30 Best Tech Companies in Asia 2019

Technology is nothing but science with human attributes. It can do nothing less than magic. The advanced tech is not only revolutionizing each and every element of our lives, but is making the society a better place to live. The latest technological achievements have triggered unexpected trends with broader impact on very business and human aspect. And in 2019, we expect drastic exponential changes in every possible direction. Advanced tech like AI will transform the entire industries, making way for infinite business opportunities.

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7 Business Performance Management Tips for Tech Companies

With thousands of tech companies existing on the market, every company is trying to outdo the next in an increasingly saturated competition. There are really only two ways to guarantee that you’ll do well in any highly competitive industry – superior innovation or elevated productivity.  In other words, your objective as a medium enterprise should be to come up with something that is so radically unique that it instantly occupies its own lane, or just develop more productive processes than your competitors. While we can’t tell you how to be innovative or what exactly you should be inventing, the following seven tips will help your tech business win from the other angle – performance and productivity:

1. Createa Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Track Key Performance Indicators

A balanced scorecard is a strategic methodology that looks at organisations from more than just a financial perspective. It recognises that all organisations have customers, internal processes and infrastructures. Therefore, these things need to be measured as well. Many tech companies, even medium and large ones, have started using BSCs to bolster their funding efforts, as investors often gravitate towards such reports as proof that a company will continue to grow and be profitable. If you want to learn more about BSC in action, Intrafocus (one of the leading suppliers of the software) has written up a useful guide on what it is and how it can be applied.

2. Define Peak Productivity Based On Current Output Potential

Optimising business performance means achieving peak productivity, but you can’t aim for something that you haven’t yet identified. The best way to assess this attribute is to time and measure the capabilities of your team on anweeklybasis. Once you know what everyone can do individually within the span of a week, you can realistically estimate how much should be done if everyone worked to their full potential throughout a typical month.

3. Find a Sustainable Balance and Pace

The problem with trying to aim for peak productivity on a weeklybasis is that it can become taxing on your team’s energy, creativity, and reliability. Thus, once you have defined peak productivity, it’s time to tone it down a notch to achieve a sustainable pace. As a general rule of thumb, you should only expect your employees to complete about 70 to 90 percent of what they’re actually capable of doing within the course of a week. This is an important concept for tech businesses of all sizes to understand because the development and maintenance of apps, websites, and electronic devices typically requires a concerted ongoing effort, as opposed to short bursts of intense work.

4. Strategically Increase or Lighten the Load on Individual Employees

Instead of basing your allocation of duties on the productivity potential of the average employee within each position, speak to your HR department and ask them for reports onthe skills and shortcomings of your team members. This will help you determine who should be handling the brunt of the work. Keep in mind that the most prolific tech companies invest millions in talent recruitment, always searching for the best developers and innovators. As such, if you already have that kind of talent on your team, it’s wise to take full advantage of their services.

5. Consolidate and Centralise Software Management

Every tech company relies on a suite of software to manage their online affairs. Most likely, you can relate to this because the majority of business owners in any industry use at least 3-5 online tools or platforms during the course of the average workday. The problem is, you’re wasting a lot of time and effort by switching back and forth between account and software interfaces. Fortunately, there are dashboards that can sync all of these tools together into one management interface. Furthermore, taking a consolidated approach makes it easier to export data related to all of your tools in one shot, for a more well-rounded analysis and a more convenient daily routine.

6. Set High Standards and Initial Expectations Within Job Descriptions

When your employees know exactly what is expected of them before they even start their first day of work, you won’t have to check up on their progress as much because everyone will be on the same page. A thorough orientation and on-boarding process is important in the tech sector because employees need to be given clear guidelines about how to steer their creativity and productivity within their designated roles.

7. Practice Employee Monitoring and Refine Hiring Processes

Finally, now that you’ve developed a system for training staff and tracking progress, it’s time to assess the individual performance of each team member. Take your time to set up a good HR department, hire and reward the right people and your business performance will shine as a result. 

In conclusion, by heeding the tips above you can simplify business performance management into a predictable and replicable process that can be applied by any tech business to achieve desirable results.

Are Company Cars Worth the Cost?

Company cars used to be a highly tax-efficient perk for employees. In recent years the taxman has had other ideas, though. Now employees have to pay tax on ‘Benefit in Kind’, based on a combination of the value of the car, its CO2 emissions, and the employee’s income tax rate.

The net result is that company cars now represent a relatively expensive company perk, although in many cases the alternatives aren’t much better.

The employee could use their own vehicle and charge their boss for business mileage. These are amounts prescribed by the Inland Revenue and do not take depreciation into account. The other option is for the company to have a fleet of cars that are for the use of specified people at agreed times.

Running a Fleet of Cars

Running a fleet of cars can be the cheapest option all round. Once the vehicles have been purchased, they are made available to individuals when they need to use them. This way, the employee has a smaller ‘benefit in kind’ and will pay less tax from their pay packet.

From the employer’s point of view, they can generally do a deal with a garage to get routine servicing and repairs done at a reasonable cost because they own several vehicles.

And from an insurance point of view, they can look at fleet insurance as this is usually cheaper than insuring each car on its own. The simplest way to research the best insurance options is to take a look at a site like Quotezone.co.uk that uses multiple insurance companies and is very user-friendly, making it easy to find the quotes you need.

It might be an idea to find out a little more about fleet insurance first though. It can be a very convenient way of insuring all your vehicles, regardless of if they are cars, vans, trucks, buses or HGVs. One renewal date for them all makes much more sense than having to know when the insurance policy needs to be renewed on each vehicle. Most companies will not consider fleet insurance if you have less than five motors on the road, but there are a few that will do it with just two vehicles.

It can be set up however you want it. Specific drivers can be allowed access to certain vehicles for instance, or you can be covered for any driver with permission. All of these differences will become clear when you research the options. Your choice may be governed by the quotes you receive, as they can vary quite a bit.

The Losses Sustained on New Cars

A big problem with a company owning a fleet of vehicles is the instant losses the business suffers when the cars are driven off the forecourt. As soon as they touch the road, they become a used vehicle and their value drops dramatically.

If a company has several vehicles, this can make a difference to their profits for the year as the value of the vehicles has to be written down in their accounts. This is great for tax purposes as it will lower the tax bill, but not so good for resale purposes.

It is exactly why so many businesses now choose to buy cars that are a few months old. That first hit in depreciation has already been lost and although the vehicles will still go down in value, the company will not have to suffer that first big hit.

The Mileage Way

Some employers prefer to pay their employees mileage instead of owning the vehicles themselves. They can pay up to 45pencea mile for the first 10,000 business miles without the need to deduct tax from it, and 25 pencea mile after that. Those are the current maximum amounts that can be paid per mile tax-free and that the employer can still claim tax relief for.

The problem arises when a vehicle breaks down, or the motor they are using is an old wreck. If they are representing your company, do you really want them turning up in a battered old car? Their vehicle should be reliable and respectable, but unfortunately going the mileage way does not give a company any right to insist on this.

Vehicles That Are a Must

There are some businesses where owning a fleet of vehicles is a must. Delivery businesses and emergency services are just two examples that could not operate without them. These vehicles tend not to be available for private use though, which can help to make the running cost of them a little less.

When it comes to company cars and if they are worthwhile, only the owners can make that decision. There are advantages and disadvantages that have to be weighed up, including their cost vs. their convenience.

How Parents Can Get Special Education Services for Students

We all wish the best for our children; therefore, we want them to do well at school. But sometimes, despite all our efforts, children may start falling behind. What can we do if this happens? How can parents help a child who is struggling at school? The very first thing parents should do is to try and determine the reasons. It is very important to understand why your child lags behind at school because it may be necessary to consider special education.

Recent NCES study found that 14% of all public school students, which equals 7 million, now receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Such a high proportion illustrates that although parents want their children to do well at school, they can’t always resolve the education-related challenges on their own. They need extra support from school or university staff, and they can get it.

What is Special Education?

At times, parents can improve the grades of their children simply by providing some additional explanations or homework assistance. Access to technologies that make the educational process more efficient also may be helpful. But in many cases, only special education services can help students stop lagging behind. The concept of special education has been introduced as a means to address individual needs and differences of specific students. Thanks to it, those who have one or more disabilities that affect their studying can use adapted equipment and materials, participate in learning in accessible settings, and visit the school in accordance with the individually planned arrangement of teaching procedures. Depending on circumstances, children with disabilities may qualify for either IEP (individualized education program) or 504 educational plans. If the school district can’t address student’s needs adequately, it may offer placement in a special school or program as an alternative.

Law suggests that every student’s IEP is unique. It contains information about the level of academic achievement and overall performance, sets specific annual goals, lists special education and related services, and measures progress. With an IEP, your kid may learn apart from typically-developing peers during some part of the day. As for 504 plans, they ensure that children with special needs receive additional support in the context of a regular classroom. For instance, they may have some extra time to work on tests or homework, they can receive aid in the classroom, or they can use special keyboards for notetaking. Both IEPs and 504 plans eventually enable students with disabilities to succeed. So what can you do to help your child receive individualized educational services?

Getting It for Your Child

Not every student who is struggling at school is eligible for special education programs and services under IDEA. This law lists 13 different disability categories under which children may be found eligible. These include autism, deafness, deaf-blindness, developmental delay, emotional disturbance, and intellectual disability among others. As for the rest, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will not protect them, and parents should look for viable alternatives on their own. For instance, they may consider hiring a tutor or they can help their child find a professionalteam of essay helpers. Even if your children fall behind at school because of circumstances that are not related to IDEA disabilities, this is not the reason to punish them. Instead, you should equip them with additional resources. Online expert help can be very helpful here. It will not only significantly improve your child’s grades but also provide additional explanations and high-quality examples your child needs so much. Every special education student may need such assistance at times because too challenging assignments should not become obstacles for them. They should find out they still can win no matter how challenging the circumstances are. It is just about finding the right resources.

Parents of children with disabilities listed in IDEA can and should demand special education in public schools. Upon noticing that their kids are struggling, they should contact the school and request an evaluation process. During the evaluation, children pass different tests. Upon parents’ consent, school representatives and qualified professionals observe them and collect various health and education-related information. They also document parents’ ideas about children’s school experiences and needs. And if the child is found eligible under IDEA, responsible school representatives write and implement an IEP upon parents’ written agreement. In addition to individual learning arrangements, the school may suggest valuable related services. For instance, children can receive access to occupational therapy or speech and language services.

There Are Always Options

Even if your child struggles at school, this is not the reason for a panic attack. Instead, equip yourself with knowledge and go help your kid. We hold the responsibility for our children; therefore, we should not wait until school representatives contact us. Upon noticing any struggles, we should reach out and ask for help. Special education can become a really good option because it effectively addresses every child’s individual needs. It makes modern classrooms truly inclusive and protects equal access to high-quality education for everyone disregarding any possible disabilities.

Tips for Using FAQ's To Rank Your Law Firm Website from a Lawyer SEO Expert

FAQs have for a long time being underestimated. People have considered it unnecessary. But rather FAQs aid one to find the perfect answers to the question within a couple of minutes. Thus one does not have to search through the entire content of the law firm site to find his answers. 

The very fact that FAQs do play a quite important role cannot be better proved than in https://lawyerseo.com/. 

Q. How to construct an SEO-Friendly FAQ website?

We all know that one of the major hacks to secure a good rank for your law firm website is by taking advantage of using FAQs. The idea is definitely mind-blowing, yet it is equally difficult to create such an effective page. Here we give out a few tips as to how you should manage the FAQ page of your law firm website:

• Create a list of relatable and popular FAQs: - When you are forming the draft of the legal FAQs for your law firm website, choose those common questions which are most commonly asked. Don’t just put in random questions that suit your interests. Rather make a survey or research about the main confusion or doubts your clients are facing and then accordingly to that, form your FAQs. Or else the entire purpose of the FAQs will not be served. Be very detailed while doing this job.
• Carry a concrete FAQ structure in your firm website: - If you ornament your FAQ page with a structured data. Nothing can be better than that. This will not only make your firm website page much more appealing but also work to furnish your website with a quite high click-through rate. Both of which will help you in securing a good position in the ranking list. Also, with the implementation of this, you will be eligible to display your FAQs directly on Google search. 
• Visualize your thoughts before implementation: - Visualizing something helps you to understand a person’s point of view. Thus when doing so, ask yourself whether you’ll like to read great chunks of an answer, of course not. Therefore, here comes the role of media. Break up your text with attractive images, media, graphics, charts, etc. all of those who will draw the attention of many. Images and such media also make the process of understanding much easier. 
• Construct a flexible navigation structure for the website page: - This is a very important thing. You might have built an amazing legal FAQ page for your law firm website, but without a proper navigation structure, everything can go in vain. For customer satisfaction, you have to work on such things like for instance if your legal FAQ page consist of several categories and subcategories always provide the page with a search box so that he or she does not have to search through hundreds of questions before reaching the right one.
• Be an avid tracker of analytics: - Be quite frequent in keeping a record of the number of people visiting your FAQ page, the duration people stay on the page, etc. These important pieces of news will help in the further race. With these insights, you may reason out your outputs and thus go for some minor and effective rectifications. Reworking your page might attract more customers hence giving you quite a desirable rank in the SEO listing.

Much may be done other than these five like for instance constructing short URLs for easier understanding, having a series of concrete subheads and heads, etc. The main agenda for these is to drive more traffic and thus have a good SEO ranking. And these can be successfully fulfilled by abiding by these guidelines. 

Q. In which ways do FAQs help in SEO ranking of a law firm site

There are obvious reasons why people work hard to make a perfect FAQ page, and one of the main reasons is to secure a good SEO ranking, but how do the two go hand in hand? Down below are listed the ways FAQ helps in SEO ranking

• Organic ranking: - People’s mode of searching has changed, and now people mainly go for long-tail search. Now if anyone of your FAQs becomes a match with that of the Google search, the SEO will immediately see to it. Though it might not offer you extreme traffic but can also work to attract a quality audience which will be interested in your law firm.
• Blog contenting: - FAQs can be a major content for blog posts. Blog posts help in expanding more on a topic rather on the answer to a particular question, such topics which are debatable or controversial, or maybe confusing and doubtful. Now when you are taking up the answer of the most common question, you already know the fact that the audience isn’t very clear on the topic and thus will immediately attract effective clients.
• Forming backlinks: - FAQ pages are more often results of a number of backlinks. Such pages create efficient inbound links that are naturally linked by some third party sites. These inbound links linked to your FAQ page pose as a symbol of faith and genuine which in turn helps to earn a better SEO ranking.
• Social media insights: - Though not a direct effect, yet social media does affect SEO rankings via FAQs since this is a popular way to advertise your law firm. But How? Now you can always share an FAQ and provide a link to your site for the answer. This way you can always regulate the traffic on your FAQ page and increase your SEO ranking in return.

These are the four main methods through which FAQs can help in the process. But always keep in mind that there is always more to the list.

There is often a muddle between FAQs and Q&A. Both these are two completely different formats of solving public issues. Keep a clear idea of your requirements and work accordingly.

50 best workplaces of the year 2019

The Silicon Review “50 Best Workplaces of the year 2019.” The companies enlisted are known for their transparent and open communication, work-life balance, employee welfare policies, leadership qualities, employee recognition programs, and moreover, they are trending in the right direction.

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DNA is the future for data storage. That future is coming very soon.

We have all read how DNA data storage is about to go viral and were curious to know how this process works. At SynBioBeta 2019, this was made even more clear after a panel discussion of leaders in the field forecasted that costs for storing information in DNA could drop to $100 per terabyte in as little as five years with the right investment.

While there are many challenges that remain for automating the DNA reading/writing process, experts are increasingly leaning towards DNA as a long-term information storage solution, particularly for archiving culturally significant data.

From cat memes to satellite photos, the amount of data we’re generating worldwide is growing exponentially. The technologies for storing that data are not advancing as quickly. Fortunately, nature has evolved its own elegant solution for information storage: DNA.

“It’s all based on translating bits into bases,” said Karin Strauss, Principal Research Manager at Microsoft. Every two bits of information have to be translated into one of the four DNA nucleotides. Once the sequences are mapped out in software, the DNA is synthesized and the other half of the DNA storage equation is recovering the bits (or reading the DNA) via sequencing.

Scientists are working hard to sequence and read the DNA. Many companies are investing big as the process isn’t cheap and also requires lot of time. But all that the researchers said, for now, is, “that future is coming very soon”.