Utah Business

Commuters often multitask while driving around town, whether it’s eating a quick lunch, glancing at a map, or putting on makeup. These activities can cause dangerous distractions to drivers. Among the most common forms of distraction for multitasking drivers is cellular phone use.

As cell phones have become more of necessity in society, drivers are talking on their phones to catch up with family, hear about a friend’s day, or find out if the big business contract went through. Cell phone use is common form of distraction among drivers. With advances in technology, drivers are not only talking on the phone, but also texting and emailing while behind the wheel. Studies and research are surfacing that examine the dangers of cell phone use.

According to research performed by the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis, 6% of traffic accidents nationwide are the result of cell phone use. This equates to 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths annually. While many drivers switch to hands-free cell phones in an attempt to driver more safely, research conducted at the University of Utah show absolutely no difference in concentration levels between drivers using hands-free cell phone and drivers using hand-held cell phones.

Text-messaging poses even more of a danger than simply talking on the cell phone. Nearly 50% of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 text-message while driving. This is extremely dangerous. Studies show that the steering control of a driver who is text-messaging is reduced by 90%. Furthermore, the reaction time of someone texting while driving is reduced 35%, three times more than a drunk driver’s reduced reaction time of 12%.

In Utah, certain legislators are proposing cell phone bans. Representative Phil Riesen is submitting a strict bill that would outlaw all cell phone use while driving, including hands-free headsets, text-messaging, and emailing. His bill makes exceptions for emergency situations and two-way radios. A recent survey conducted by the Salt Lake Tribune found that 80% of Utah residents favor a cell phone ban.

Despite research showing the dangers of cell phone use and overwhelming citizen support for a legislative ban, some Utah lawmakers are opposed to such a bill. Opponents of the bill suggest that such a law would infringe on civil liberties. Other opponents point out that laws already exist which penalize distracted driving.

In what will likely be a heated debate, Utah legislators will soon be deciding the fate of multitasking drivers across the state. Regardless of the legislature’s decision, we would all benefit from turning our cell phones off before we get behind the wheel.

Buying a new car in Utah, as anywhere, can be a difficult process. Many times, the new car buyer hasn’t thought through their plan before they walk into one of the many fine Utah Car Dealerships. If you do this, you could end up with a car you don’t really want. Worse, you could end up with a car you can’t really afford, or a car you pay far too much money for. In this economy, you can ill afford to risk your financial stability for the sake of a new car. You could end up paying for years for something that wasn’t really necessary, something you bought on an impulse.

Utah Car Dealerships, like dealerships anywhere, have mastered the art of high-pressure sales tactics and convincing you need things you don’t. It isn’t necessarily a matter of dishonesty. You are, after all, looking to buy a car. Most car salespeople genuinely believe that they have the best car fro you, and know what your best interests are, and that they are merely being helpful. What you have to understand is that no one is in as good of a position to understand your needs and requirements as you are.

The most important element of getting the car that suits you best at any Utah Car Dealerships is to prepare. Do your homework before you set foot in any Utah car dealerships and you will greatly increase the odds that you will get the car you want at the price you can live with. You will be able to enter the dealership and negotiate effectively with the dealer.

The very first thing you need to do is establish how much you can really afford to pay. Go over your budget and think realistically about the additional financial burden. If you don’t have a budget, track your expenses for a month or two to determine how much you actually spend, and keep track of everything, including snacks, and hobbies. Little things can add up.

Once you know what you can afford to spend and how it will impact your budget, then you can begin to shop for a car. Do you think this means running of to one or more Utah car dealerships? Don’t be in a hurry. Starting the car buying process begins with research, not test drives. Remember, when you set foot in a car dealership, they are primed to sell you a car, the most expensive, tricked out car they can. You, in turn, need to be prepared not only by knowing your budget limits, but by knowing what car models fall in your price range and knowing what you can expect to afford.

You should also be aware of the list prices and actual prices for the cars you are actually interested in. On one hand, you don’t want to pay anywhere near the list price when you buy a new car. On the other hand, you cannot realistically expect to get a car for less than the dealer pad for it.

You should know exactly which car you want to buy before you ever step into Utah Car Dealerships, or at least have a very short list. You should know also how much you could expect these cars to cost. There are many ways to tart the comparison shopping process outside of Utah car dealerships. For example, you can start with the Consumer Reports annual car buying issue. It offers a comparison of features, estimates of reliability and likelihood your car will need servicing, and resale values for many makes and models of automobile. You don’t even have to buy this; you can find it at your local public library.

Motor Magazine and the Car Buyer’s Art, a book by Darrell Parrish, also have useful information on how to compare vehicles. The Internet has many useful sites for comparing car prices and features, such as www.carprices.com. Use these resources and figure out exactly what you need, make a checklist of features you want, features you need, and features you like but can live without. In other words, make an A list, a B list and a C list, and know what the optional features you’re interested in could cost.

If you’ve done your homework, you are almost prepared to visit Utah car dealerships. First, however, you should be prepared to understand how Utah car dealers talk so that you can interpret what they are telling you. Utah car dealerships are likely to throw some unfamiliar terms at you. You need to be prepared to understand what the different prices that they quote really mean and how to interpret them.

The first term you need to know is invoice price. Invoice price is what the manufacturer charges the dealer when the car is first delivered to the Utah car dealerships. The invoice price is typically higher than the dealer’s actual cost. This may seem odd at first, but you have to bear in mind that dealers receive rebates, allowances and incentive awards.

The next term to understand is base price. This is the price of the car without any options included. It is just standard base equipment plus the factory warranty. This base price will be printed on the Monroney sticker, which will be visible on the car.

Monroney sticker price is the base price plus the manufacturers installed options with the manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) for the options in question, and also the manufacturer’s transportation charge. This Monroney sticker must be affixed to the car window by law and can only be removed by the car’s purchaser. It also includes the fuel economy, in miles per gallon (MPG).

The Monroney sticker also includes the suggested retail price of the dealer-installed options with any dealer markup. If you are a good negotiator, you can expect to pay considerably less than this number. It is just the starting point for negotiations in the purchase of a new car.

Thus equipped with this knowledge, you are ready to investigate actual cars and test drive at actual dealerships.

When conducting international business you need to be aware of cultural differences in how business is carried out in other countries.

One of the first things you should not overlook is that some cultures have a different definition for their standard work week.

Unfortunately, it is not that simple. The differences in standard work weeks are varied.

There are two advantages to reading further:



You can easily annoy prospective clients by not respecting their standard work schedules.

You can get more value out of adjusting the time, or day, or even the week you choose to communicate with your foreign clients.



Different Days Of The Week

Some countries do not have the same work week. Monday through Friday is common in English speaking countries.

In Muslim-majority countries the legal work week in the Middle East is not the same as many other countries.



It is Saturday through Wednesday in Algeria and Saudi Arabia, so their weekend is Thursday and Friday.

It is Saturday through Thursday in Iran so their weekend is Friday (however, many government offices and private companies are closed on Thursdays)

It is Sunday through Thursday in Egypt, Syria, United Arab Emirates so their weekend is Friday Saturday



Shorter Work Week

Fridays are not always a good time to schedule international telephone conferences. In some countries employees traditionally work an hour or a half day less on Fridays. The time difference between participants can create bad feelings, or low attendance.

The American state of Utah , state employees started following a “TGIT” experiment earlier this year. As in: “Thank God It’s Thursday.”

In a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state’s energy costs and commuters’ gasoline expenses, Utah is about to become the first state to switch to a four-day workweek for thousands of government employees.

They will put in 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, and have Fridays off, freeing them to golf, shop, spend time with the kids or do anything else that strikes their fancy. They will get paid the same as before.

Government Employees And Local Customs

The example above is about state employees.

In many countries government employees work slightly different work weeks compared to people in the business sectors. And the professional categories of “government employees” is not the same in every country.

Some countries have very strict laws about working on the weekend, where everything is closed.

Lighter Work Months

And don’t forget cultural differences on when people traditionally take their annual vacations. In France many people take their annual vacation in August.

In a not so distant past, business in Paris was considered as coming to a total standstill in August every year. Although this is not 100% true across all industries today, you still need to factor this in. And driving in Paris in August is still different than the rest of the year.

And there are also countries where the work schedule is influenced by religious events over several weeks in a year.

Develop Your Basic International Skills

Of course the list above can be useful.

But do not rely solely on this list, or any other list you may find, when planning your calendars. It is always best to ask the people concerned yourself.

In fact, the key to this article is something else.

It is important to develop your international awareness to different lifestyles and different business environments.

Imagine if you want to develop your client relationships with someone whose weekend is different than yours.





How would he feel if you called him on his weekend?





How would he feel if you called him during his work week, but it was your weekend?





You can symbolically meet your client on his ground, by going out of your way to call him on his day at work and your day off.



Many delays happen in international business development simply because business are unaware of the local work week schedule.

Imagine if you need something important from someone minutes before the end of his work week or the beginning of his month long vacation?



Is it a good idea to schedule an important cold call on September 1st to someone who has probably been out of the office most of August or who is trying to catch up with colleagues for the first time in a month?



As you become familiar with different work habits you will begin to acquire basic international business skills.

Respect for differences in standard work schedules is one of the first steps. This respect also leads to maintaining an open mind and the flexibility to deal with different business environments.

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Would you like to develop your international business? Are you a beginner at international sales and marketing? Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your International Business.