Original Articles By TML Business Services

Improve your management skills with these articles on essential aspects of management, leadership and business.

The articles listed below are divided into two categories; management and logistics. They are original works by our management team and as such are protected by the copywrite laws of the United States. While the the opinions and statements in these articles are those of the author and are in no way to be considered legal advice, they do represent years of practical management experience. The reader assumes full responsibility for how they use the information provided.

Improve your management skills with these articles on essential aspects of management, leadership and business.

Respecting Your Staff's Personal Lives

For many managers the business is the center of their universe, however, in today's society people are wisely beginning to understand that employment is a way to earn a living, not a living itself. This article includes eight tips you can use to show your employee's that you value their outside lives.

Building Employee Loyalty

What happened to the employee who was hired right out of school and retired from the same company at age 60? Five tips for building employee loyalty.

Time Management

Are conflicting priorities tangling up your business? Learn the secret of juggling priorities and tasks.

Authoritarian Management Style

New managers often confuse being the manager with being the boss. How much control is too much?

Team Player Management Style

Help your staff feel like part of a winning team, with ownership of the success.

Situational Management Style

Sometimes a team approach isn't appropriate or possible. Learn when to take complete charge, and when to lead.

Self-Directed Teams

Some companies are trying to cut costs by doing away with supervisors and middle managers. What you need to know before trying the concept of self-directed teams.

Becoming Promotable

Do you feel you are ready to move into management? Before you can receive a promotion, you must appear promotable to your supervisor. Here are some of the key elements reviewed by management when they are selecting managers.

Communication in Virtual Management

One of the challenges of managing for online companies is that the people I manage live all over the world—and I've never met any of them. Over my years of managing for various Internet businesses, I’ve met only a handful of the people I have worked with. Managing those you’ve never met requires skills not normally called for in the business world, but as more people begin telecommuting, and as businesses continue to spread throughout the world, managers will increasingly find themselves managing people they don’t personally know.

Counseling in Business

A defining skill of a manager is his or her ability to effectively counsel subordinates and peers alike.

Effective Management

Managers don’t manage things; they manage people. The definition of management is accomplishing a task through other people. So many managers I have met believe that they tell their employees what to do, but that the folks in the human resources department should just come in and clean up the mess if the employees don’t cooperate.

Not so fast. To be an effective manager, you must master the skills that allow your employees to see you as someone who cares for them, but expects them to be the professional they portray themselves as being.

Ethics: General Conduct

The questions that I have been asked are, “what are ethics, how are these companies interpreting the word ethics, and what are the principles of conduct that they are conforming to?” This turns out to be quite a challenging question.

Ethics: The Hiring Process

In this article I am going to discuss an area of ethical conduct that is getting businesses in a great deal of trouble. This is the application of ethics to the hiring process.

Hiring Myth: Overqualified

Why don’t managers hire overqualified employees? They have been taught these people won’t be happy in the job. Overqualified employees will be bored, frustrated, and underpaid, and will leave the company as soon as a new opportunity comes along. This article exposes this myth for what it is.

Interviewing

As a manager, you may be called on to interview prospective candidates for your department. This process can be stressful for both you and the candidate. You can eliminate much of this stress by following some simple guidelines.

Promotion Based Resume Writing

It is a reality in today’s business world that to move up into management, you often have to look outside of your current company. This is because most employers can’t seem to see you for more than the position that you currently occupy. In other companies, you have to apply for a position just like someone who is coming from the outside. In both cases, you are required to have a resume that shows your talents. So let’s get started.

About TML Business Services LLC

TML Business Services LLC has over 27 years of business management experience and more than 10 years of strategic advisory experience. We have been providing risk analysis and process engineering services to business and government agencies since 1998 and are available to discuss your needs with you. No two engagements are alike and using our proven methodology, we can provide the level of service your company is seeking.Contact us today and get started on a path to realizing your company's vision!

TML Business Services LLC has been called on by many well known companies to assist them in benchmarking their current practices against those in their industry. The articles below have been used internationally to help companies understand more about the art of warehousing and distribution management. We are integrated supply chain logistics professionals, so the articles are written from this perspective. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us or call us at (215) 280-9922.

Warehousing and Distribution Functions

There is much written on the subject of warehousing and distribution management, however, there is not as much information available on the specific functions found in today's warehouses and distribution centers.

The Receiving Process

The receiving process really starts when the purchasing department creates a purchase order (PO) with a vendor.

WMS ASN Receiving Process

During our discussion of the receiving process I mentioned the receipt of an Automatic Shipping Notice (ASN). Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) are set up to receive these ASN�s and provide a way for the receiving clerk to manage them.

The Crossdock Process

Cross docking is a term that is used to describe the unloading of merchandise from one trailer and immediately distributing it to one or more waiting trailers for shipment to a store or customer.

WMS Crossdock Receiving and Labeling

If you are working on a cross dock process without an ACD system, your WMS system can be used to receive the merchandise and produce the necessary labels.

ACD Labeling Using Inline Printer

If you are working on a cross dock process and you believe that the vendor’s labels are compatible with your ACD labeling system, the following description of the labeling procedure can be used as a guide.

ACD Labeling Without Inline Printer

If you are working on a cross dock process with an ACD system that does not have an inline printer, the following description of the labeling procedure can be used as a guide.

The Putaway Process

After the merchandise has been through the receiving process it must be put away.

Customer Service Management in a Distribution Center Environment

Working in the customer service arena at a distribution center requires many of the same skills that any retail or business-to-business position requires. For example, a distribution center ships packages to businesses, just as a manufacturer does. The person in this position must possess a good understanding of retail issues, and how these are resolved, along with the ability to understand the point of view and needs of the retail customer. One thing that cannot be forgotten is that no matter how far removed from the retail customer the manager is, the decisions made will directly impact that end consumer.

About TML Business Services LLC

TML Business Services LLC has over 27 years of logistics operations experience. We have been providing risk analysis and process engineering services to business and government agencies since 1998 and are available to discuss your needs with you. No two engagements are alike and using our proven methodology, we can provide the level of service your company is seeking.Contact us today and get started on a path to realizing your company's vision!