Building change competence in employees!!

The following list defines the requirements for building change competency in employees. It uses the ADKAR model as a framework (the same model you will teach employees to use as they go through changes). The requirements must be filled in sequential order. In other words, only when the first requirement is met should you move to the second requirement.
1. Awareness – Employees are aware of the significant role they play in the overall change management process. They understand that change is the norm, not the exception. They also understand that some changes may happen quickly and without warning. Employees expect change, and understand that their change competency is part of their job responsibility (included in their job description). Employees are aware that they collectively produce business success and understand the need to change to keep pace with changing market conditions.
2. Desire – Employees are committed to building change competency. They understand the business risk of not building this competency into the organization, and understand the personal consequences for them (both good and bad) that create a desire to develop this competency. Employees recognize that being able to adapt to change is part of their job responsibilities, and that doing their job well requires constant adaptation and change. They see evidence that adaptability and change competence is part of their overall performance evaluation.
3. Knowledge – Employees understand how to cope and thrive in a changing environment. Tools like the ADKAR model of change are provided to employees and are part of the coach-employee relationship. Employees understand the tools and resources they have to assist them through the transition. They know how to identify where they are having problems and know how to seek solutions. Employees have the skills, behaviors and knowledge to be change competent.
4. Ability – Employees have a chance to practice and fail in a non-threatening environment. They have been given the appropriate coaching and know where to go for help.
5. Reinforcement – The values of a change-competent organization are factored into the job descriptions, compensation and reward schemes for employees. Their direct supervisors provide guidance and opportunities to practice the skills needed to support constant change.

Outlook’s Top Colleges List!!

Top 100 Engineering Colleges

Recently Outlook Magazine released a list of Top 100 Engineering Colleges in India. A total of 12 universities from Tamil Nadu featured in the list. Among them were IIT Madras (#4), Anna University (#10), NIT/REC (#15), PSG College of Technology (#23), Velore Inst Technology (#43), Coimbatore Institute of Technolgy (#44), SSN College of Engineering (#45), SRM Inst of Science and Technology (#65), SASTRA (#66), Karunya Inst Technology (#84), Sathyabhama Engineering College (#86), and Hindustan Inst Engineering Technology (#90). I was quite surprised to see many “Deemed Universities” in the list. IIT Madras was placed 4th overall behind IIT Kanpur, Kharagpur, and Bombay.

The Five Key Things You Need to Know Before You Buy a Domain Name??

Buying a domain name is one of the most important steps a business can take to ensure success.

So what do you need to know when searching for your domain?

1. Determine Your Domain Name Strategy
2. Variations on a Theme: Your Name in Many Forms
3. Domains As a Capital Investment: Think About Your Domains as Assets
4. Due Diligence: Don't Let Trademark Issues Cloud Your Target Domains
5. Plan for Success: Acquire Your Domain with a Plan in Place

From defining a domain name strategy, to planning first steps post-acquisition, this document outlines five key points that every entrepreneur should consider.

Tips on Domain Selling!!

What are some tips on domain selling?

Tips on domain selling are bound to help you make a profitable deal when trading your domains. Domain selling requires patience, skills, and talent; more importantly, you have to be abreast with the latest domain news and events. Though many domain owners employ conventional domain selling strategies, it has been established that certain serious considerations and skilful ploys can bring you better profit.

Consider these tips on selling a domain name:

• Evaluate the worth of your domain name and determine the price. Decide on a reasonable price.
• Create an HTML page to advertise the sale of your domain name. Almost all domain registrars offer free HTML pages without paying web hosting fees.
• You can provide your web URLs to leading search engines so that you get increased traffic to your domains.
• Update the WHOIS information to make others sure that your domain name is for sale.
• If your domain names that are listed for sale do not receive sufficient buyer attention, seek advice from the experts.
• As a rule, reply to every tender even if the price is not what you expected.
• Make sure that your contact address is up-to-date.

If you cannot sell your domain name by yourself, make use of the services of a number of professional domain name marketing companies. Some companies will list your domain names absolutely free. They operate on a commission basis. You are charged only if they manage to find a buyer for your domain names.

Domain sales are very much dependent on the domain names. Buyers are attracted to clear and identifiable, short domain names, with few numbers as characters. Another important aspect of successful domain sales is effective marketing. You should not only have a worthy domain but know how to market it. In this regard, it is worthwhile to accept necessary tips on domain selling from those experienced in the field.

How to Sell Web Domain Names??

Information on how to sell web domain names.

Wondering how to sell web domain names? Domain name trading has now become a profitable business on the Internet. Premium domains enjoy great demand and are usually noted for their catchy names and remarkable traffic.

It is vital to first assess the market value of your domain name through a domain appraisal study. Find out the market value of an extensive range of domain names such as aftermarket domains, high-value domains, top domains, secondary market domains, sounding domains etc. The .com domain name has more market value than other generic top level domain names. Generally, customers choose short domain names rather than long ones. So try to sell domains with short and memorable names which are highly desired in the domain market.

You can display a list of domain names for sale in the advertising market sites provided by various companies facilitating domain sales. Make your site attractive enough to invite a number of potential customers. In order to maximize the chance of sales, the site you created must be provided with relevant information.

Are you looking to sell domain names at a fast rate? Then, sell domain names at various discount rates plus additional features. You can offer multiple domain names for a wholesale rate. Customers always look for low prices. In the rapid changing domain name market, price value can go up as time changes. So never display current price values on the sites but give an option for request price. Another selling technique is to offer domain names with longer registration periods. Domains which have been registered for longer periods invite more customers because domain buyers are always on the lookout to reduce their risk from losing names through accidental expiration.

Let's now hope you got certain tips how to sell web domain names in the cyberspace business world.

Motion-capture system adds costume to the drama!!

Special effects based on the 3D movements of real actors were once the domain of film-makers with hundreds of millions of dollars to spare. But digital motion capture could soon be within reach of low-budget film makers thanks to new software that records movement without using markers.

Studios making computer games and movies typically capture motion using highly visible markers placed across the body of an actor wearing a tight, dark suit, to help a camera track their movements. The technique was used heavily in Paramount's film Beowulf, released last year.

However, the vision-processing software sometimes loses track of these markers and the errors must be corrected by hand.

"This contributes significantly to the production costs," says Christian Theobalt from Stanford University, USA.

Digital double

Theobalt and colleagues at Stanford, and from the Max-Planck Institute Informatik in Saarbrücken, Germany, claim to have made software accurate enough to capture the full 3D movement of a person's body without markers. A video (top, right) shows it in action.

The new method begins the creation of a 3D digital clone of the actor using a laser scanner. Eight cameras then capture their movements from different angles as they act the scene. Their recording of the person's movement is then analysed to animate the 3D clone.

For each frame, vision-processing software finds the outline of the actor in the eight different images to capture their movement. The software compares the relative positions of features on the eight original images to calculate other details like creases in the actor's clothes. The final 3D animation of the person can then be exported into the movie environment.

Because the new method is not confused by loose clothing, an actor can wear costume for the recording. After a conventional marker-based recording, clothing must be digitally added.

Costume capture

Capturing the ruffle of real clothes, rather than simulating this with a computer, could make the animations appear more realistic. It could also improve the actor's performance.

"I would imagine an actor could perform better if they were immersed in the right costume," says Richard Broadbridge, an expert in motion capture from 4D View Solutions.

Tests of the new system on dancers and martial artists included clothing like long, flowing skirts that would have confused a marker-based system.

With improvements, the technique used by Theobalt's software to capture the movements of clothing might one day prove capable of capturing facial expressions too, says Broadbridge, who says the results so far are impressive.

The work will be presented at the computer graphics conference Siggraph in Los Angeles, California, in August.