if you don't pay, the holder can come in and reclaim your car. A lien placed on a car by force is usually the result of the government - particularly the IRS. If you owe the government money, they will often place liens on your home or car until you pay your back taxes. Depending on the state rules, that lien can be collected whenever you try and sell your car, or the car itself can be forcibly taken after a period of time.

It's worth noting that if your car sells for ,000 and your lien is valued at ,000, you only get ,000 from the sale of the car. Your holder gets paid first. If the car sells for ,000 and the lien is valued at ,000, then you get nothing from the sale of your car, and you still owe the lien holder ,000.

So how does this affect your insurance? It makes you take into consideration the needs of your lien holder, who owns the title to your car. In cases of voluntary liens, such as leasing, you are required to purchase as much insurance as your lien holder wants. This can often include above and beyond standard damage and collision coverage. This is done as a way to keep you from getting out of a lien if your car is totaled. Sometimes, auto insurance companies have special names for these additional policies: Loss Payee Clauses, or Lien holder Clauses

A good thing to keep in mind: if you get into a minor accident, the lien holder has no responsibility - you are still required to pay the whole deductible.