Messages

31

Common Forum / Agricultural productivity

« on: April 11, 2016, 01:56:49 AM »

Agricultural productivity is measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs to agricultural inputs. While individual products are usually measured by weight, their varying densities make measuring overall agricultural output difficult. Therefore, output is usually measured as the market value of final output, which excludes intermediate products such as corn feed used in the meat industry. This output value may be compared to many different types of inputs such as labor and land . These are called partial measures of productivity. Agricultural productivity may also be measured by what is termed total factor productivity (TFP). This method of calculating agricultural productivity compares an index of agricultural inputs to an index of outputs. This measure of agricultural productivity was established to remedy the shortcomings of the partial measures of productivity; notably that it is often hard to identify the factors cause them to change. Changes in TFP are usually attributed to technological improvements.

Source: wiki

32

Common Forum / Brand Strategy Key Concepts & Steps

« on: February 17, 2016, 05:03:31 AM »

Before you begin

Before working on your brand strategy, make sure you’ve identified your competitive positioning strategy – your brand strategy will bring it to life.

If you have a brand strategy, make sure it’s as effective as possible

    Poll your customers, employees and vendors. Are their impressions consistent with your strategy? If not, work on the elements you can improve.

Develop your brand around emotional benefits

    * List the features and benefits of your product / service. A feature is an attribute – a color, a configuration; a benefit is what that feature does for the customer.
    * Determine which benefits are most important to each of your customer segments.
    * Identify which benefits are emotional – the most powerful brand strategies tap into emotions, even among business buyers.
    *Look at the emotional benefits and boil them down to one thing that your customers should think of when they think of you. That’s what your brand should represent.

Define your brand personality, story and positioning statements

    *Think of your brand as a person with a distinct personality. Describe him or her, then convey these traits in everything you do and create.
    *Write positioning statements and a story about your brand; use them throughout your company materials.
   * Choose colors, fonts and other visual elements that match your personality.
   * Determine how your employees will interact with prospects and customers to convey the personality and make sure your brand “lives” within your company.

Source: http://www.marketingmo.com

33

MBA Discussion Forum / When consumers trust your brand, they don’t contemplate their purchase decisions

« on: July 03, 2015, 04:31:43 PM »

Consumer confidence is waning across the global economy. In times like these, decades of hard-earned brand equity can be eroded over the course of months. Recessions force companies to be smarter about where they invest. Focusing solely on how your brand is different and how that difference creates value for the consumer, increases consumers’ confidence in your brand. Demonstrate that it is “worth more” and you’ll increase their willingness to pay more when every penny counts.

When the market goes south, management too often turns its approach away from brand-centric to price-centric thinking. Thus begins the vicious downward spiral where brand value erodes, in turn reducing revenues which further tightens belts and value continues to erode. The only answer to a recession is a proactive response. Investing in your brands will help to retain your audience and attract a new audience by stealing share from weaker brands. Only the best positioned players will survive and thrive.

When consumers trust your brand, they don’t contemplate their purchase decisions—they buy.

Source: Internet

34

MBA Discussion Forum / Cut Costs Not Corners in the time of recession

« on: July 03, 2015, 04:24:33 PM »

While difficult economic conditions may be trying, it is important to stress that investing and spending are not one in the same. A company can make a significant investment with minimal spend. There are many ways to achieve great impact with minimal or even reduced costs:

    In a recession, more effective employees can make the difference between success and failure. Implementing an internal program that encourages employees to “live the brand” brings a company together by providing clarity. This simple effort can boost employee morale and ensure that their efforts stay focused and on-brand.

    Instead of spending on typical sales promotion, spend on engagement. Exploring and exploiting different sensory inputs can lead to innovative brand signals that are less costly to implement than traditional advertising. Look for the low hanging fruit. Ask the question: “Where and how can the brand effectively get the message out?” Bang for the buck is everything.

    Outsource branding, “insource” execution. The cost of execution eclipses the cost of creativity. A tight budget can choke branding and marketing efforts. In a recession, the costs of branding can seem high. However, by bringing high-cost items like execution in-house, companies can better leverage their limited budgets.

    Negotiate! Your dollar buys more in a bad economy. You may find that you are able to negotiate longer payment terms, volume discounts or other benefits. In times of recession, most partners and vendors are open to discussion. Leverage your position properly and you could find a tight budget buys big budget returns.

    Leverage relationships and explore co-branding initiatives. Companies are cutting costs at every turn. Co-branding can reduce marketing costs while extending the brands reach by allowing unrelated brands to split the costs of marketing while gaining the competitive advantage of cross-brand endorsement.

    Price slashing may sound simple and logical, but it is a sure way to give up ground to competitors who may be more aggressive during the downturn. Price isn’t merely a reflection of quality, it’s also an indicator of it. It’s easy to rationalize that: “it drives business,” and “consumers are struggling and need the help,” but steep discounts tend to attract price-driven shoppers who aren’t likely to be loyal to your brand.

    Cement a value-based position with consumers, not a position of low price. If you can find a way to reduce costs–while maintaining quality–and you can permanently pass that price reduction on to the consumer, your brand equity will grow now and after the economy eventually rights itself. Whether in good times or bad, if you can provide enhanced value to consumers, you’re doing the right thing.

While a recession may feel like the worst time to be a marketer, it may be the best time to build brands. The companies who maintain a strategic perspective and invest in their brands will rebound from a recession stronger from the experience. Weaker brands may not exist by the time the economy re-surges.

Consumers are forming opinions about your brand whether you’re proactively managing the experience or not. So, to be successful, be as optimistic as you can. Your brand and business are in a position either to contribute to the fear or help diffuse it. The connections made during these times of crisis are often stronger than those made in times of prosperity. Look for opportunity where others see hopelessness to find the low hanging fruit your brand needs to thrive.

Equity is only built through the consistent delivery of your brand promise over time. The reward is improved customer loyalty.

Source: Internet

35

MBA Discussion Forum / Invest in Your Brand during recession

« on: July 03, 2015, 04:22:44 PM »

Abandoning or neglecting your brand as markets tighten, only makes matters worse. Historically, companies who properly support their brands with cost-effective measures can retain and even gain share in the face of lower-priced alternatives. These same companies will be best positioned to enjoy the fruits of their labor when the economy inevitably returns to growth.

Following the U.S. Stock Market crash of 1987, Nike tripled its marketing spend and emerged from the recession with profits nine times higher than going in. Taco Bell and Pizza Hut also took advantage of this recession, promoting themselves heavily, while the market leader McDonald’s, cut back. This investment paid off by significantly narrowing McDonald’s category lead.

Recessions are tough on companies and consumers alike as both face the pressures of restricted cash flows and receding bottom lines. The bonds that brands build with consumers at such times are powerful. A recession must be viewed as an opportunity to reassess and strengthen the brand to drive the most value—spend smarter not harder.

Decisions should be focused on spending wisely, but too often companies do nothing at all. A company’s typical reaction to a slowing economy is to cut back and wait things out. Ironically, those companies end up damaging their most valuable assets—their brands.

Conventional wisdom suggests that in times of recession it is better to tighten the belt and cut marketing and branding expenditures. However, when companies cut their outreach, they also begin to cut the ties that bond consumers to those brands. For smart companies, opportunity beckons.

A downturn represents less money in consumers’ pockets and more careful consumption habits. A slimmer budget means companies must be more effective with their branding efforts. Determine what is excess or even damaging to your brand and shed it. Use your focus and resources to strengthen your position in the market and in consumers’ eyes.

As you see your competitors cutting back, recognize that now is the time to strike. If funds are too tight to make an all-out attack, cut less than your competitors. Remember, in a recession both your dollar and your message go farther.

Source: Internet

36

MBA Discussion Forum / Stealing Share during recession

« on: July 03, 2015, 04:21:38 PM »

Brands are valuable in good times and in bad. During tough times like these, your brand may be considered by consumers who would otherwise not take notice or see relevance. Make the experience positive and you may build a bond for life.

Many case studies have shown that hard times are actually the best times to steal market share and build brand value. As weaker brands die off, the remaining brands sing louder, calling to consumers who are ripe for change. Steal your competitors’ consumers and the payoff is two to one.

The effect of brands actually alters consumers’ behavior. When consumers value a brand as being a trustworthy, quality offering, they are usually willing to pay more to avoid the risk of making a bad decision. However, they may be prone to try new brands as their wallets are squeezed ever tighter.

Recessions often weed out weaker brands making category leaders even stronger. At the same time, “value-based” brands can gain market share by presenting the consumer with a familiar name at a reasonable price. This brand switching provides an incredible window of opportunity for companies to steal market share from competitors. The number of consumers retained depends on the ability for the “temporary” brand to deliver on its promise of value.

When brands focus on value, rather than price, they reassure consumers with greater confidence. The moral support that is provided by brands during a recession helps to rebuild that enduring bond between brand and former consumer.

As consumers begin evaluating their purchases on a different set of priorities, heritage brands can use the emotional connections that already exist to regain past consumers that have moved on to “higher end” brands. A recession can unlock the relevance trapped within the brands of people’s youth.

The necessity for a clear brand proposition is more important than ever as consumers recognize the need for new ways to work within their shrinking budgets. The companies who recognize and seize the opportunity to steal market share while others are in shutdown mode, will find the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Source: Internet

37

MBA Discussion Forum / Brand Building in a Recession

« on: July 03, 2015, 04:19:35 PM »

Economic slowdown, recession, depression, call it what you will. A bad economy affects everyone. When times are tight, the bottom line is dictated by the sense of value consumers place in your brand, or more precisely, how much they are willing to pay for that value. Both the value perceived by consumers and actual shareholder value are strongly influenced by brand. Brand can drive growth in an up market or protect the company’s value in a down market. One of the most important, but often overlooked aspects of a recession is the insecurity consumers experience. As consumers feel the pinch, they begin to search for change. Companies need to focus on actions that take advantage of the opportunities that change brings. Branding in a recession is all about investing in consumer retention and attraction.

During a recession, most companies cut back in every area of the business and start slashing prices to accommodate the shifting demand curve. While this may help in the short term, this strategy can actually damage both the company and its brands. There are tremendous lessons to be learned from previous recessions. Not everyone automatically loses out in an adverse economy. Historically, companies who invested in their brands during hard economic times retained their core audience, attracted new consumers and emerged stronger in the end.

In a poor economic climate, companies must recognize that consumer retention and attraction is the name of the game. You must invest in brand-building to win market share, not just mindshare or margin. Those who fail to see their consumers as an appreciating asset may soon find their brands and business devalued or defunct.

During a bull economy, consumers have more disposable income, spend more freely and take bigger risks. However, a bear economy forces people to evaluate their purchasing decisions with a critical eye towards value. Consumers’ spending habits change dramatically—they take inventory of their costs and the related benefits. If the value is not readily apparent, they could move on to a “safer” option.

Recessions are brought on by many factors, but are fed by consumers’ economic fears. People spend less overall and become far more selective about where they spend the little money they have. This tends to expose and amplify brand weaknesses. As consumers are far less forgiving and far more price-conscious, they abandon brands that fail to provide clear, meaningful and relevant value.

Branding cannot be reserved as an exercise in times of growth. To be effective it requires constant maintenance, perhaps even more so in times of crisis. Take care of your brand and your brand will take care of you. Neglect it and you’ll immediately feel the ill effects.

Brands are built over decades and generations. Think long term—make your competition chase you.

Source: Internet

38

Business / Defining Brand

« on: July 03, 2015, 04:14:25 PM »

Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the questions below:

 

• What is your company's mission?
  
• What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
  
  • What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?
    
  • What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?
  
  Do your research. Learn the needs, habits and desires of your current and prospective customers. And don't rely on what you think they think. Know what they think.
  
  
  Because defining your brand and developing a brand strategy can be complex, consider leveraging the expertise of a nonprofit small-business advisory group or a Small Business Development Center .
  
  
  Once you've defined your brand, how do you get the word out? Here are a few simple, time-tested tips:
  
      Get a great logo. Place it everywhere.
  
      Write down your brand messaging. What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee should be aware of your brand attributes.
  
      Integrate your brand. Branding extends to every aspect of your business--how you answer your phones, what you or your salespeople wear on sales calls, your e-mail signature, everything.
  
      Create a "voice" for your company that reflects your brand. This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and off. Is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it ritzy? Be more formal. You get the gist.
  
      Develop a tagline. Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand.
      Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don't need to be fancy, just consistent.
  
      Be true to your brand. Customers won't return to you--or refer you to someone else--if you don't deliver on your brand promise.
  
      Be consistent. I placed this point last only because it involves all of the above and is the most important tip I can give you. If you can't do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.
  
  
  Source: Internet

39

Business / Brand Strategy & Equity

« on: July 03, 2015, 04:08:00 PM »

Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company's products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command. The most obvious example of this is Coke vs. a generic soda. Because Coca-Cola has built a powerful brand equity, it can charge more for its product--and customers will pay that higher price.

The added value intrinsic to brand equity frequently comes in the form of perceived quality or emotional attachment. For example, Nike associates its products with star athletes, hoping customers will transfer their emotional attachment from the athlete to the product. For Nike, it's not just the shoe's features that sell the shoe.


Source: Internet

40

MBA Discussion Forum / Occupational health and safety

« on: April 04, 2015, 12:57:04 PM »

Occupational health and safety is concerned with how the work environment contributes to illness and injury of workers. Of particular importance are psychosocial hazards or risk factors that include fatigue, workplace violence, workplace bullying. Other factors important to employee health and well-being include work schedules (e.g., night shifts), work/family conflict, and burnout. Tools have been developed by I/O researchers and psychologists to measure these psychosocial risk factors in the workplace and "stress audits" can be used to help organizations remain compliant with various occupational health and safety regulations around the world.

Another area of concern is the high rate of occupational fatalities and injuries due to accidents. There is also research interest in how psychosocial hazards affect physical ailments like musculoskeletal disorder. A contributing psychosocial factor to accidents is safety climate, that concerns organizational policies and practices concerning safe behavior at work. A related concept that has to do with psychological well-being as opposed to accidents is psychosocial safety climate (PSC). PSC refers to policies, practices, and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety. Safety leadership is another area of occupational health and safety I/O psychology is concerned with, where specific leadership styles affect safety compliance and safety participation.

41

MBA Discussion Forum / Occupational stress in Job place

« on: April 04, 2015, 12:54:54 PM »

I/O psychologists are involved in the research and the practice of occupational stress and design of individual and organizational interventions to manage and reduce the stress levels and increase productivity, performance, health and wellbeing.Occupational stress is concerned with physical and psychosocial working conditions (termed stressors) that can elicit negative responses (termed strains) from employees. Occupational stress can have implications for organizational performance because of the emotions job stress evokes. For example, a job stressor such as conflict with a supervisor can precipitate anger that in turn motivates counterproductive workplace behaviors. Job-related hindrance stressors are directly (and challenge stressors inversely) related to turnover and turnover intentions. I/O research has examined the relations among work stressors and workplace aggression, withdrawal, theft, and substance abuse, strategies that individuals use to cope with work stress and prevent occupational burnout, and the relation of work stress to depressive symptoms.

A number of models have been developed to explain the job stress process. Examples of models that have influenced research include the person-environment fit model and the demand-control model. Research has also examined the interaction among personality variables and stressors and their effects on employee strains. I/O psychology is also concerned with the physical health outcomes caused by occupational stress. For instance, researchers at the institute of work psychology (IWP) examined the mediating role of psychological strain in relation to musculoskeletal disorders.

Research has also examined occupational stress in specific occupations. For example, there has been research on job stress in police, teachers, general practitioners, and dentists. Another concern has been the relation of occupational stress to family life. Other research has examined gender differences in leadership style and job stress and strain in the context of male- and female-dominated industries, burnout in the human services and other occupations, and unemployment-related distress. I/O psychology is also concerned with the relation of occupational stress to career advancement.

Source: Wiki

42

MBA Discussion Forum / Motivation in the workplace

« on: April 04, 2015, 12:50:21 PM »

Work motivation "is a set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individual's being, to initiate work-related behavior, and to determine its form, direction, intensity, and duration"[53] Understanding what motivates an organization's employees is central to the study of I–O psychology. Motivation is a person's internal disposition to be concerned with an approach positive incentives and avoid negative incentives. To further this, an incentive is the anticipated reward or aversive event available in the environment.[54] While motivation can often be used as a tool to help predict behavior, it varies greatly among individuals and must often be combined with ability and environmental factors to actually influence behavior and performance. Because of motivation's role in influencing workplace behavior and performance, it is key for organizations to understand and to structure the work environment to encourage productive behaviors and discourage those that are unproductive.

There is general consensus that motivation involves three psychological processes: arousal, direction, and intensity. Arousal is what initiates action. It is fueled by a person's need or desire for something that is missing from their lives at a given moment, either totally or partially. Direction refers to the path employees take in accomplishing the goals they set for themselves. Finally, intensity is the vigor and amount of energy employees put into this goal-directed work performance. The level of intensity is based on the importance and difficulty of the goal. These psychological processes result in four outcomes. First, motivation serves to direct attention, focusing on particular issues, people, tasks, etc. It also serves to stimulate an employee to put forth effort. Next, motivation results in persistence, preventing one from deviating from the goal-seeking behavior. Finally, motivation results in task strategies, which as defined by Mitchell & Daniels, are "patterns of behavior produced to reach a particular goal.

Source: Wiki

43

MBA Discussion Forum / Training and training evaluation

« on: April 04, 2015, 12:47:21 PM »

Training is the systematic acquisition of skills, concepts, or attitudes that results in improved performance in another environment. Most people hired for a job are not already versed in all the tasks required to perform the job effectively. Evidence indicates that training is effective and that these training expenditures are paying off in terms of higher net sales and gross profitability per employee. Training can be beneficial for the organization and for employees in terms of increasing their value to their organization as well as their employability in the broader marketplace. Many organizations are using training and development as a way to attract and retain their most successful employees.

An I–O psychologist would employ a job analysis in concert with principles of instructional design to create an effective training program. A training program is likely to include a summative evaluation at its conclusion in order to ensure that trainees have met the training objectives and can perform the target work tasks at an acceptable level. Training programs often include formative evaluations to assess the impact of the training as the training proceeds. Formative evaluations can be used to locate problems in training procedures and help I–O psychologists make corrective adjustments while the training is ongoing.

The basic foundation for training programs is learning. Learning outcomes can be organized into three broad categories: cognitive, skill-based, and affective outcomes. Cognitive is a type of learning outcome that includes declarative knowledge or the knowledge of rules, fasts, and principles. An example is police officers acquire declarative knowledge about laws and court procedures. Skill-based is a learning outcome that concerns procedural knowledge and the development of motor and technical skills. An example is motor skills that involve the coordination of physical movements such as using a special tool or flying a certain aircraft, whereas technical skills might include understanding a certain software program, or exhibiting effective customer relations behaviors. Affective is a type of learning outcome that includes attitudes or beliefs that predispose a person to behave in a certain way. Attitudes can be developed or changed through training programs. Examples of these attitudes are organizational commitment and appreciation of diversity.

Before training design issues are considered, a careful needs analysis is required to develop a systematic understanding of where training is needed, what needs to be taught or trained, and who will be trained.[45] Training needs analysis typically involves a three step process that includes organizational analysis, task analysis and person analysis. Organizational analysis examines organizational goals, available resources, and the organizational environment to determine where training should be directed. This analysis identifies the training needs of different departments or subunits and systematically assessing manager, peer, and technological support for transfer of training. Organizational analysis also takes into account the climate of the organization and its subunits. For example, if a climate for safety is emphasized throughout the organization or in particular parts of the organization (e.g., production), then training needs will likely reflect this emphasis. Task analysis uses the results from job analysis on determining what is needed for successful job performance and then determines what the content of training should be. Task analysis can consist of developing task statements, determining homogeneous task clusters, and identifying KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, other characteristics) required for the job. With organizations increasingly trying to identify "core competencies" that are required for all jobs, task analysis can also include an assessment of competencies. Person analysis identifies which individuals within an organization should receive training and what kind of instruction they need. Employee needs can be assessed using a variety of methods that identify weaknesses that training and development can address. The needs analysis makes it possible to identify the training program's objectives, which in turn, represents the information for both the trainer and trainee about what is to be learned for the benefit of the organization.

Therefore with any training program it is key to establish specify training objectives. Schultz & Schultz (2010) states that need assessment is an analysis of corporate and individual goals undertaken before designing a training program. Examples of need assessment are based on organizational, task, and work analysis is conducted using job analysis critical incidents, performance appraisal, and self-assessment techniques.

But with any training there are always challenges that one faces. Challenges which I–O psychologists face:

1. To identify the abilities required to perform increasingly complex jobs.
2. To provide job opportunities for unskilled workers.
3. To assist supervisors in the management of an ethnically diverse workforce.
4. To retain workers displaced by changing economic, technological, and political forces.
5. To help organizations remain competitive in the international marketplace.
6. To conduct the necessary research to determine the effectiveness of training programs.

Source: Wiki

44

Common Forum / How to Work for a Perfectionist Boss

« on: April 04, 2015, 11:55:53 AM »

A perfectionist boss may have unreasonably high expectations of employees, and may react in an extreme way when those expectations are not met. Perfectionist bosses may also embody other challenging characteristics, such as a tendency to micromanage, the inability to reach a firm decision, a resistance to conflicting viewpoints and a negative or critical style of communicating. Therefore, working for this type of difficult boss can be a challenge. There are ways to ease the strain caused by the perfectionism of a boss. Follow these guidelines for how to work for a perfectionist boss.

1 Counter unrealistic requests with a more realistic trade-off. When a perfectionist boss makes demands of you that you know are impossible to accomplish, assert yourself without sounding argumentative or disrespectful. For example, when your boss doubles your workload without extending your time frame, you could say something like, "I can complete the extra work, but I will have to delegate the other job to someone else if you want both jobs completed at the same time."

2 Arrive on time, all the time. Whether it be the start of the day, a return from lunch or break, a meeting or a business party, make it a point to be on time or early.

3 Exhibit enthusiasm on the job. A demanding boss is likely a motivated, high energy type individual. Therefore, asserting yourself as an enthusiastic go-getter can help you stand out amongst your coworkers and gain favor in your boss's eyes.

4 Request deadlines from a perfectionist boss. Perfectionism often causes procrastination, as a fear of making mistakes can freeze the decision-making process. Asking your boss for specific deadlines not only brings an awareness of time constraints to your boss, but also provides you with a more concrete definition of your assigned responsibilities so that you can avoid disagreements down the line.

5 Pay attention to the details. Perfectionists can get stuck on analyzing of all the small parts that make up the whole, and this can slow your productivity. Consider every aspect of a project and think ahead to identify every detail that might need extra attention. That way, you can head off issues before your perfectionist boss notices them.

6 Document your work performance. Keep attendance records, client referrals, positive reviews, customer recommendations and any other proof of your value as an employee. In the case that a demanding boss unjustifiably questions your dedication or aptitude, you can defend your position with tangible evidence of your hard work.

7 Provide your boss with reassurance. A perfectionist or demanding boss likely suffers from insecurity. Verbally acknowledging your boss's strengths can work for you, in that increasing your boss's self-esteem may also help your boss learn to be more accepting of others.

8 Appreciate the positive aspects of working for a perfectionist boss. You may have to work harder and be more conscientious to work for a boss who aims for perfection, but you can also learn a lot about self-discipline, reliability, maintaining high standards and paying attention to detail.

http://www.wikihow.com/Work-for-a-Perfectionist-Boss

45

Common Forum / Build a Great Working Relationship with Your Boss

« on: April 04, 2015, 11:36:54 AM »

One of the worst things you can do when you start your new job is to make your supervisor look bad for hiring you. After all, your boss is key to your current on-the-job satisfaction and to your future success in the organization -- and perhaps even beyond.

If there ever were a relationship for you to invest in, this is it. So here are five ways to get off to a great start with your new supervisor. Your efforts now will lay the groundwork for a productive working relationship over the long haul.

Watch Your New Boss and Learn

"The No. 1 thing is to observe the company culture and your supervisor closely during your first few weeks," says Terese Corey Blanck, principal of College to Career, a career-consulting firm in suburban Minneapolis. "Keep your opinions to yourself until you understand the company culture well and know what people will look upon with favor and what they'll look upon with disdain."

Even something as simple as asking intelligent questions will make a difference in how your boss perceives you as an employee. "It's always better to clarify than to charge off and go completely in the wrong direction," Corey Blanck says.

Communicate the Way the Boss Wants To

Some bosses are very hands-on, keeping close tabs on you throughout your workday. Others may talk to you once a week or less often and send you on your way to do your job.

Whatever your supervisor's style, typically it's up to you to establish and maintain the lines of communication between the two of you. Using either email or the occasional stop-by-the-office visit, make sure you keep your boss informed with the answers to these questions:

    What are you working on?
    What have you finished, and what are the results?
    What can you help your supervisor with?

Look and Act Professional

Allison Hemming, author of Work It! How to Get Ahead, Save Your Ass, and Land a Job in Any Economy and founder of The Hired Guns, a Manhattan-based interim workforce agency, talks about a candidate she recently placed with a major investment bank -- quite easily, thanks to the candidate's background and skills.

"Two weeks into the job, we got a call from her manager, saying that she was doing a terrific job, but that she sometimes dressed inappropriately, in short, short skirts and open-toed shoes," says Hemming. "The manager asked me to have a chat with the person, because they really liked her and didn't want her attire to impact her ability to get promoted in the future."

The new hire was a bit shocked to discover her fashion faux pas were damaging her relationships with her supervisor and colleagues, but she quickly made the necessary changes to her wardrobe, Hemming says.

Demonstrate Initiative

Any new employee can sit around waiting to be told what to do. Why not be proactive enough to figure it out yourself so your supervisor doesn't constantly have to hold your hand?

"Take initiative to get something done when you see it needs getting done," says Corey Blanck. "It can be something as simple as taking a stack of files and going through them before you're asked -- anything to show that you're not beneath the small tasks that take up everyone's time."

"Come in early and stay late," says Stephen Viscusi, author of On the Job: How to Make It in the Real World of Work and a frequent workplace contributor on ABC's "Good Morning America." "You should be busy whenever you're starting a new job, learning the ropes, but even when you're not, perfect the art of looking busy."

Do Great Work

This might seem like painfully obvious advice for developing a solid relationship with your new boss, but it bears repeating. "Make your boss look good by, guess what -- just plain working hard," says Viscusi. "It's old-fashioned, but it really works."

Source: Peter Vogt, Monster Senior Contributing Writer