February 2010 Issue

APICS Update

Coming in March—APICS Career Center's “Ask the Career Coach”
In March, APICS is launching “Ask the Career Coach,” through which APICS members can have their career-related questions answered by an expert career coach. Questions and answers will be featured on the site for easy viewing. We need your ideas: What questions would members like to ask our career coach? Click here to let us know. This is a perfect opportunity for APICS members to ask questions related to job searching/interviewing, career transition, or advancement topics.

Haitian Earthquake: Can You Help?
APICS has been working in partnership with the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) to identify the most pressing needs of relief agencies on the ground in Haiti. ALAN is seeking heavy tools such as forklifts, saws, and shovels. Help spread the word to your channel partner members so that they may learn more about donating to the cause. To contribute these items, please visit here and choose the Need Category: Heavy Tools.

Best Practices

Social Networking Explained
People often share experiences illustrating how social networking has changed the way business is done online. The most important things to do are to get to know your audience and keep them engaged. In addition, it is necessary to provide opportunities for members to get to know you—and doing so online is an easy step for many busy professionals. Posting in forums and sending emails are only a couple of ways to get noticed, particularly now that so many web sites have entered the social networking scene.

APICS has developed a presence on two prominent social networking sites, LinkedIn and Facebook. Both sites provide wide-ranging benefits, from improved communication skills to a heightened global view. These sites also help users establish better relationships with business partners, customers, and clients. APICS recognizes this value for its members and has focused on building its presence on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Facebook
Facebook was founded in February 2004 as a social utility to help people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family, and coworkers. More than 250 million people use Facebook every day to keep up with contacts, share information, and get to know more about the people they meet. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact in a trusted environment.

Once you have created a Facebook profile, you can join a group. Groups are another way to find new friends who share your interests. You can join up to 300 groups, and each group has a limit of 5,000 members. APICS currently has a group-based page with more than 900 who have joined as “fans.”

LinkedIn
People do business with those they know, like, and trust. The creators of LinkedIn, founded in 2003, recognized this when they launched the site. The five founders invited 350 of their most important contacts to join. By the end of the first month in operation, they had 4,500 members in the network.

The founders of LinkedIn knew that a professional network of trusted contacts can give you a competitive edge, help you move beyond geographical borders quickly, and ultimately expand your reach. The APICS LinkedIn page grew from 2,000 to 11,000 contacts this past year. Some benefits of creating a LinkedIn page include creating business partnerships, gaining credibility as an expert in the field, keeping up-to-date on trends in the industry, gaining an inside track to job opportunities through leveraging your network contacts, and extending your reach. If you haven’t already done so, take advantage of LinkedIn by building a profile today.

In addition to having a presence on these sites, APICS posts relevant video content that can be viewed on YouTube and has launched the Young Professionals/Student and International Blogs. APICS also has Learning Communities within the APICS web site in the Resources section to provide members with a way to share and develop operations management ideas, practices, and solutions.

To learn more about these APICS social networking opportunities, please visit apics.org/socialnetworking.

Remember, networking has unlimited advantages. The expansion of your chapter’s business and relationship base can see growth when incorporating social networking techniques.

Chapter Development

Promote Your Chapter Events in APICS Magazine
Do you want to promote your chapter's events in a widely viewed forum? Submit your chapter’s seminar events to APICS magazine, and have them published at no cost.

To be considered for publication, your event should be a seminar, conference, top management night, or similar occasion. (No PDMs or certification courses will be considered.)

Send event information to editorial@apics.org, and be sure to include

• chapter name
• name of the event
• name(s) of any speakers/presenters
• a brief (one-line) description of what the event will entail
• the specific location (a business, conference center, restaurant) with complete address
• city, state
• where to go for more information/to register (a URL, a person's email address)

Please also keep in mind that the announcement must be received at least eight weeks prior to the event. And, because APICS magazine is bimonthly, it's often better to submit a full 12 weeks prior.

APICS CSCP March/April CBT Exam Information
Help your members benefit from a new credential in 2010 so they may gain the competitive edge they need to get ahead in their careers. Earning an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) designation is the first step to enhancing employment marketability. Spread the word, and give your chapter members the opportunity to become an APICS CSCP by registering for the March/April APICS CSCP computer-based testing (CBT) exam. The APICS CSCP CBT exam window is March 13 to April 10, 2010. For more information, including application, registration processes, testing locations, and exam dates, visit apics.org/cscp.

Q&A

Q. What are the terms of the Unemployed Membership Extension Program, and who qualifies?

A: To help ensure continuation of APICS membership benefits in the event of unemployment, the APICS Board of Directors established a dues-waiver policy. Members may apply for the extension through their local chapter, which must approve the request and waive the chapter dues assessment.

To qualify a person must

• apply for the extension in writing to his/her chapter president and include a copy of the dues renewal notice
• submit the completed extension form to APICS corporate no later than 30 days after his/her membership expiration date
• actively seek employment within the APICS business sector.

If the member remains unemployed at the end of the extension period, he/she may apply for an additional extension. Overall extensions will be limited to three for a total of 18 months without assessed fees. Please contact the APICS District and Chapter Services Department at chaprel@apics.org with any questions.

Tools of the Trade

This Just In: 2010 APICS International Conference & Expo Tool Kits Available
Channel partner leaders are critical to APICS conference marketing efforts. APICS 2010 Marketing Tool Kits are ready for you to download and to use when ordering promotional items.

This year, we’ve made your promotion easy with a set of marketing tools available online or available for order through your district field associate.

Click to visit the 2010 APICS International Conference & Expo Tool Kit now.

Access and Share Professional Development Meeting Tool
APICS provides thoughtful content that you can introduce at your local APICS channel partner meeting, such as topics from the weekly APICS e-newsletter APICS Operations Management Now, as well as related articles and questions for discussion.

Check out the latest content posting, Manage Your Career: Career Pathing. Developed by APICS research, professional development, and membership divisions, this presentation examines research findings taken from operations management professional, career path models, as well as the benefits and tools available to help guide career paths. View the presentation in C-BOX here.

Get the conversations started at your next channel partner meeting and take advantage of PDM tools today.

Newly Posted Resources on C-BOX
Take advantage of online tools, services, programs, and information for your chapter or district through C-BOX, the partner collaboration toolbox, at http://cbox.apics.org/Pages/default.aspx.

See this month’s resources below.

Chapter Leaders, Marketing and Communications section
Presentations:
APICS PowerPoint Template

Tile Ads:
Contact the APICS District and Chapter Services Department (GIF)
Contact the APICS District and Chapter Services Department (JPG)

International, Marketing section
International Footprint Matrix (PDF)

Membership, Program/Administration section
January Membership Summary Count Report
(Membership count reports also are found in Chapter Leaders, Resources section.)

Membership, Marketing section
Applications:
Unemployed Member Benefit Extension Program Application (PDF)
Presentations:
Student Membership Presentation (PDF)

Education section
Manage Your Career: Career Pathing (PDF)

Education, Program/Administration section
Chapter Group Testing Package (PDF)
Group Testing Registration Form (PDF)
Group Testing Agreement and Payment Form (PDF)

Education, Marketing section
CSCP Brochure

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