About Uyai Naturals Shea Deep Conditioner

YOU AND YOUR NUTRITION

A doctor came around to speak with us today. Here are the highlights of the presentation.

Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. Good nutrition – an adequate, well balanced diet combined with regular physical activity – is a cornerstone of good health. Poor nutrition can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity.

A poor diet can cause health issues like

• Blindness

• Anaemia

• Scurvy

• Cretinism

• Stillbirth

• Cardiovascular diseases

• Kwashiorkor

TYPES OF NUTRIENTS

Macronutrients

• Carbohydrates

• Fibres

• Fat

• Proteins

Micronutrients

• Minerals-Carbon,iodine,hydrogen,magnesium,calcium,chloride,potassium

• Vitamins

MALNUTRITION

Malnutrition refers to insufficient, excessive, or imbalanced consumption of nutrients by an organism. In developed countries, the diseases of malnutrition are most often associated with nutritional imbalances or excessive consumption.

Deficiency Table

See the picture for what could happen if you consume too little or too much of some of the required nutrients.

It is advised to eat healthy, regular exercise and good rest.

 

Office Ergonomics

I got this email from my office doctor. I think it's worth sharing here.

Over the past few decades, computer-based technology has become indispensable in most offices. Along with the proliferation of the technology, concern about healthy, safe, and comfortable use of computers has emerged. Some computer users experience symptoms including general fatigue, eyestrain or eye irritation, and physical discomfort. People will always be required to adjust, to some extent, to suit conditions at their work. But if you use a good design Visual Display Unit (VDU) and proper work station setup, you will ease that adjustment.

 A comfortable work space can help you feel your best.

 Preventative Office Ergonomic Guidelines

 ü  Monitor Configuration:

•        Depth– The monitor should be arm’s length away from you while seated.

•        Height- The toolbar at the top of the screen should fall just below eye level,  this allows the user to view the screen without causing neck strain from

•        repetitive moving.

ü  Keyboard and Mouse Configuration:

•        The keyboard should be set to a height so your forearms are parallel to the floor and make a 90°to 110°angle with the upper arm. This should allow you to freely type without resting your wrists on ANY hard or soft surface. Desk height adjustment maybe required accomplish this.

•        The mouse should be located on the same plane as the keyboard.

 

ü  Chair Configuration:

•        The seat pan should leave a 2-3 finger space between the end of the seat and the back of your legs.

•        The chair should be at a height that allows you to place your feet flat on the floor with your thighs perpendicular to your lower legs.

•        The lumbar support on the chair should contour and rest against the small of your back.

•        Backrest Tilt- The Backrest should be at a 90° to 110° angle when typing.

 

Ø  Preventative Exercise:

It is advisable to take a short break every hour; these can often be arranged around  natural breaks such as making a drink, other administrative duties etc.

Also one solution to muscle fatigue is micro pauses. They are very short breaks of 5 to 10 seconds around every 10 minutes during highly repetitive motions. Micro pauses relax you muscles and restore blood flow. These micro pauses are small changes in your working activity that allow you to adopt different postures, positions and eye focus.  (Such as shaking your hand, rotating your neck, shrugging your shoulders, stand up…etc.)

 

Ø  Symptoms:

•        Muscular Discomfort– pain, aching, loss of coordination, numbness, and stiffness

•        Eye Strain- headaches, dizziness, nausea

 

v  Remember: If you feel signs of muscle discomfort at the end of your work day, report it to the Occupational Health Advisor.

 

Please find below, picture of a standard office ergonomics.

How small businesses raise capital

How small businesses raise capital

Babatunde Fajimi

Capital and how to find it in a recessed economy pose a major challenge to most people who want to own small businesses as entrepreneurs.

These people are also depressed like the ancient mariner of the English poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who lamented that “water, water, everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”

Fat cows ate up the lean

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria has said its 400 debtors owe over N4.5 trillion.

Recently, the administration of President Buhari disclosed that it recovered N78,325,354,631.82, $185,119,584.61, £3,508,355.46 and €11,250 from looters of public treasury from May 29, 2015 to May 25, 2016. The funds awaiting return from Switzerland, UK, UAE and USA amounted to $321,316,726.1, £6,900,000 and €11,826.11.

With such staggering figures floating around in the hands of few people legitimately or illegitimately, small businesses should have no problems raising capital which is money or wealth needed to produce goods and services either through debt or equity.

Where is the money?

International Finance Corporation estimated that 84% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa had limited or zero access to capital.

The ‘Accelerating Entrepreneurship in Africa’ report by Omidyar Network and Monitor Group stated that 71% of entrepreneurs considered raising capital as the biggest handicap.

The report reveals that personal and family loans constitute 45 per cent of the main sources of financing in Africa.

It puts private equity at 19 per cent, bank debt at 18 per cent, government funding at five per cent, venture capital at five per cent, angel seed at four per cent and other sources which include corporate funding, lease/receivables financing or stock options as four per cent.

You may not be alone

Shalom Okunade is a young career woman whose attempts at starting her small business have been hampered by her inability to raise capital.

An entrepreneur journalist, Franklin Bayen, listed finding capital as the toughest hurdle start-up businesses face in Cameroon. He said it was easier to ascend the Fako Peak on Mount Cameroon than finding investors.

The executive director of Phemzo Integrated Services Limited, Femi Akindele, said raising capital for his start-up was his baptism of fire.

The untold story

In spite of entrepreneurs’ experiences in small business, experts argue that finding money for start-ups and growing the business should not be a mission to find a needle in the haystack if entrepreneurs can focus on the end of the tunnel.

A US-based certified public accountant, Koyejo Arulogun, said people should stop using money as an excuse for not becoming an entrepreneur.

Accelerating Entrepreneurship in Africa report opined that financiers and investors claimed many of the new ventures and small businesses were simply not fundable. It attributed the lack of fundable business plans to quality and feasibility of the business idea as well as the commitment of the entrepreneur and the team to success.

A consummate scholar and entrepreneur, Richard Ikiebe, pointed out that if entrepreneurs could think and come up with ideas for business, they should also be able to think of ways to attract money to fund the ideas. The two are intertwined and not independent activities.

“Money is not going to show up simply because you have a business idea. You have to devise a strategy to raise money to fund your dream. If you are a smart person who can think, you will know where to find the money,” he said.

Ikiebe added that entrepreneurs which succeed at finding money are those with originality of idea, bankable business plan and persuasive presentation to convince investors and the market about their value propositions.

Arulogun wanted entrepreneurs to have skin in the game. Investors want to see how committed the entrepreneurs are, how much of themselves (personal investment or equity) have been invested in the business and what little wins have been secured before staking their funds.

Serious-minded entrepreneurs should de-emphasise seeking hundred per cent loans for raising money for their start-ups, and certainly not from banks. Experts suggested that bank loans were not tailored for start-ups and small businesses. Banks see such investments as high risk, low reward.

Entrepreneurs must create self-belief in their ventures. Arulogun argued that if a person cannot sell his car to raise funds, move to a smaller house to conserve funds or become creative with his cash flow to start up a business, it may be difficult to persuade an investor to put down money into such business.

He said that the problem of capital can be solved with small steps. Capital is not raised in a day. Entrepreneurs can start small, raise capital and recoup that first. They can test the market and make small mistakes before thinking of raising large funds. Investors disburse capital in tranches when they see progress.

If borrowing is an option, entrepreneurs should avoid high interest rate so that they will not perpetually be working for the lender. They can find resources from those that believe them such as family, friends and colleagues. They should be committed and seek for partners because it is difficult to go it alone.

Source: The Punch Newspaper

The Joy of Middle Management

So you’ve finally made it to middle management. You’ve arrived at that magical place where you are responsible and accountable for the performance of a team but you still have limited authority and influence in your organization. Welcome to the Danger Zone!
Why is it so dangerous? Because, if you are not careful, this is where careers come to die. At least that’s the conclusion of Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman. In a recent Harvard Business Review article called Why Middle Managers Are So Unhappy, they discovered the unhappiest employees are, in fact, middle managers.
They looked at data from 320,000 of the most unengaged and uncommitted employees from a variety of organizations and focused on the bottom 5%. They wanted to understand the driving factors behind the most disgruntled employees. What they found were people who were “stuck in the middle of everything.”
The most common profile for employees in the bottom 5% was:

• They work as middle managers
• They earned a college degree, but not a graduate degree
• They have 5 to 10 years’ tenure
• They receive a good (as opposed to a superior or a terrible) performance rating

The truth is, it can be tough if you find yourself “stuck” in middle management. It can lead to frustration and disillusionment, but it doesn’t have to be this way. If you have made it to middle management, it’s because someone thinks you have what it takes to lead people and that’s one of the greatest honors bestowed upon any individual. So how do you avoid getting “stuck” in the middle?
Let me suggest five things you can do as a middle manager to avoid becoming an unengaged, uncommitted, unhappy employee:
Contentment. One of the biggest causes for frustration for middle managers is the desire to be promoted to the next job. I’ve seen many managers so focused on trying to get to their next position that they never actually do their current job. Be content. You’ve been asked to lead people, lead them well. Enjoy your time as a middle manager.
Excellence. While you are in middle management, be excellent in everything you do. Instead of focusing on your next job, set your sights on mastering this one. If you can build a reputation for performing at a high level with a smaller organization, you will likely be considered for larger role.
Education. Mastering your job means learning everything you can about being a valuable leader in your company. Use your time as a middle manager to continue to educate yourself. Read business books, take courses that will strengthen your weaknesses, complete an advanced degree, complete an industry certification, join industry groups, volunteer for challenging assignments, or find a mentor in your company to learn from. Most companies offer a variety of ways to continue your education, take advantage of them all. The more you know, the more valuable you will be for your company.
Commitments. Become a trusted performer in your organization. Senior managers are looking for people who get things done. They are looking for leaders who do what they say they are going to do. Build a reputation for meeting your commitments and honoring your promises.
Exploration. Use your time in middle management to figure out where you get the most satisfaction out of your work. Is it executing a large project or landing a significant order? Is it leading a kaizen event or executing a new marketing strategy? Is it becoming a functional expert or focusing more on general management? Expose yourself to as many diverse opportunities as you can to learn what you really enjoy doing. This will help prepare you for what you really want to do in your next assignment.
Middle management doesn’t have to be a place where careers go to die. With the right attitude and focus, your time in middle management can be the best years of your work life. It’s a time where you can master the art of leading people, learn to perform at a high level, continue your education, build a reputation for meeting commitments, and explore what you really enjoy doing. The key is to become a trusted and valuable asset to senior management. Does it mean that doing these things will get you promoted to the next level? Maybe or maybe not. What it will do is give you a lot more satisfaction in your job and keep you away from that bottom 5% of unengaged, uncommitted, unhappy employees.
So, what do think? Is it possible to avoid getting “stuck?” Are there other things that can be done to avoid the middle management trap? How much does your boss or company influence your ability to continue to grow? What options do you have if you find yourself stuck?

 

Jon Rennie

Engineering Director at Schneider Electric

CHECKING YOUR TYRES

Today, I’ll be sharing about Checking Your Tyres.

Tyre blowout accounts for 37% of auto crashes and 42%  rate of fatality.

The age / date a tyre was manufactured can be identified by reading its:

• Tyre Identification Number (often referred to as the tyre's serial number)
• DOT Codes

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tyre Identification Numbers be a combination of:

• The letters DOT,
• Followed by ten, eleven or twelve letters and/or numbers that identify
• The manufacturing location,
• Tyre size,
• Manufacturer's code,
• The week and year the tyre was manufactured.

DOT Codes are batch codes that identify the week and year a tyre was produced. They are similar to Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) or serial numbers used on many consumer goods but are not unique to a single item.

MANUFACTURE DATE

The information in Picture 2 means that this tyre is manufactured in the 47th week in 2012.

Simply put: 3rd week in November 2012.

Recommendation:  Change tyres after four (4) years.

TYRE PRESSURE

Always maintain the recommended pressure (psi – per square inch) for your vehicle). See Picture 3

IMPORTANT STATISTICS

• 90% of all vehicles have at least one tyre under inflated.
• A tyre loses 1 pound of air pressure for every 5°C temperature drop.
• Tyres breathe, releasing about 1 pound of pressure per month.
• A 20% under inflation will reduce tyre life by 30% and increase fuel consumption by 7%.
• A 30% under inflation will reduce tyre life by 50%.
• A very soft tyre will generate enough heat to melt and explode at high speeds!

PRICE OR PURPOSE

Don’t purchase tyres based on PRICE instead buy tyres fit for PURPOSE. Think about how much you would pay for your LIFE, or for the lives of your loved ones. You can order for your fit for purpose tyres here.

An Incident to Learn From

In an organization, an employee was reheating food wrapped in aluminium foil in the microwave. Smoke from the heated aluminium foil triggered a nearby smoke detector when the microwave was opened and the central alarm system in the building was activated. The microwave was later shut to contain the smoke and the building was evacuated. There were no injuries.

Lessons Learnt

• Ensure that only microwave safe materials are used to reheat materials in the microwave. Do not use materials like aluminium foil, cold storage plastic, metals, foam insulated containers etc
• Ensure that the microwave is clean and free from food residue prior to use.
• Foods like boiled egg, noodles, sausages, hot dogs, potatoes etc should not be heated in the microwave as they could explode due to internal pressure build up
• If smoke is emitted when using a microwave, turn off the power source and remove the plug. Air the room, if possible. Do not open the microwave until it is cool.

Stay safe as we trust God to keep us.