Hub You - Finance

How To Secure Your Dream Job By Playing Dumb
It is often said that the secret to being a good conversationalist is the ability to listen. Active listening is the key, where you depict greater interest in the topic and person speaking to you. I guess it is no coincidence that we have 2 ears and 1 mouth, so it constantly amazes me when people fail to adhere to this principle time and time again. I know it can be a difficult sometimes especially when in a social gathering, but if you are attending an interview then it is absolutely imperative you heed to this advice if you desire to secure your dream job.Recently, i met with a client who were looking to recruit engineering staff. This was a large engineering firm employing 1000s of staff worldwide. As we began talking, he started to discuss his experiences of candidates who had been to see him for a job interview. His narration of one particular candidate led me to believe it does not matter how good you are on paper, if you do not have the communication skills, which listening is an essential part then unfortunately you are likely to struggle at interviews and unlikely to get the positive feedback you seek.In the end, my client had told me that he had interviewed for a senior position, they actually liked the candidate, CV was very good, but at the interview and for most part during their discussions the candidate kept talking so much that the interviewer could hardly get a word in. This obviously turned them right off the candidate because by talking and not listening and not giving equal share in the talk it sends out a negative message - controlling, difficult, stubborn, non sensitive etc...And t

enox is controlled by Mr. Morgan; but, not Winmark Corporation (WINA), a publicly-held franchisor of retail stores. This is an important distinction to keep in mind (especially since Winmark is a public company).

Morgan is the Chairman and CEO of Winmark; MacKenzie is the Vice Chairman. However, their stake in Lenox has nothing to do with Winmark. In fact, last time I checked, Winmark did not have any material investments in marketable securities.

The reported position amounts to 989,300 shares of Lenox. Shares of Lenox last closed at $6.23 a share. So, the position would be worth a li

Balancing the Needs of Customers and Shareholders in a Public Corporation
Many people say; It is All About Money when it comes to big corporations. Well yes, that is their job to make money and yet if you look around today you will might take a look and see that every thing you see everywhere you go was brought or built by a corporation. You cannot have it both ways. These people say that the corporations only care about shareholders equity and quarterly profits and cannot therefore focus on customer needs?Well I would say to them, then do not buy their products then if you do not like it. Vote with your dollar, go somewhere else. Buy online, buy from a co-op, buy from a small businessperson or grow it, build it and make it yourself? Free-markets also mean that you the customer are free to buy from whomever you choose. You do not have to stand in line for potatoes. Sheesh?Is it true that sometimes companies falter in the compromises they make to keep their shareholders happy and customers too? Sure it is, nothing good in life is easy. As a founder of a Franchising Company, I can tell you that it is not the World’s easiest job. Yes, imagine if you ran a public company, which was a franchise system. Now you have another layer of people to keep happy.You have to do what is best for shareholder, franchisee, law, customer and your own on-going vitality as a Franchisor. That is 5-mouths to feed and everyone must eat at the table or the lawyers and regulators come running to destroy it all.1.) Shareholders2.) Customers of Franchisees3.) Franchisees4.) Franchising Company5.) Potential Investors of Franchise Outlets

Below is a letter from Mr. John L. Morgan, beneficial owner of approximately 7% of Lenox (LNX), to Ms. Susan E. Engel, Chairwoman and CEO of Lenox.

Dear Susan,

When your board offered me a directorship on September 18, 2006, we discussed the reasons that made it unacceptable. At that time, I reiterated that I could best serve the shareholders of Lenox Group by assuming a leadership role on the Board of Directors and playing an active role in formulating and guiding the strategic direction of the Company. Furthermore, I expressed my intention to not make changes in the management or Board of Directors. My views were based on information I had at that time.

The Board’s rejection of my offer to help the Company create a successful strategy has given me a different perspective. I now feel that the Board has decided to pursue a course of action that is not in the best interests of the shareholders and is a continuation of the strategies that have failed to create value over the past ten years.

The management team and Board of Directors continue to behave like the Company is a large, successful Company that has margin for making more mistakes. I do not agree. My offer to assist the Company in changing its strategy to benefit shareholders has been rejected although I proposed to work with the existing management and Board of Directors. You have made your position clear and I hope this letter will do the same for me and other likeminded shareholders.

Very truly yours,

John L. Morgan

The Ownership Situation

First, let me explain the ownership situation. The reporting persons are John L. Morgan, Kirk A. MacKenzie, Jack A. Norqual, and Rush River Group. Rush River Group is a limited liability corporation (LLC) of which Morgan, MacKenzie, and Norqual are members.

Rush River was formed in December 1998 in Minnesota and "its principal business activities involve investing in equity securities of privately owned and publicly traded companies, as well as other types of securities." As far as I can tell, the only members of Rush River are the three aforementioned men: Morgan, MacKenzie, and Norqual.

According to a recent SEC filing, Morgan beneficially owned 6.1% of the outstanding shares of common stock in Lenox, Rush River owned 0.79%, MacKenzie owned 0.07%, and Norqual owned 0.07%.

Please keep in mind that this 7% stake in Lenox is controlled by Mr. Morgan; but, not Winmark Corporation (WINA), a publicly-held franchisor of retail stores. This is an important distinction to keep in mind (especially since Winmark is a public company).

The reported position amounts to 989,300 shares of Lenox. Shares of Lenox last closed at $6.23 a share. So, the position would be worth a lit

Seminars for Prospecting
The purpose of a 1- or 2-hour seminar is to attract potential customers for your product or service. The topic must be provocative enough to attract attendees, without sounding too much like a sales pitch with breakfast thrown in. Topics can be about the latest advances and/or technology in your industry; the impact of the latest political, legislative, or economic changes; increasing profits, reducing costs, avoiding unnecessary expenses, and so on.In an educational/public seminar, the goals of the seminar are to present yourself as an expert in your field-someone who understands and is knowledgeable about the problems and challenges attendees face-and someone who has solutions to those problems and challenges. You may want to bring in other experts, such as your strategic alliance partners, to present with you.When you hold customer appreciation seminars, the client typically arranges for the facility and refreshments as a way to thank his customers for their business and provide added value to their businesses. You benefit by exposing your products or services to the client's customers. You deliver the program and provide handouts. As an introduction, you can call invitees to confirm their attendance. If the attendees like what they see and hear, it may result in future business opportunities.Seminars give you a chance to begin to build rapport with potential prospects. They are also a low-risk way for potential prospects to learn about your company, your product or service, and you.Excerpted from Sandler's President's Club Professional Development Program (trainer edition and workbook)

rd of Directors. My views were based on information I had at that time.

Very truly yours,

John L. Morgan

The Ownership Situation

According to a recent SEC filing, Morgan beneficially owned 6.1% of the outstanding shares of common stock in Lenox, Rush River owned 0.79%, MacKenzie owned 0.07%, and Norqual owned 0.07%.

The reported position amounts to 989,300 shares of Lenox. Shares of Lenox last closed at $6.23 a share. So, the position would be worth a li

Is Adsense Going To Turn Associate Programs Obsolete
When Google introduced their new Adsense revenue sharing program, people began to wonder if things would change. Certain questions have been burning in people's mind like: what's going to happen to Associate Programs, how do they compare against Google's Adsense and will Adsense cause Associate Programs to be obsolete?Well, that really depends on a number of things, which I will go over. In this article I am only going to cover a few advantages and disadvantages of using Google's Adsense vs Associate Programs and which Associate Programs will prevail.In case you are not familiar with Google's Adsense, Adsense is a new service provided by Google. This service allows you to have text based advertisements on your web site, known as Google Adwords. In return, you will receive a share of revenue based on a pay per click arrangement.How Does Adsense's Advantages Compare To Associate ProgramsAdsense and Associate Programs share some of the same advantages such as, Adsense is free to join and so are most other Associate Programs. Making them both easy to start and suitable for you whether you are a beginner or an experienced marketer.Another advantage with Adsense, is that you never have to search for advertisers. Google supplies you with the advertisements by using highly relevant content targeted ads. This will insure that only precisely relevant advertisements are displayed on your web site. As for Associate Programs, you will have to search for quality programs and the relevancy of the program will depend on the one you select.Adsense enables you to filter out up to 200 urls, so

ssist the Company in changing its strategy to benefit shareholders has been rejected although I proposed to work with the existing management and Board of Directors. You have made your position clear and I hope this letter will do the same for me and other likeminded shareholders.

Very truly yours,

John L. Morgan

The Ownership Situation

According to a recent SEC filing, Morgan beneficially owned 6.1% of the outstanding shares of common stock in Lenox, Rush River owned 0.79%, MacKenzie owned 0.07%, and Norqual owned 0.07%.

The reported position amounts to 989,300 shares of Lenox. Shares of Lenox last closed at $6.23 a share. So, the position would be worth a li

Am I Providing a Safe Working Environment for my Staff?
Health and Safety is a very in depth and complicated subject, the aim of this article is to highlight a few of the legal issues a business owner should consider if they want to improve working conditions.1. By law every business that employs 5 or more employees, including part time staff, must display an up to date Health and Safety policy. An up to date policy must be signed and dated annually.2. By law every business that employs 5 or more employees, including part time staff must carry out and record their risk assessments.Other considerations to consider when looking to improve working conditions:1. Temperature – The temperature should be comfortable all year round2. Computer users – Should use a suitable ergonomic chair, a footrest, a wrist support mouse pad and work in a well ventilated well lit (by diffuser lighting) office. Computer users should also be given free annual eye tests.3. Toilets - Toilets and running water should be provided and be easily accessible for your staff. Toilets should be cleaned and stocked regularly.4. Lone workers – If you have a cleaner who works out of hours alone, you must provide some means of a safety system, this can be done easily by a call from a mobile at set times. The cleaner should also be fully aware of all the Health and Safety issues within the building this should also include the chemicals they are using and what to do in the event of an accident, especially as most cleaners work alone.5. PPE – Make sure you provide your workforce with the proper protective equipment, not the cheapest. Too often unsuitable PPE

ual are members.

According to a recent SEC filing, Morgan beneficially owned 6.1% of the outstanding shares of common stock in Lenox, Rush River owned 0.79%, MacKenzie owned 0.07%, and Norqual owned 0.07%.

The reported position amounts to 989,300 shares of Lenox. Shares of Lenox last closed at $6.23 a share. So, the position would be worth a li

Natural Gas – Crude Oil Takes Off Natural Gas Set for Huge Gains to!
Crude oil and unleaded gas exploded to the upside today as we thought, but can Natural gas follow? Not only can it follow it has massive upside potential in its own right! Let’s examine why and how you could get in on this exciting opportunity.We have been bullish of this contract for some time and entered a while ago, below the breakout point but where do new traders get into the action? Look for support and strengthWhile prices are finding support and have double bottomed at the mid point of the Bollinger band, short term momentum has NOT turned to the upside. The key here if you are not long, is to look for the stochastic indicator to cross with bullish divergence and enter on strength.The long term pictureGas has massive long term potential (there covered in our previous articles) but here is a quick round up of the major reasons:1.Crude oil is expensive and subject to geo political concerns, natural gas is not and is produced domestically.2.High prices of crude are seeing users change to gas.3.Gas demand is exceeding long term supply, as old fields run out and new fields are not able to pick up the slack.4.The hurricane season is forecast to be one of the most active of recent years and could drop in demand from rigs.5.Summers are getting hotter and increasing demand.Traders are focusing on these future trends and starting to buy gas, take a look at the charts and see how cheap gas is in historical terms.With crude oil prices firm, the solution is a switch to gas and this increasing demand and speculative interest could drive prices to

The reported position amounts to 989,300 shares of Lenox. Shares of Lenox last closed at $6.23 a share. So, the position would be worth a little over $6.16 million. Since Winmark only has a market cap of $126 million, I want to make it clear Winmark does not have a position in Lenox – Morgan does. He just happens to be the Chairman and CEO of Winmark. I hope this clears up any possible confusion about Winmark.

Lenox

Now, I can move on to discussing the truly interesting aspect of this news, Lenox itself.

Lenox is the result of a September 2005 merger between Department 56 and Lenox Incorporated. Prior to the merger, Department 56 was known for its "Village Series of collectible, handcrafted, lighted ceramic and porcelain houses, buildings and related accessories that depict nostalgic scenes". That last sentence was taken directly from the company's 10-K, simply because I couldn't write a better description myself. I assume most of you have seen the series. Even if you haven't, I'm sure you can imagine the concept of a little porcelain Christmas scene.

Obviously, the Lenox name is much better known than the Department 56 name. Therefore, when Department 56 acquired Lenox, it changed its name to Lenox.

In its 10-K, the company calls the Lenox acquisition a "transformational event". This term is too often applied to mergers that are far from transformational. In this case, however, it’s a perfectly accurate description.

Whether the transformation is for better or worse is debatable; however, the fact that the merger has transformed the company is not debatable. To put the size of this transaction in perspective, consider this: Today, Lenox (the combined company) has a market cap of $88 million. In September 2005, Department 56 paid $204 million to acquire Lenox Group. Immediately, this should tell you two things. One, the acquisition was probably quite large relative to the existing business. Two, the combined company's stock price has tanked.

Both of these statements are true. Even when shares of Department 56 were a lot more expensive, the Lenox acquisition was very large relative to the existing business when considered from the perspective of market cap, enterprise value, sales, and just about any other meaningful measure of the size of a business.

Obviously, the combined company's stock price has been falling hard since the merger. After all, the enterprise value of the entire company is not much greater than the amount Department 56 paid for the Lenox business.

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Hub You - An Analysis of Lenox (LNX)

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