Category Archives: Communication
Posted in Alternative Energy | Architecture | Communication | Marketing | Social Media by Marty Muggleton (VP Client Development & Marketing) on January 26, 2012
This chart is the author’s personal opinion on who people choose to trust for news and truth, and who has the most ethical, moral, and/or legal responsibility to be accurate.
I’ve been working long enough that young people think I’m wise. Secretly, I think they mean old and just want to be nice about it. But these are gifted people, with a bright future and we have some interesting discussions. Broad but predictable range of topics – religion, environment, healthcare, politics, and the list goes on.
Over the holidays, I had a couple of interesting discussions on news, truth, and trust. These chats matched up with some free time that let me look at the relationship of news, truth, and trust a bit differently.
The primary role of media is news not truth. They mark the date of an event, and that establishes chronology. You hear on television and radio. “At 11:00 this morning…”. A book or published research attempts to offer truth, by reaching for cause and effect after the event happened. You read it. “We found measurable amounts of…”. Trust, I feel, is established by where you are and what you’re surrounded by.
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Posted in Accounting | Communication | Current Events | Education | Leadership | Professional Development by Brenda Nichols (Accounting) on October 31, 2011
I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the inaugural Professional Development Business Conference recently held by the Bloomsburg University College of Business. What a great opportunity for the students to attend sessions with many “Bloom U” business graduates offering insights and knowledge of their real world experiences.
I’m sure I am not alone in receiving a request or two from outside organizations when it comes to participating in roundtable discussions, forums, or panel discussions. Even though the timing of this event couldn’t have been much worse for me, I am so glad I did it. While the students were the intended beneficiaries of this conference, I also took a lot away from it. I gained a greater appreciation for the Bloomsburg University College of Business, met fellow graduates that could turn into business opportunities, talked with professionals from all over the nation, and even reconnected with a few people that I haven’t seen in over 25 years.
I guess you could say that by participating in this conference, I actually lived my presentation. My focus was on, “Using Your Position to Give Back”, and in a small way, I contributed my time to the next generation of leaders. The questions asked, the discussions had, and the attention paid to all the presentations makes me confident that we have some future stars in the making at Bloomsburg University. I know that the quality of business education they are receiving is top shelf. My “Husky” education has been invaluable to me throughout my career. I can’t thank Professor Woodward for telling me in 1984 that I wouldn’t be doing Accounting for long. He thought an inquisitive mind like mine would need more stimulation than crunching the numbers. At the time this sounded terrible, but now I know what he meant.
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Posted in Accounting | Client Service | Communication | Employees | Initiatives | Leadership by Brenda Nichols (Accounting) on June 8, 2011
Image © Elvis Santana
As we continue to transition our accounting department into a more integrated model that mirrors our organization, I realize how important full documentation of procedures and processes can be. Larson Design Group has always had good step-by-step accounting documentation such as how to record a vendor’s invoice in our accounting software, etc. However, we have learned that we were weak on system documentation; the things that really matter in making a company run efficiently, effectively and without risk of errors in the big picture.
For example, since LDG conducts approximately 20% of its business with State agencies, their audit standards require thorough review of our systems. In the last few weeks, various co-workers and I have taken the time to document our internal controls in all areas. Yes, it has been a lot of work that came with struggles in finding the right words and preparing numerous documents that ensure everyone understands these procedures. But in the big picture, it shows that in all situations, we can improve. We have looked even closer at segregation of duties within the accounting department and our approval processes. And accordingly we are making changes. The first change we made is that all electronic payments for vendor invoices will now go through an additional review and approval process to ensure more “eyes” see these.
In the end, I am even more confident with the integrity of our data and proud to be part of making these changes happen.
No comments yet | Permalink |Posted in Blogging | Codes & Regulations | Communication | Communities | Leadership | Municipal Services | Social Media by Jim Fisher (Site Engineering) on June 1, 2011
In my previous blog post, I touched on the importance and timing of public participation. Another critical element is the method. Public meetings offer face-to-face interactions, as well as an environment that allows for instantaneous “logrolling” as ideas and explanations are bantered back and forth. More and more, media such as Facebook and Twitter are being utilized by municipalities as ways to increase public participation in the policy-making process. While this certainly offers additional means for citizens to make their feelings known, especially when their schedules don’t allow for attendance at public meetings, caution must be exercised.
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Posted in Codes & Regulations | Communication | Communities | Municipal Services | Site Design & Land Development by Jim Fisher (Site Engineering) on May 25, 2011
Whether it is a comprehensive revision of a zoning map, or an update to a driveway ordinance, public participation is essential to the creation and implementation of any public policy, especially a planning-related initiative. Many times it is public participation that actually begins the planning process. Residents bring to the attention of municipal officials various issues they are seeing with new development: plastic grocery bags blowing onto adjacent properties, glare from parking lot lighting, trucks needing to cross into opposite lanes to enter or exit a warehouse facility, and so on. While such public participation can be somewhat confrontational at first (i.e. registering complaints is a confrontational act, regardless of how “nicely” it is done), the end result can be a very positive experience for everyone involved – if the municipal officials are respectful, responsive, and adequately address the concerns.
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