03 – 07 Mar
 EFE 2010 – Export Furniture Exhibition Malaysia 2010

 
03 – 07 Mar
 F3 – Furnitures, Furnishings & Fixtures 2010

 
04 – 08 Mar
 INDIAWOOD 2010 – International Exhibition of Woodworking Machinery, Tools, Fittings, Accessories, Raw Materials and Products

 
05 – 08 Mar
 CebuNext – The 2010 Furniture Exhibition

 
09 – 12 Mar
 IFFS / AFS 2010 – International Furniture Fair Singapore 2010 / 27th Asean Furniture Show

 
10 – 13 Mar
 WMF 2010 – The 13th International Exhibition on Woodworking Machinery And Furniture Manufacturing Equipment

 
10 – 14 Mar
 TIFF 2010 – Thailand International Furniture Fair

 
11 – 14 Mar
 IFFINA 2010 – The 3rd International Furniture and Craft Fair Indonesia

 
11 – 14 Mar
 VIFA 2010 – Vietnam International Furniture & Home Accessories Fair 2010

 
12 – 15 Mar
 TIFL 2010 – Taiwan International Furniture & Lighting Show

 
15 – 17 Mar
 Interiors & Buildex 2010 – 7th International Exhibition of Building Materials, Construction Equipment & Interior Furnishings

 
16 – 20 Mar
 23rd & 24th International Famous Furniture Fair (Dongguan)

 
17 – 20 Mar
 DFF- The 19th Dragon Furniture Fair

 
18 – 21 Mar
 CIFF 2010 – Home Furniture – 25th China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou)

 
27 – 30 Mar
 CIFF 2010 – Office Furniture – 25th China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou)
04 – 07 Apr
 SBIE 2010 – Saudi Building & Interiors Exhibition

 
07 – 11 Apr
 MODEKO 2010 – Furniture, Decoration, Home and Office Equipment Fair

 
13 – 15 Apr
WOODSHOW 2010 – Dubai International Wood & Wood Products Show
 
 
21 – 25 Apr
INACRAFT 2010 – The 12th Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair

 
25 – 29 Apr
M.O.W – Ihre Mobelmesse In Deutschland – Your Furniture Fair In Germany

Level One Consultancy director, Mr. Lucas Gan presenting lucky draw prizes.

More information regarding Catholic High School can be found below:-
http://www.smjk.edu.my/school/index.php?schid=3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMJK_Katholik

If money is no object, feel free to buy as much new office furniture as you need. But if you’re working within a strict budget, used office furniture may be the way to go. If you shop carefully, it’s possible to purchase used office furniture that will not only look good, but will also be accepted by employees and customers alike. Some of the benefits of purchasing used office furniture include:

• Saving money. If you shop around for the best prices and bargains, you can save more than 50 percent over the cost of buying new office furniture. Most used office furniture pieces have only been used for a few years (or less) and have minimal wear and tear. Once the bubble wrap is taken off and the price tag is removed, most people cannot tell the difference between a new desk and a used desk.
• Saving time. If you’ve ever ordered new office furniture, you know that sometimes it can take up to six weeks to be delivered. Compare that to most used office furniture outlets that can have a truck at your front door in 48 hours or less.
• Reducing environmental impact. When a used wooden office desk is sent to the landfill, it takes years to break down. By buying used office furniture, you will get a much better deal and help save the planet at the same time.
• Getting  more for your money. When you buy new office furniture, the resale value can depreciate to 25 percent or less of the original purchase price over five years. But when you buy used office furniture, the resale value can remain as high as 75 percent of what you paid for it.

So, how do you find the best bargains in used office furniture? Begin your search by looking in your own backyard. In other words, your local community is a good place to start. Check the Yellow Pages for used office furniture listings.

You can also contact your local chamber of commerce for referrals and check with other business owners in the community to see where they have been buying used office furniture. And don’t forget to look in the classified ads of your local newspapers. Often you will find several ads for used office furniture, and they just may have what you are looking for.

Many business owners are using the Internet to buy and sell their office equipment. Online auction sites such as eBay are now filled with listings of used office furniture of all shapes, sizes, conditions, and prices. Of course, when buying heavy furniture online, you may end up paying more in shipping charges than you would if you purchased it locally, so be sure to factor in those costs as well.

When buying used office furniture, keep in mind that you might not be able to find the color or design you had in mind. The key point to remember is it’s just like buying a used car: you must accept the color, condition, and size, and hopefully the money you will save will be worth your time and effort.

Article Courtesy of www.allbusiness.com

While price is a major deciding factor in choosing the right chair, you should resist the urge to make it your first criteria. Comfort should be your top priority. The average office worker spends seven to eight hours a day, five days a week, sitting and working at a computer. This type of near-constant sitting has led to a sharp increase in neck and back pain among many people in today’s workforce. In selecting office chairs (for yourself or an entire office), you’re profoundly affecting the quality of the day-to-day work routine — and this is why you should focus on buying an ergonomic chair.

Ergonomic chairs are designed to prevent desk workers and computer users from developing repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). An ergonomic chair will have an adjustable back (one that can easily switch to low, mid-level, and high back positions), seat, and armrests, as well as the swivel feature, to allow the person to fine-tune alignment and support for arms, legs, neck, and back.

All ergonomic chairs are not the same — it’s important to test different chairs to see which model works best for a particular body and the office setup. Head to an office superstore like OfficeMax or Staples and try out the different chairs on the showroom floor. Be sure to pull each one up to a desk that has an adjustable keyboard tray to see how the chair might work with a computer setup.

Now it’s time to talk price. A good ergonomic chair can be quite expensive — for instance, the renowned Herman Miller Aeron chair can sell for close to one thousand dollars. But thanks to the wonders of the Internet (particularly, e-commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay), you can find both new and used ergonomic chairs at some amazing prices.

After testing chairs in the stores, jot down the name and model number of a particular chair that’s comfy and suits your needs. If the price of the chair in the store is astronomical, you can search for sales online. In addition to the previously mentioned sites, you can also conduct searches through Google or Yahoo! Use search terms like “ergonomic chairs,” “used ergonomic chair,” or “ergonomic chair sales” to find appropriate results.

When you’re shopping online, be sure to thoroughly inspect the provided photograph of the chair to be sure it’s the one you want, and also read about its features and functions. If you’re buying used, check out comments from other shoppers about the seller, and be sure they are fair and dependable (on Amazon, for instance, shoppers can see negative and positive ratings on frequent sellers). If you buy online, keep in mind that you’ll also have to pay for shipping.

Article Courtesy of www.allbusiness.com

The nuts and bolts

Deciding how you’ll set up the individual employee workstations depends first on whether or not you’ll have them working in a cubicle farm. If you’re going the cubicle route, many of your considerations regarding space will already be taken care of. Most cubicle plans allocate a comfortable amount of space for employees, their work, and personal belongings.

• Desks. If you’ll be employing a non-traditional, cubicle-less layout, the first thing you need to do is measure the circumference of the office space, then measure the length and width of each workstation you plan to erect in the space. Obviously, the number of workstations you’re able to set up will depend on the size of the space. Once you’ve got it figured out, determine how many workstations can comfortably fit in the space. For instance, make sure employees have enough room when pushing away from their workstations in their chairs without backing into a filing cabinet.
• Storage. If there’s a lack of storage space in your office for items like paper and writing supplies, copiers, fax machines, and water coolers, be sure such items are arranged on the main office floor in an orderly, space-conscious way, preferably against a wall or in a well-organized cluster. Definitely be sure they’re not blocking an emergency exit, doorway, or path through the office. Also make sure heavy items (say, boxes of paper for the copier, or a replacement jug of water for the cooler) are placed in storage areas that provide easy access for both tall and short people. Aim to place filing cabinets in areas that aren’t too close to walkways, and if filing cabinets must be placed in a walkway, make sure that the cabinet drawers can open fully.

• Wires. Make absolutely certain that all wires and electrical cords are properly stored out of the way of footpaths where employees might trip over them. Place wires and electrical cords in streamlined organizers or caddies.

Employee comfort

• Temperature. If a heating or cooling vent is above a workstation or cluster of workstations, make sure the office thermostat is set at a comfortable temperature. If possible, position the slats in the vent so that the heat or air is distributed upward — this allows the heat or air to fan out evenly through the office. Cold office temperatures have been proven to worsen the onset of computer-use-related afflictions like repetitive strain injury (RSI).
• Noise levels. If you have an employee that spends a lot of time on the telephone, place that employee in a quiet part of the office. This goes for anyone who needs a lot of quiet to get the job done; obviously you don’t want him or her sitting near team-oriented departments that require frequent face-to-face interaction.
• Lights. Adequate lighting is integral in creating a suitable workplace for employees. In addition to the fluorescent lights that are probably installed in your office’s ceiling, make sure that each employee has a lamp at their workstation.

Article Courtesy of www.allbusiness.com

At first, it might seem less expensive to just to buy a dozen cheap desks and chairs. (Some start-ups even use doors instead of desks!) In the long run, however, you’d be wise to invest in what is called “modular systems furniture,” otherwise known as cubes. Modular furniture costs a little bit more up front, but it will save you in the end.

Because systems furniture is modular, it’s space efficient. For example, the overall desk surface of a cubicle is typically the same as a regular desk, but it’s laid out in two narrow, usable pieces instead of one wide piece. Modular furniture also saves space by capitalizing on vertical space as well as horizontal space — it builds up, instead of out, which provides a lot more storage space per desk.

Another advantage of modular furniture is movable cubicle walls. If your company is adding new employees every month, it is quickly going to experience a space crunch. Desks can be pushed together to accommodate new employees, but most employees don’t appreciate working in that kind of environment. With modular furniture, you can tighten cubicle walls to squeeze in some extra help without totally sacrificing privacy.

Whether you start with a few mismatched desks or a few cubicles, budget for some decent desk chairs. A computer will work fine propped up on a plywood desk anchored by sawhorses; but your employees may break down and stop functioning if you force them to sit in cheap chairs for hours on end.

Article Courtesy of www.allbusiness.com

On the downside, cubicles have been known to drastically decrease person-to-person communication in the office, leading to frequent complaints about isolation, depression, and low employee morale. Cubicles can also be rather ugly and uninspiring due to their generally bland color, and have been the subject of ridicule for quite some time now in comic strips such as Dilbert and movies such as Office Space.

When figuring out the best workspace configuration for your employees, consider these issues:

What Do Your Employees Actually Do?
If your employees spend the majority of their workday on the phone conversing with clients or the general public, going the cubicle route might make sense, as the enclosed space will provide them with the quiet they need to conduct a private conversation. If your employees spend the majority of their days typing away on computers and have little or no need to be on the telephone (or even talk amongst themselves), an open workspace plan might be a better approach.

Think About Aesthetics and Image
The employees of an auto insurance company can most likely sit comfortably in a cubicle environment, as their workspace is one that doesn’t have to be bustling with a creative spirit (this, of course, doesn’t mean the space shouldn’t be visually appealing). But if you’ve got a team of artists or designers who frequently work in collaboration with one another, an airy, open workspace approach may work better. Not only is the aesthetic more inviting to creative types (who don’t enjoy being literally boxed in), but it also gives employees the freedom to collaborate on projects and see quite plainly how the process is coming together.

A Cubicle World Is Not Totally Soundproof
Many employers (themselves often housed in private offices) think the cubicle setup drowns out all sounds of chatter and noise in the office. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. One important issue that rarely is considered when cubicles go up is the quality of the ceilings and floors in the office. Acoustic floor coverings and ceiling panels should be essential parts of a plan to reduce office noise.

If You Do Go Cubicle
Think color. There are many alternatives today to the standard drab gray cubicle on office furniture showroom floors and in catalogs. Many modern cubicles have multicolored walls, desks, and decorative panels. Including a splash of color in your cubicle setup is bound to brighten not only your office, but the outlook of the employee sitting inside it.

Article Courtesy of www.allbusiness.com

Certain key factors should be considered no matter where you are located, whether it’s in a cube alongside your staff, in an office down the hall, or on another floor altogether. Wherever you sit, accessibility is key — can folks get to you easily if they need you? Your ability to observe and gauge productivity is also essential, as is the tone that your staff placement sets.

Here are some specific questions to ask and points to remember as you consider which office layout and culture is right for you and your people:

• What message do you want to convey? Do you want to create an atmosphere that embraces each employee as an equal? Or do you prefer an environment that stresses a top-to-bottom organization? Do you want people — staff and customers — to know that you’re the boss by having a lavish office that says, “I’m in charge”? Your office layout should support your corporate philosophy, so if it’s important for you to set yourself apart from your staff, think through your options carefully. If you’re trying to accentuate the team approach, however, occupying a luxurious corner office while the rest of your staff sits in cramped quarters may not send the best message.
• Do you want your layout to promote or discourage interaction? If the success of your operations depends upon regular communication between you and your employees, then you must create an environment that fosters interaction. If you separate yourself from the people you lead, you may discourage them from discussing their concerns — both large and small. If you’re finding that people are not coming to you with their concerns, take a look, among other things, at where everyone is located. This is particularly important when people are constantly pressed for time. If it takes too long to get to you, or if getting to you interferes with their efforts to complete their work, then maybe you’re simply too far away.
• What about privacy? If you need to discuss someone’s performance, do you really want your neighbor listening in, especially if it entails some kind of reprimand? If you’re going to sit near your staff, make sure you’ve got space elsewhere that can be used for private conversations. If this isn’t possible, then you need to consider conducting certain meetings off-site, or sitting apart from your staff just for privacy issues alone. The smallest, most innocuous-sounding comment can be misinterpreted by one person and then passed along until your entire staff is privy to something that was intended for only one person’s ears.. Article Courtesy of www.allbusiness.com