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1business New-Forms-of-Income
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New Forms of Income from the Internet: Working As an Outsourced Call Center Agent
You may have heard about people taking paid surveys in
the internet as well as people getting paid to write
articles for other people. Also, you may have heard
about using auction websites to earn some cash.
Affiliate marketing is also a popular way for people
to earn cash online. However, all these things are
quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today, if you
want to earn money from the internet, you will want to
find out what the new forms of income from the
internet are.
First of all, you will see that people today are now
looking at the internet as a tool to use to earn extra
cash. In fact, some people even found a regular online
business that earns them quite a lot of income to the
point that they considered this as a full time career.
The internet is full of great career and money making
opportunities that you will surely want to take part
of.
If you have no idea what kind of online job you should
try, then here is an example of a new way to make
money online.
By being a call center agent, you will be able to earn
quite a lot of money. Basically, many companies today
are now outsourcing their help desk or their customer
support services. The fact that it is a lot cheaper to
outsource and will free up more office space in a
building, companies today are now looking for
individuals to take the job as call center agents or
as their customer support personnel.
The great thing about this job is that you don’t have
to work in an office. What you just need is a computer
or a laptop with an active internet connection,
preferably broadband speed, and also a headset with
microphone.
Your job is to take incoming calls from people who are
seeking help about the company`s products or services
or make outgoing calls to potential clients.
The great thing about this job is that you will not be
in a lot of pressure. You also need to have good
communication skills as you will be dealing with other
people. You also need to have a lot of patience as you
will experience disgruntled clients who will complain.
When you apply as an outsourced call center agent, you
will be given the necessary software to help you with
the calls. You will also need a quiet room to work in.
Besides, you wouldn’t want customers to hear kids
running around your house, would you? And, the company
you work for may also listen to some of your calls to
evaluate your performance.
Being an outsourced call center agent, you can be sure
that you will be able to earn some cash by just
answering the phone. Also, in most cases, the company
you work for will eventually pay for your internet
connection.
This kind of job is one of the newest ways to earn
some money online. There are a lot more ways to earn
some cash online. Whether it is part time work you are
looking for or a full time one, you can be sure that
you will find new form of income from the internet.
Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will
be able to earn some cash by being an outsourced call
center agent.
News, Views & Reviews
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1manage Credit-Cards
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Credit Cards With Cash Rebate
Credit cards with cash rebate incentives give you cash rewards each and every time you make a purchase with your credit card. Although there are many types of reward credit cards out there, more and more companies are leaning towards cash back incentives, as most people prefer to receive cash back over any other type of reward.
For many, getting cash back is far preferred over air miles, items, or any other reward. If you like to use your credit card often, then you’ll find that cash rebate credit cards will give you a lot of money in return.
Normally, these types of credit cards entail higher fees and APR. You don’t want to carry a high balance on these cards at any time, as it normally ends up very costly. If you can off your balance at the end of the month, then your APR won’t affect you. Paying off your bill will also allow you to take full advantage of the cash rebate reward.
The percentage of cash back will vary, although most normally have 1%, with 5% being applied with certain purchases. For every purchase you make using your cash rebate credit card, you’ll get a small amount of cash back. Using your credit card on a frequent basis will give you a lot of cash back at the end of the year.
If you make big purchases, you can get a lot of cash back by using your credit card, although some may have a limit on just how much of a rebate you get back. If you plan to purchase large items such as furniture, you should check into your cash rebate credit card and find out what the rebate is on these types of purchases. The better rebate cards will normally send a lot of rebate cash your way just for purchasing some of the larger items.
Before you get a cash rebate credit card, you should always find out how much of a reward you will be getting with each purchase, and what the limit may be. Once you have reached the limit, some banks will either send you a check, deposit the reward into your bank account, or simply add the reward to your credit card. All three are wise options, although most prefer to have the money added to their bank account - so it can help draw some interest.
If you research the rebate card and find out what other features are included, you’ll normally come out a winner. Make sure you inquire about the credit limit, fees, and other things that you feel you should find out. Once you have researched and found out what you need to know - you can get a cash rebate credit card and begin living life knowing you will be getting cash back for just about anything you purchase.
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1manage Marketing
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Selling to a Woman Vs Selling to a Man
Different approaches should be taken when selling products or services to a man when compared to a woman. As they say that men are from mars and women from Venus both of them think very differently and hence, their thinking should be influenced by different methods.
For example, when a man decides to buy a car he looks out for the latest model, speed, mileage, etc. But when a woman goes out to buy a car she will choose a car depending on the color. She would like it match it either with her work dress or accessories like watch and will be concerned whether there is enough space to store her necessities. Because their psychologies differ so much, they should be convinced to buy a product using different methods.
Presentation is also very important. The salesperson talking to a male client doesn’t have to concentrate much on looks and cleanliness. It is okay if he doesn’t have the required documents on hand and his sleeves are folded up. But when the same salesperson is referring to a female client, he should be spotless from head to toe. He should comb his hair properly, have manicured nails and even his shoes should be well-polished. The salesperson should be prepared with all the necessary documents before hand and shouldn’t go rushing in front of the customer. Women seek perfectionism.
Words should be spoken with extra care in front of a woman customer. Women are better listeners and they will analyze each spoken word. A lot of emotion should be involved in the talking because women are drawn to emotions immediately. Like when selling clothes to a lady, tell her how you will feel bad for her if she has to sweat badly in the summer due to her nature of job. Pick a nice cotton dress for her and ask her to try it. The customer will be highly touched and will take less time to buy the product. Seventy five percent of the job is done if she is won emotionally.
Next important point is to never stop talking in front of the female customer. The moment the salesperson stops talking, she will start thinking deeply about the product and will start examining every detail of the product and will give a second thought to the product. Women have the capability of multi-tasking. They will be able to listen as well as read the manual at the same time. So keep her involved into many things at a time. A man lacks the talent of multi-tasking. If a male client gets involved with something else, stop speaking immediately because he will be unable to concentrate on both the things and it will lead him into a confusion state.
Another point to be taken care of is, it’s not a good idea to have a woman salesperson when a male client is to be handled. Women talk a lot and men are bad listeners. The woman salesperson will go on and on about the product and the man will just nod his head without getting any meaning out of it. They will not able to express properly whether they are getting the point or not. But on the other hand, a woman client can easily express how much she has followed. Even if they don’t speak it out, her facial expressions will tell it all. So when a salesperson is dealing with a female customer, he or she should watch out for the client’s expressions. If she shows any state of confusion or dislike, try taking a different approach.
Men clients can be made to understand about the product by simply drawing the outlook of the product using a simple pen and paper. Men have a good capability of visualizing the three dimensional images of the product which is being referred to. But women are not so good that. To present a clear picture, the sample or the actual product should be shown to her.
Complimenting a male customer is a very good idea. He will be over whelmed and will take it in a good sense. But a woman is a careful listener, so any compliment should be given with extra care. Any fake compliment will be immediately detected.
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1business advertising
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Women in advertising
Introduction
Men and women are different. It was designed by nature like this and there is nothing wrong about it as they perfectly supplement each other. There are stable images of men and women roles in the society, which are very difficult to change or overcome. Men are usually regarded as strong and resolute, clever and quick. Female roles are reduced to pretty and sexy objects. Advertising not only reflects the situation on the world market, but also the tendencies of the modern society and thing, which are in requisition. Gender plays in important role in advertising and gender stereotypes very often define the advertising style.
Men generally carry more important social roles, with very few exceptions, and this is reflected in the advertisements. Men play roles of authorities in the advertisements who either give examples of express their professional opinion in the contrast to women, who mainly play submissive roles of users of the products.
Advertisement can be called a measure of social opinion as it expresses the needs of the society but at the same time it also forms it. It plays a vital role in promoting labels and stereotypes. Certain ads are targeted to certain social groups. Ads, which display different female characters, appeal to different social groups.
In my paper I would like to study different approaches to woman in advertising, such as treating women as sex object, housewife, submissive, mother, professional, dumb blonde, in order to analyse social position of women and their perspectives.
Lets focus on each type of advertisements in order to study the social role it gives to women.
Women in advertising
First, and most traditional category of advertisements depicts women as typical housewife, fulfilling the major gender stereotype of the mankind. These characters radiate sweetness, warm-heartedness and passion to house holding. For example, the advertisement of commercially laundry “Bryza”, underlines the laundry to be totally women occupation. In the advertisement man is singing about children and stains and then addresses women with the words “Now You have Bryza”. Such an attitude implies that only women can and must be interested in laundry and other issued connected with house holding. Another bright example of such an attitude is an ad of Virginia Slims. This advertisement states “The sexiest move that a guy can make [in the house] is cleaning up.” Such an attitude presupposes that cleaning is fully women’s occupation and men, who help their women about the house, are doing the heroic deed and should be treated as heroes. Examples are multiple and we can calculate up to a dozen of advertisement, where women act as typical housewives during one commercial block. Such an attitude humiliates female dignity and strengthens social stereotype about the woman as a housewife. There is nothing bad in being a good housewife or taking care about husband and children. It’s bad when all the life is artificially and intentionally centred all around this aspect. In order to understand the accordance of this category to ethical norms, we should define on the ethics first. Ethics, or moral philosophy is defined as a set of regulation, which define right or wrong behaviour. From the ethical point of view, popularising the ideal of house keeping can not be regarded as something wrong. We should look deeper into the root of the problem to see another ethical problem here. Such kind of ads can limit female rights. Voluntary or not, but with the help of these ads socials role of the woman is reduced to the role of typical housewife. All the actions should be agreed with the ethics of the profession.
The role of submissive mother originally arises from the role of housewife. Motherhood is one of main destinations of all women. We all know about this from the childhood. Unfortunately, fatherhood isn’t considered to be one of the main social roles of the man. Rising children is considered to be mainly female prerogative. Such an attitude is reflected in the advertisements, where all children are accompanied by their caring and submissive mothers. These are mothers, who make the children ready to school, cook them breakfast, take care about their health, appearance, toys, etc. The chances to see a man in the role of loving father is very small or equals zero. These stereotypes about the role of woman as submissive mother are reflected in ad of Chewi-Quaker. Small girl is worried about new surrounding after moving to another school, but becomes popular when finds Chewis and messages from her loving mother in her lunch box. Another very bright example is a Cheetos advertisement, where the mother of four children is driving a family van around the city. These are typical ad when loving and caring mother helps her kids. It’s hard for us to imagine any man on the place of the woman in the ads about children. These ads are light and touching, but they serve a bad service persuading the society that taking care about the children is fully feminine responsibility. The social role of woman is changed nowadays and the range of her responsibilities goes much further than housework or raising children. In many families women work on a par with men or even more, but old social stereotypes are still alive and still give the perverted idea about the female role in the society. Same as the first category, the ads which include the patters of the submissive mothers don’t contradict any ethical norms directly as they don’t include any lies or violence, but the result can break the ethical norm, breaking the balance between social and personal life of the women.
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Art Auctions: Art Deco
In the field of modern art, art deco plays a large and impressively lavish role. The strong colors and sweeping curves lend art deco the trademark boldness that expressed much of the progress and modern advances of the twentieth century. Art auctions around the world still move many art deco pieces of various kinds. If you’re interested in collecting art deco, there are many art auctions both online and off that deal primarily in art deco.
In the twentieth century the decorative arts converged in what is known as the art deco movement, which grew to influence architecture, fashion, the visual arts as well as design. The term ‘art deco’ was derived from a World’s Fair held in Paris, France, called the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in the year 1925.
Though the movement and term comes from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the term was not widely used until the late 1960s. Especially pre- World War I Europe influenced the art deco movement, though many cultures influenced and were influenced by this art movement. Much of the world was experiencing similar shifts in modern technological advances.
For the most part, the art deco movement was brought about and inspired by the rapid advances of technological and social facets of the early twentieth century. As culture responded to these increasingly changing times, the art deco movement was an outgrowth of these modern phenomena.
Art deco is considered generally to be an eclectic type of decorative modernism that was influenced by a variety of artists and particular art forms. Art deco includes furniture, metalwork, clocks, glasswork and screens as well as paintings and other fine art types of pieces.
The art deco style is known for its lavishness and epicurean flairs that are attributed to the austerity of culture brought about by World War I. Strong patterns and bold colors and shapes were used, as were many particular motifs used universally.
For example, the sunburst motif was used in everything from the Radio City Music Hall auditorium, images of ladies’ shoes, the spire of the Chrysler Building and several other pieces of art, architecture and design. Other ubiquitous motifs found in art deco were stepped forms, the zigzag, chevron patterns and sweeping curves.
In the West, art deco lost its steam around the Second World War, but continued to be used all the way into the 1960s in colonial countries such as India, where it served as a gateway to Modernism. Then in the 1980s art deco made a comeback in graphic design. Art deco’s association with 1930s film noir led to its use in both fashion and jewelry ads.
Today art deco is revered by many and dismissed as old news and overly gaudy by others. Though it undoubtedly played a major role in art history, as with most art, individual taste frames the individual’s interpretation and like or dislike of art deco styles.
Art deco is one of the most well known art movements. This is mostly due to its wide base of influences and influenced art forms and cultures. Since much of the world was experiencing many of the same advances in technology and mass production, many of the same ideas and symbols were relevant in various parts of the world.
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1manage business-promotions
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Affiliate Marketing: Why is it One of the Most Cost-Effective Ways to Advertise your Business
Ever heard of affiliate programs? These are forms of Internet advertising that rewards the affiliates for driving traffic to the advertiser or for other transactions. The advertiser pays the affiliate to place a link on their website, and the affiliate sends traffic to the advertiser in return. Simply put, it`s about paying commissions to people who help you make sales. It`s that easy. NOT.
Affiliate marketing has its ups and downs. It could be draining if you are not armed with updated information and the technical how-tos. But this article`s sole objective is to reach out to you and not to badmouth affiliate marketing.
Here are the following reasons on why web marketers go gaga over affiliate marketing as a form of Internet advertisement.
1. Low cost
Many are scared to go on a home based business because of the capital required. In affiliate marketing, you don`t have to spend much to start raking in moolah.
2. Inventories not included
Product management fuss could be very stressing. An inventory is not asked to be maintained. The merchant does the maintenance required.
3. Unlimited income through leverage
When you have a paid job, your monthly income mainly relies on whether you go to work or not. With affiliate marketing, your affiliates could all just lead traffic to your site without having to lift a finger after providing them your ad copy and links. Though not every web marketer earns limitless, it still is a fact that all the necessary matters for the advertiser or Internet marketer are all there to be successful.
4. Go worldwide
With affiliate marketing, you are dealing with a global market place. All you have to do is choose a niche product and prepare all the necessary tools for your affiliates to lead traffic from just about anywhere to your website.
5. Low risk
The very main reason for Internet marketer`s enthusiasm with affiliate marketing is its having a low risk factor. Especially for those with low budget set aside for advertising, affiliate marketing is just the way to do it.
6. No closing time
With affiliate marketing, your business works every single second of the day while targeting a worldwide market! What could be better than that?
But all of these will be put to waste if you don`t have the right niche product and all the other important tools to make it big in affiliate marketing, i.e., well-SEO-ed website. So better work on this first before ever considering those benefits.
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Finding Maritime Items at Art Auctions
I find some really nice maritime items for my collection at art auctions. I went to an art auction in Charleston last month and found a pair of candle powered navigation lights that were used on ships in the 19th century. These types of candles were also used in lighthouse stairwells.
My collection also includes a maritime item that was made in 1891. It is a chronometer and it still keeps great time. It is very special because the broad arrow on it indicates that it was purchased by the British Navy and they are known to have only the best time pieces. I found this piece of my collection at an art auction in New Hampshire.
I have another chronometer in my collection that I found at an art auction in Dallas. It was sold to me in a wooden box from someone that had owned it for fifty years. They had kept this maritime relic in a closet. I plan to keep it on display.
I was at an art auction in Miami a couple of years ago and found a fantastic maritime item for my personal collection. The compass that I won was over 100 years old and was made in Persia. The compass face has all twelve signs of the zodiac engraved on it. I thought that this was a great find.
My kids thought I was crazy when I drove to an art auction is Hartford and drove back with three hundred pounds of maritime Navy anchors. I thought they’d look great in the yard. I like to have art in my yard, in the beds I made around my trees. No one wanted to help me unload them.
I found myself in a bidding war at an art auction in Mississippi over the original builder’s plate from the SS Contessa. It is truly a unique and wonderful maritime item. I have polished it and it gleams in the display case I bought for it.
Maritime items don’t seem to be in as much demand anymore. A few years ago, my collection got easier to add to for some reason. Art auctions everywhere I went started having really great things on the auction block.
The brass plaques from old ships have always been one of my favorite things to find up for sale at art auctions. One of my favorite maritime plaques came from a ship that was used in WWII. The ship that the plaque was on was called the Marechal Joffre and it was taken from the French in 1942. The Maritime Commission renamed the ship USS Rochambeau.
I had a friend of mine that was going to attend an art auction in Anchorage a couple of years ago bid on a bell for me. I had no idea how much the freight charge was going to end up being, but I wanted this maritime item in my collection. It was magnificent.
There is going to be a really nice maritime item at an art auction I intend to attend this weekend. Lighthouse items are of interest to me more and more lately. I have found that there is going to be an antique brass oil lamp up for auction and I plan to win it. The price will probably get up to fifteen hundred dollars, but I don’t care. I need this maritime item in my collection.
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1business ethics
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Ethics & Leadership in Business Development
In the 25 + years of working with some of the best people in Business Development within the power generation industry, we have found some unique characteristics that separate these individuals from the rest. It doesn’t seem to matter what organization they work for, or the services, the client base or the economic climate. We find that these individuals are in fact the top 3% of the professionals in their field. In addition to learning to think as CEO’s, Presidents, entrepreneurial leaders of Business Development units, we’ve discovered they have acquired the behavioral characteristics of a leader. They have learned how to set strategic and operational objectives in putting together plans, how to be visionaries and see opportunities for their organizations that other individuals may miss, and in the role of Business Development, they have mastered the 12 Core Competencies, a benchmark to measure leaders.
One of the most compelling definitions of a leader is an individual whose mere presence inspires the desire to follow. When asked if leaders are born or bred, the general consensus is that leadership can be taught. While few of us have had the opportunity to be formally trained or mentored in leadership, all of us are called to be a leader at different times and circumstances in our lives. Leadership is first about who you are as an individual, not what you do, and the term character best describes the core characteristic of a leader. It is this part of an individual that inspires other to follow, so we see character as the summation of an individual’s principles and values, core beliefs by which one anchors and measures their behavior in all roles in life. Principles and values of a positive leader include loyalty, respect, integrity, courage, fairness, honesty, duty, honor and commitment.
If character is the summation of our principles and values, then ethics is the application of them. To understand more about character development, we can reach back nearly 2500 years to the writings of Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle taught that moral virtue is acquired by practice. Ethics, according to Aristotle, is moral virtue that comes about as a result of habit. Ethics has as its root ethike, formed by the slight variation of the word ethos (habit). Aristotle explained that moral virtues do not arise in us by nature; we must accept them, embrace them and perfect them by habit. Leadership training emphasizes that understanding leader values and attributes is only the first step in development. A leader must also embrace values and practice attributes, living them until they become a habit.
In the Business Development role, success requires a fusion of who we are as an individual, along with our principles, values, ethics and their application. It’s a unique combination of what we know, how we apply it and what we do.
Bill Scheessele is CEO/Founder of MBDi, a Business Development consultancy based in Charlotte, North Carolina. For the past 27 years, MBDi has assisted client firms in leveraging their high level expertise into bottom line business. Information on the company and the MBDi Business Development Process™ access: www.mbdi.com.
1manage business-promotions
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Top Writers Around the World will write for you – outsourcing
The content of your site tells a whole lot about your website. They will basically describe what your site is about and also tell people what your site has to offer. Articles and website content makes a whole lot of difference in your site because they can catch the attention of your website visitors and keep them in there.
With good website content you get the benefit of clearly depicting what it is you want to share with people. Also, good content and articles can lead people to your site. With more traffic, you get to earn more from your site making it profitable. A sites success, be it for profit or not, is the number of the flow of traffic in your site.
So how does good content and great articles get you traffic? Well, many search engines rely on the keyword and keyword phrases of a site to put it in their results list. If your content contains a good number of keywords and keywords phrases, it may be chosen to be a part of the top listed sites in the search result pages.
But before you think of just plastering your site with all the keywords and keyword phrases it could hold, search engines also filter out that abuse. You must have good well written articles that incorporate the keywords and keyword phrases properly in their content and articles.
There are many of those who cannot afford the time to write their own website contents and articles. While writing content and articles specifically designed for the internet may take some getting used to and some researching and learning, there are many writers that can be found all over the world who could do it for you.
Many of us do not have the time to learn web content writing and article writing designed for the internet. There are writers who have great experience in doing this and charge only a minimal fee for such work. Writers like this can be regarded as experts in this style of writing and can greatly help your website to get that coveted spot in the search engine rankings.
Other than getting your site in the web results page of search engines, they can also provide your site with meaningful articles and content that can impress your website visitors and entice others to view your site. Every website could use the extra traffic website visitors could invite.
Then there are those who need papers to be done either for their school or office work. Top writers around the world are very knowledgeable and do extreme researching to get a job done right. They are also very adept in many writing styles that are needed to best suit the client’s need.
Many writers around the world charge a minimal fee depending on the type of writing job needed and the number of words needed in the content. Usually, a two hundred fifty worded article would cost from 4 to 8 dollars depending on the writers experience and ability. This is a small price to pay for having a content rich site or for a well researched and written paper.
There are also many sites that can offer you these services with their team of well trained and experienced writers. They offer many writing services to cover any writing needs. A writer can be based anywhere in the world and are guaranteed to offer good contents and articles. Each one are doubly checked, edited and proofread so that you would get your money’s worth.
Finding a good writer or a site that offers these kinds of services is simply done by searching for them in search engines. Type down your keyword or keyword phrase (e.g. Content Writers, Article Writers) and you will see a long list of sites that offer these services.
The top sites would probably be the best since they have done a good job of keeping their content at a high quality to get them high rankings. But you may also want to shop around and read some of their sample work to get an idea of how much it will cost you.
1business New-Forms-of-Income
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Creating Business Plans for New Forms of Income from the Internet
Are you excited in being involved in the new forms of
income from the internet? If you are, you must relax
and think straight because you can’t afford to make
mistakes, especially if you want to make it big on the
net. Find a fresh new idea that you can use to create
an income opportunity online and make sure that you
create your own business plan to ensure your success.
Before starting an online business, you must devise a
business plan. This is very important because it can
lead to your business’ success or downfall. Whether
your business idea is new or just an innovation of an
existing one, you will need a business plan. Start the
plan with a mission statement or a description of your
business. Make a summary and after that, you can
already identify your business objectives and aims.
After that, it is now time to start making the
marketing plan. This is a bit hard but you will need
it to address the business specifics.
When you’re already developing the business strategy,
you need to consider these things:
• Target market. Since the business is based online,
you will need to generate traffic to your site. Your
target market refers to the customers that will be
visiting your site. Target markets can be mothers,
business executives, teens, older adults, and even
kids.
• Consider competition. Competition is one thing that
you have to give much attention if you want to succeed
in the online business that is why you need to come up
with a product or service which is different but
useful. If your product/service is similar to others,
visit their site and analyze the costs as well as the
necessary marketing strategy. Identify your
competitor’s weaknesses and improve your
products/service based on them.
• Know the various ways to effectively advertise your
business. You should have knowledge about the
different methods to advertise the business. Learn
more about the importance of search engines, banner
ads, blogs, and articles. You can use these tools to
advertise your product/service to the whole world.
• How much are you going to price your
product/service? You will have to go back with the
competition in the market. Your price should not be
too high nor too low; it should be affordable to
customers but at the same time, give you enough
profit. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers
and study the existing market prices of related
products/services.
• Shipping method. Since the business is on the net,
you can expect customers from different parts of the
world. Post the shipping details on your website in a
clear manner. If your products are valuable, you
should get shipping insurance especially if you need
to ship outside your country.
• Mode of payment. Most online businesses accept
credit cards and if you choose this option, you will
need to decide between merchant accounts or third
party processing centers. Some online businesses
accept money order or checks; will your business
accept them too?
A business plan is vital to all new forms of income
from the internet. It is the only way to ensure
success. Start developing your business plan now. Take
your time when developing the marketing plan because
it is the most important part of the entire business
plan. After creating the plan, you can now start with
the income opportunity you’ve chosen.
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1travel Car-Rental
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Challenges of car rental in Germany
In spite of not being the common favorite among tourists, Germany, a country that is totally rich with culture and heritage has somewhat been able to generate a good following still. Still trying to forget about their gloomy past, Germany hasn’t quite been able to detach itself from the awful Holocaust era during World War I. Still, as being one of the most progressive countries in the world, Germany has somewhat been able to pick itself up from the ashes of its dark and awful past to show the world that they’re not a conceited and arrogant nation after all.
With the well-balanced mix of modernity and lush country sides, touring around Germany is sure to be a wonderful adventure that you’re sure to remember – if only you have a car to use for your sightseeing. Car rental Germany isn’t really that hard to book, well, just to be safe, a good piece of advice is to book you car rental Germany, way before you even set foot in the country.
As industrialized and urban as they may be, unfortunately, Germans aren’t really that fluent in conversing in English so it’s highly likely for you to not be able to be able to communicate well with them. It’s best that you find a good, reputable and affordable car rental for Germany while you’re still planning your trip, this way, you can spare your self the hassle of ending up with a vehicle that you’re not comfortable in, much worse, nothing at all. While planning out the places you want and most likely will visit during your stay in Germany, map out the distances from each of your chosen places, try to assess if it’s really more practical to avail of car rental Germany or if it’s still best (and cheaper) to just take the mass transportation vehicles.
Also, how long are you actually going to stay in Germany? Would your expenses actually allow you to still avail of car rental Germany? Also, another very important point to remember is, driving in Germany – as well as in other European countries, requires you to drive on the right side of the road. A lot of people have actually had some difficulty with regards to this so you might as well take note of this before actually booking for your self a car rental for Germany. If this proves to be a hassle for you, ask your vacation companions if they’re comfortable driving on the right side of the road, anyone who’s more than willing to act as your designated driver will solve your problem easily.
However, if you’re traveling alone or your companions can’t drive on the right side of the road, worse, if they can’t drive at all but you’re sure that car rental Germany is what will make your stay in Germany worthwhile, prepare your wallet for booking your self a professional driver. Ask the car rental Germany agency to book you with someone who speaks good English, doesn’t need to be superb nor remarkably fluent but someone who can at least understand what you’re saying and vice-versa.
There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a foreign country with a hired driver who you can’t communicate with, aside from being a total waste of money, you’re bound to leave Germany with a big headache. Don’t be daunted by this “little obstacles”, just plan ahead and you’re sure to be able to enjoy your vacation in Germany completely with no hassles plus you’ll be somewhat of an expert when it comes to car rental Germany.
1business marketing
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Why You Should Use WordPress As Your Choice Blogging Platform
There is no doubt that the blogging has changed the internet as we know it today. The days of boring, stale, static content websites are over. Bloggers have become a source of fresh and interesting content for internet users across the world. The blogosphere is constantly evolving and changing thanks to this seemingly unending stream of interesting information published by regular people like you. The great thing about the blogosphere is that anyone can contribute to it. You can start blogging and get your word out there today with a great open source blogging platform known as WordPress. Install this software on your website and you can have a blog up and running in no time. Never heard of WordPress? Well these top companies and publications have:
- The New York Times
- Yahoo`s Corporate Blog
- CNN`s Political Ticker
- Sony Playstation Blog
- Southwest Airlines
The list goes on and on...
You`re probably thinking: if all these huge companies use this software called WordPress, it`s probably too complicated for a beginning blogger like me. That is just absolutely wrong. WordPress is very simple to use and anyone can start blogging with it. The reason why such large companies and small-time bloggers alike use WordPress is the simplicity, flexibility, and easy of use. Let`s not forget WordPress is absolutely free and open source. Here are some of the benefits of using WordPress as your blogging platform of choice:
- An easy to use blogging platform. Write in a WYSIWYG editor, save drafts, and publish when you`re ready.
- A huge community full of support, free templates, plugins, and additional addons and modifications for your blog
- A dynamic theming system, change the look of your entire blog with one click.
- Generate "SEO-friendly" permalinks with the click of a button.
- Built-in RSS feed functionality.
- Categorize and tag your blog posts.
- Create static pages.
- Integrated search box.
- Automatic pinging to the top blog ping services.
The possibilities are literally endless...
With the thousands upon thousands of other blogs running WordPress, it`s popularity is undeniable. Give it a test drive yourself by signing up for a free hosted blog at WordPress.com or take the plunge and host it yourself. Take advantage of the variety of free tools and resources associated with this popular open source blogging software. Happy blogging!
1manage manage
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Breweriana at Art Auctions
My father-in-law is very interest in beer art. Breweriana is the special name for beer related artifacts. I’ve been watching for special pieces to add to his collection at art auctions I’ve been attending.
The first breweriana piece that I acquired for my father-in-law was a 1940s Lone Star Beer sign. He was so happy with this find at the art auction that he asked me to keep finding him interesting pieces of beer history. I think that finding breweriana at art auctions is definitely a commentary on today’s society.
I found another really old piece of breweriana at the very next art auction I attended. It was another sign and it was from the 1930s for Ziegler Beer. I was at an art auction in Wisconsin and had to ship that sign to my father-in-law by freight.
My quest for breweriana has taken me to some art auctions that I would not have ordinarily attended and I’ve met people that I don’t ordinarily meet. I got into a bidding war with a Cajun man over a Jax Beer sign from the 1930s. The auctioneer said that it was a piece of New Orleans history.
The Cajun outbid me at every opportunity. I had a limit that had been set by my father-in-law and we were closing in on it when he finally stopped bidding. I won that piece of breweriana at the art auction for eight hundred dollars.
The porcelain breweriana signs are showing up at art auctions all over the country. I found another one from the 1930s for Supreme Beer that was double sided and oval. I was really pleased when I was able to present that one to my father-in-law.
The tin breweriana signs are actually not showing up as often at art auctions. I felt fortunate when I found one from the 1930s for Washington Beer. The ceramic breweriana signs are much more commonplace.
After my first few purchases of breweriana for my father-in-law he decided that his taste really did run to items from the 1930s and 1940s. I’ve tried to keep this in mind when I find new acquisitions.
I usually stay away from neon or illuminating breweriana. I just don’t think it fits in with the feeling of my father-in-law’s collection. The antique feel of everything is nice. He has taken up beer making as a hobby since his wife passed away, so it is not a far leap to beer art collecting.
The Goetz Country Club Beer sign that I won at an art auction in Indiana was a little more chipped than the other pieces I’ve gotten. I was intent on winning this sign because Goetz was my father-in-law’s mother’s maiden name. He was so happy with this old piece of breweriana because of the name on it that it instantly became the centerpiece of his collection.
I found two pieces of cardboard breweriana at an art auction in Ohio. I decided that they were going to sell so cheaply that I could buy them and frame them for the collection. I’m glad I went to that art auction.
I won a sign for Velvet Beer and another one for Stratford Beer. They both were from the 1930s and they were more colorful than tin breweriana signs that I’d purchased at other art auctions. The framer that I used framed both pieces for fifty dollars.
The art auction that I attended in Rochester, New York turned out to be very fruitful for my father-in-law’s breweriana collection. There was a Standard Dry Ale reverse painted glass sign up for auction. The sign had hung in a bar until the 1960s when the bar closed down.
The most recent piece of breweriana that I bought at an art auction was an original prohibition era Miller High Life Brew sign. The red and black sign looked great on the wall with the other signs in the collection. My father-in-law plans to build an old-fashioned bar in his home, at least the decorating is complete!
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1business marketing
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Winning and Retaining Customers
Selling your business to people is an often daunting task. People have different wants that is why the manner you approach each of your customers is also different. Businesses that stand out in today’s competitive market are those that are able to harness emotional connections with people. Every business knows that a positive customer service is important for a business to be successful. But what businesses struggle for is how to make use of their knowledge to change into action.
Your goal as a business man is not to show how good you are but to develop a relationship with your customers. Along the way you will have to educate your customers about the products you have to offer if ever you hope to make a sale. But after the sale retaining the customers is a more difficult task to do. Competition is always stiff that is why you need to show your customers exceptional value and service.
It is especially difficult when people cut back on spending. At times like this you need to work harder to attract customers because all your competitors are doing the same thing. Wouldn’t it be good to have customers who stay loyal to you even in hard times? How could you possibly do this?
First off, provide good customer service. This should be a priority in any business because customers are likely to stay with businesses that treat them well. There is no such thing as too much stress on customer satisfaction. Making your customers happy always pays off. This will not only retain customers but will also attract new ones.
Second, keep on improving your products and services. Keep in mind that the market is continuously changing. Thus, you should never be satisfied with your products or services. Do a research and study your competitors. Keep up with any changes in the market.
Third, create products or offer services that appeal to your customers. If your products lack quality, people will not come back to your business. Make sure that your products and services are something that they need not only what they think they need.
Fourth, build good rapport with your customers. You need to be more humane in your approach so that your customers can relate to you as someone who is more than a business provider but also a friend.
So remember that attracting customers is more than just luck. It requires good strategy and planning. Do your best to win your customer’s trust. Take care of it and it will bring you good business in the years to come.
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Caviar Eggs
You'll Need:
6 hard-cooked eggs
6 tbsp caviar (red or black)
1 tbsp chopped chives or green onions
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp mayonnaise or sour cream
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Procedures :
Shell the eggs, cut them in halves, and remove the yolks. Mash these well and combine with the remaining ingredients. When it is thoroughly whipped together, heap it into the whites with a spoon, or pipe it in, using the rosette end of a pastry tube.
For a first course, serve 2 halves per person. Arrange them on greens and pass a Russian dressing. Or double the recipe and serve it as a salad course with watercress, Russian dressing, and crisp French bread.
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Category :
Appetizers
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Bean Curd With Pineapple
You'll Need:
1 lb bean curd
1 lg can of pineapple chunks
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
Oil
1 ea green onion, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
Procedures :
Cut drained bean curd into small cubes. Drain syrup from the pineapple, retaining 1 tbsp of it. Dissolve cornflour in this.
Stir in sherry and soy sauce. Add bean curd and let stand for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok and stir fry the marinated bean curd till the liquid has been absorbed. Remove and drain.
Add a little more oil and stir-fry the green onion, bean sprouts and pineapple for 1 minute.
Add bean curd, cook for 2 minutes. Serve with boiled rice.
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Category :
Vegeterian
1business publicrel
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One of America`s brightest leaders and thinkers
Marshawn Evans, J.D., has garnered a reputation as an inspiring, articulate and intelligent orator. In the same mode as multitalented trailblazing women such as Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, Tyra Banks and Kimora Lee Simmons, Marshawn is a: media personality, distinguished entrepreneur, passionate youth advocate, inspirational speaker and up-and-coming litigator.
Marshawn emerged into national consciousness as the 3rd runner-up for Miss America. Her fame continued to grow after her coveted stint as one of Donald Trump`s handpicked cast members on NBC`s popular show, "The Apprentice." Marshawn has become a growing fixture in the media, having appeared across a wide-spectrum of leading TV, magazine, radio, newspaper and internet outlets, including ABC, VH1, MTV, Glamour and USA Today.
As Founder of Communication Counts, Marshawn travels around the country working with politicians, athletes, entertainers and media personalities to enhance their communicative skills. Recently, Marshawn launched an upscale clothing operation called JewelME Couture. In her entrepreneurial roles, Marshawn combines the elegant, ambassadorial style that won her the interview for the Miss America competition, with an assertive business brawn and savvy.
Marshawn`s passion advocating for young people spawns from her own youth in which she was labeled a problem child. Her avid work with youth has won her prestigious awards and recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice and from former Texas Governor George W. Bush. Marshawn`s influence on youth issues stretches beyond U.S. Borders as she served as an Ambassador to the International Summit of Achievement in Dublin, Ireland. At the summit, Marshawn presented on best practices for training future leaders, with the likes of former United States President Bill Clinton, former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, actor James Earl Jones and international human rights activist Steve Bono.
A consummate professional speaker, Marshawn`s client list includes the likes of Rotary International, Clear Channel, The National Youth Network, Florida State University, and numerous corporations, municipalities, nonprofits, churches and universities. Some of her seminar and keynote topics have included, "The Art of Project Management, Lessons Learned from the Board Room", "Hand-in-Hand: Youth and Adult Partnerships" and "Skirts in the Board Room: Challenges Facing Women in the Workplace."
After distinguishing herself as a top graduate from Georgetown University, one of the nation`s premier legal educational institutions, Marshawn took a position as an attorney for one of Atlanta`s top law firms. Apart from practicing law, this young business leader and woman of conviction is currently completing work on an upcoming book, inspirational CD and DVD. Her clear ideas, enthusiasm, humility and attention to detail make her one of the rising personalities in the communication and entertainment industry.
This Speaker`s Upcoming Events Sat - Jun 10
Marshawn Evans and Jeff Johnson participate in a Teen Summit at the 100 Black Men Conference
Sun - Jun 18
Marshawn Evans host the Miss Georgia Pageant
Event Type: Public Appearance Mon - Jun 19
Marshawn Evans host the Miss Georgia Pageant
Event Type: Public Appearance Tue - Jun 20
Marshawn Evans host the Miss Georgia Pageant
www.4thdimensionmanagement.com
1manage business-promotions
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Tool Talk: All about internet marketing tools
Who doesn`t want inexpensive internet marketing tools? In this day and age when advertising your business online is the way to go, it`s a must that you avail of internet marketing tools at the lowest cost possible. How can you avail of them? How can you make the most out of these low cost internet marketing tools?
These low cost internet marketing tools aim to better your website and promote them thoroughly. Read on to know more about them:
1. Software
There is software specializing in internet marketing. These programs are affordable internet marketing tools. They attract traffic, communicate your site to anyone online, harness and trim down your keywords, track your site visitors and create links to other sites. Of course, the phrase "low cost" emphasizes that you must not spend exorbitantly. Watch out for internet marketing tools that do nothing but suck your budget.
2. Website packages
Take note of low cost internet marketing tools that do the following: hosting and designing your site, getting your domain, offering technical help, configure and upload your files, campaigning for your traffic. These are available in website packages that you can avail of anytime. Choose a package caters to your site`s needs.
3. Mailing lists
Notice that when you visit the Bulk Mail folder of your email, you read nothing but website promotions. That`s email marketing? It boosts your business like no other. Don`t worry about spamming. There`s such a thing as "safe lists" that make your mails spam-free. This is so easy to obtain. Look for mailing lists for sale and let the fun of emailing begin.
4. Data Submitters
This is a money-saving internet marketing tool that works like magic. Have a data submitter of your own and amass tremendously huge hits!
5. E-books
Integrate an e-book in your site for people to download. At such a cheap price, you keep people clamoring for more and visiting your site in the process. That`s one affordable internet marketing tool for you.
6. SEO tools
Internet marketing is not complete without the standard SEO tools. Search engines remain as the major powerhouse in marketing so never leave this part out. Generate traffic through this effective low cost internet marketing tool!
Here`s a reminder: when you see the low cost internet marketing tool banners online, never get persuaded easily. Study the package deals; analyze the contents and benefits before deciding if you want one.
1manage manage
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Unique Faberge Eggs
Faberge Eggs have always been special to me. I’ve been searching them out at art auctions since I was in my early twenties. I did a term paper on the Faberge Company and their history of making eggs for the Russian Tsars between 1885 and 1917.
The first Faberge Egg that I ever found at an art auction was actually quite by chance. The Faberge Egg was not one of the advertised items and was actually a bottle topper. I instantly fell in love with it and took it home from the art auction for one hundred dollars.
I saw an advertisement for a tropical Faberge Egg from a collection St. Petersburg. It was set to be up for sale at an art auction in New York City. I knew that I was going to be unable to purchase it, but I wanted to see it in person and at least put in one of the lower bids.
The tropical Faberge Egg at that art auction in New York City ended up selling for over six thousand dollars. That is out of my price range, but I was happy just to have been in the same room with this masterpiece. The eggs themselves are just exciting to be near.
The first Faberge Egg was made in 1885. I know that it will never turn up in an art auction, but hopefully I will see it someday in an exhibit. The first one was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III and was given to his wife as an Easter present. The surprise inside the egg was a golden hen in a golden yolk. The hen was wearing a tiny crown with a ruby hanging inside.
The antique Russian Faberge Egg that I found at an art auction recently was so detailed. The silver enamel egg has rubies and eagles and is marked with Faberge hallmarks. I was able to win this egg because I was bidding with someone else’s money. The best eggs always end up with the richest people.
The piece that I want in my collection is a genuine Lillies of the Valley Faberge Egg. I found one at an art auction I went to ten years ago. I was unable to buy the one I saw, because I didn’t have the money at the time. I’ve been saving for the time that I see another one.
The Lillies of the Valley Faberge Egg is covered with pearls and pale pink enamel. The egg is on a stand that has legs of matte green-gold leaves with rose dewdrops. The gold-stemmed lilies of the valley have green enamelled leaves and pearl flowers. I will look for this egg at every art auction I ever attend.
This Faberge Egg is delightful. It is surmounted by an Imperial crown of rose crystals. There is a pearl knob that reveals the surprise of this egg. The surprise is portrait miniatures of Czar Nicholas II and his two oldest daughters. The portraits are framed in rose crystals and backed with gold panels. I have heard a rumor that one will be at an art auction next year in Miami.
The last art auction I attended I purchased a Faberge Egg called the Imperial Clover Egg. It was for my personal collection and I won it for under a thousand dollars. I felt like it was quite a steal at that price.
The Imperial Clover Faberge Egg was originally made with a four leaf clover inside of it that had portraits of the four daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra. The portraits went missing during the Russian Revolution. The egg that I bought at the art auction had a stem of clovers standing upright. Two clovers in green enamel and the third, a four leaf clover, was done in diamonds. The diamond four leaf clover is a pin that can be worn.
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1manage businesstips
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All About On Page SEO
When it comes to doing business online, you will soon discover that it’s all about the traffic. Traffic, or the number of internet users you’d be able to generate for your website, is and will always be the lifeblood of any online venture. After all, what good is a website when there’s no one there to see its pages? How successful will your digital products be if no one would be able to know about them? Who will avail of your services when no one will get exposed to their existence?
Contrary to what many people believe, generating traffic for your website does not start once you pages are published and have gone live. Traffic generation strategies start at the very moment you are conceptualizing an idea for the website itself.
This is what on page search engine optimization (SEO) is all about. It is concerned with techniques that you could implement on your web pages themselves to ensure a good volume of traffic for your website. 80% of your traffic would come from the many search engines in the World Wide Web. If each and every web page you have is optimized for these search engines, then your website would be in a good position to have a high rank for the results of every relevant query.
* Keyword selection. Choosing the right keywords is essential for the success of your website. Keywords are the popular search terms that people use to gather information from the search engines. If your web pages are populated by the right density of the correct keywords, then you’ll have better chances of winning the attention of the search engine spiders. To determine the appropriate keywords for the subject that your website will be servicing, use the free tools that can be found at www.nichebot.com .
* Keyword placement in content. Content is the king of the internet. But even royalty needs support. Populate your content with the proper amount of keywords. A density level of at least 2% should be sought. This means that the right keywords should be mentioned at least twice for every 100 words of text.
* META tags. META tags are HTML codes that do not have a bearing on the physical appearance of your web pages, but they do inform the search engine spiders that such web pages are appropriate for a particular query. Always include the following META tags on the top portion of your source code. You could copy-paste them from the list below, but do change the indicated fields. Also, make sure that you include your keywords as much as you could on your META tags.
* ALT tags. ALT tags refer to the text that would appear every time the mouse cursor would pass through an image. Your ALT tags should include your keywords.
* Page titles. Page titles are the captions that appear at the very top of your web page. Make sure that each web page in your website would have a different title that will include the appropriate keywords.
* Focus. Remember, search engines will crawl through your website per page. Each page is a different project altogether. Focus is the key. Ensure that each web page of yours would focus on a particular keyword or key phrase. If there is an article in that page, make sure that the article will only discuss and include one keyword or key phrase from the list you have made. Also, it would greatly help if you would name the page file in a manner that would include the keyword or key phrase it is focused on. For example, www.thisisyourwebsite.com/thisisyourkeyword.html is a good page filename that would help boost your SEO efforts.
Following these guidelines would help you a lot in securing a favorable position in search engine results pages. This in turn would guarantee for you a sustainable and sufficient volume of traffic that would make your website a genuine success.
1business AffiliateMarketing
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Affiliate Marketing: Staying Away From Scams
Many of us are upset and frustrated with our current jobs. The low pay and sense of being undervalued drive many of us to dream of our own businesses. However, the costs combines with the risk factors stops most of us in our tracks. Affiliate marketing is a way for people to work for themselves with no risk. There is no cost to you and you’re paid on performance. However, today one has to be careful. There are plenty of scammers and con artists out there that are more than happy to take you money and hard work off of you. Unfortunately, affiliate marketing is not immune to these scammers. Daily, people are taken in by promises of big money with relatively little effort. In this article we will teach you some of the signs to look for and tell you how to spot a scam.
When you join an affiliate marketing scheme, you either going to sell a product or a service. With products, you usually have a choice and range to sell. How you decide to do this is largely up to you. You could also sell a service. Web page designs as well as increasing sales and internet traffic are all examples of services offered by affiliate marketing programs.
How many times have you seen as ad on the internet promising huge earnings? Things like “Earn 1000$ a day” or Join our program now and become a millionaire. If your look closely at these ads they are not actually selling anything. Any company that is just selling the opportunity to make money is likely a scam. True, some affiliate marketing companies will have attention grabbing headlines like the ones mentioned above. However, if you go on to read the ad and information, there will likely be a detailed description of what they company sells. They will also have a disclaimer and terms and conditions listed.
These companies that offer, the opportunity to make money are likely pyramid schemes. The only people paying money in are the ones actually joining. There is no income being created, just money being passed from person to person. Not only are these scams and you’ll loose what you invested, they are also illegal and you can face prosecution.
Another thing to watch out for is no free participation. If you have to pay to join then you may have stumbled upon a scam or what is known as a multilevel marketing program. Multi-level marketing programs are completely legal and some people make good livings out of them. However, if you’re not successful you may end up purchasing a bunch of products that you cannot sell.
True affiliate programs are free. That is part of their attraction. There are no costs to you and they should also be risk free. Any Affiliate marketing programs that demands your money is not an affiliate program. You should ask yourself why they are misrepresenting themselves this way if they are legitimate.
Many of us dream of being our own bosses. We would love to be able to take control of our lives and careers. The attraction of answering only to you combined with setting your own working hours and committing what your choose bring loads of people into the affiliate marketing schemes. Affilaite marketing can be an excellent way for a highly motivated, creative person to make an excellent living. There are some wonderful programs out there just waiting to be joined. However, for every great program there is likely one that is fraudulent. Con artists operate in many areas and unfortunate affiliate marketing is not immune.
Before joining, check to see what the company is selling. If they are not selling goods or services then they are likely an illegal pyramid scheme. If they require your own money to get started then they are what are known as a multi level marketing program. Affiliate marketing can be a great opportunity but you need to do your homework.
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1business custoserv
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The Customer Is Sometimes Always Right?
In short, yes… uhm well, no… maybe sometimes? O.k., so you might have gathered by now that there is no “short” answer. Anybody who truly believes that the customer is always right hasn’t really given this policy much thought.
When was the last time someone came into your business, or called on the phone, or better yet emailed you with a throbbing case of the nasties? Our business is located just outside of the city with a bus stop in front. We also own several niche market web sites. Do you suppose we get our share of interesting characters?
Somehow, this philosophy/policy of, “The customer is always right” has been branded into the consumer’s psyche and repeatedly shoved in the face of business owners, managers, and employees. Having worked in Law Enforcement for several years, we’re taught by our instructors and leaders to consider “the spirit of the law” versus “the letter of the law.” These considerations dictate whether or not the cop is going to give you a ticket for going 5 miles over the speed limit. If we’re to follow the “letter of the law,” we’re going to go by the book each and every time without exception. It’s the “spirit” that allows us discretion to listen to a creative story of how your lover caught you with your spouse again and “thank God you’re here to protect me, Officer… and that’s why I was speeding. I was trying to get away!”
Shouldn’t we, as business owners and managers, have that same option of discretion when a less than reasonable customer approaches chanting that misguided mantra? Now, of course, this is not to say that we should not recognize our positions as “authority figures” and practice a higher degree of professionalism, diplomacy, and tact. All of which are vital to your business. Professionalism is the difference between giving the appearance of genuine concern, and wrapping your knuckles on someone’s forehead to see if anybody’s home. Diplomacy is being able to give your customer the perception that you owe them, and have provided them with, an apology by stating something to the affect of, “I’m sorry you feel that our policy has inconvenienced you.” instead of actually apologizing and admitting fault for something that your company is righteous in maintaining. Tact is being able to tell your customer that it appears that your (policy, sign, product, etc.) was simply misunderstood without having to tell him/her that they’re a complete moron.
Now, I’m also not condoning never admitting fault or accepting responsibility for genuine wrongs and doing everything within your ability to correct them. And there are schools of thought that strictly forbid admitting fault. Their mantra? “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.” However, by the very nature of such an absolute statement such as, “The customer is always right,” provides people, who for no other reason but a sense of entitlement, a free pass to come into your business with the expectation that they’re going to be able to conduct themselves however they wish. This includes treating you and/or your employees with utter disrespect and rudeness. As a result, our employee attrition rate is relatively low because we allow them the discretion of practicing professionalism, diplomacy, and tact. Fortunately, most of our clientele allow us the opportunity to provide them with genuine friendly service and resolve any issues with a mutually beneficial outcome. Unfortunately, every once in a while, you come across a customer, who no matter what extraordinary efforts you deploy to appease, is simply unreasonable. With that, you must then make an executive decision and these are just a few questions that should be considered in rapid-fire succession almost immediately. Is this customer worth keeping? How adversely will kicking him in the pants affect my business? Am I able to resolve this issue with little impact on my business or bank account? Am I going to diminish my employee’s sense of empowerment and/or sense of dignity by overturning their reasonable decision? I’m sure there are other considerations that you’re likely to make, but these are the very minimum.
Incidentally, the person responsible for us having to endure the phrase, “The customer is always right.” was a gentleman by the name of H Gordon Selfridge. Mr. Selfridge was the founder of Selfridge’s Department Stores widely known across the United Kingdom. Perhaps Mr. Selfridge was stuck in the “letter of the law,” as he died insane and bankrupt. Food for thought.
1manage Credit-Cards
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Protecting Your Personal Information
We all know that criminals are out there, waiting to steal our credit card information. These very criminals want credit card information so they can run up the charges then leave you holding the bags - with nothing to show for it. Even though some are local, most credit card criminals are in far away lands. Worse than that, they like to hide or go by other names so it’s virtually impossible to track them down.
The most common way for criminals to get credit card information is through phishing, which involves a fake email that appears to be sent from your credit card company. Normally, this fake email states that there was an error with your account, or that it was accessed by unauthorized personnel and needs your attention.
Spotting fake emails isn’t hard to do - as long as you know what to look for. The most obvious hint for most, is the fact that they don’t even have a credit card from the company that has sent the email. For others, the link is what gives the fake email away. Anytime you get an email from a credit card that you believe to be fake, you should always hover your mouse over the link, then “right click” the link with the mouse and select “view source”. If the link is indeed fake, the website address that comes up will be something other than that of a credit card company.
The criminals don’t want you to look at the source for their website, as they simply want you to click on the link before you look at anything else. Once you have clicked on the link, you’ll arrive at a website that is usually an exact copy of a credit card website. Fake sites normally include everything that the actual site does, including the logos and banners. Even for the most amateur of credit card criminals, web pages like this are very easy to create.
Those of you who have fell victim to this scam, probably realized what you have done little too late. Once you have entered in your credit card information, you have done exactly what the criminals wanted and put yourself in violation of credit card fraud and identity theft. Once the criminal has your social security number and credit card information, he is more than likely to use that information to go on a shopping spree - stealing your money and running up your account.
If you receive an email such as this, you should always delete it. Even if you just click on the fake website to investigate, you may do more harm than good. Even though you may not enter any information at all, your computer may get infected with viruses or spyware simply because you clicked on the link. To avoid this altogether, you should never click on a link that you believe to be a fake credit card company website.
If you do your part and protect your credit card information, you won’t have anything at all to worry about. Your personal information is very important, as you never want it to fall in the wrong hands. As long as you protect it, you won’t have anything to worry about. There are always criminals out there, which is why you should always be on guard. Criminals want your personal information and your credit card numbers - it’s up to you to ensure that they don’t get it. A criminal will do anything to get what they want, which is why protecting yourself is so very important these days.
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1manage business-promotions
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3 Things You Must Do Before You Submit To Article Directories
To all writers and non-writers out there, now is the time to start digging up those creative writing skills back.
With modern communication technology comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is why article writing, submissions and publications are also getting popular.
There are already many tools that people can use to make the process of distributing their articles more easily. Though this is invaluable in getting the contents more exposure, which is only half of the story.
Let us take a look first at the common mistakes that some people make before submitting their contents to article directories:
1. Confusing the reason to promote the articles with the reason to write them.
In article writing, there are three key benefits why you are promoting them; branding, lead generation and promotion, which are all part of your optimization efforts.
But there is only one reason why you write an article, and that is to inform your audience. If the article is not focused on this primary and most important purpose, it will fail to achieve the three promotion benefits because no one will be interested in reading them.
You need to figure out first how to get people to read what is in your article, then make them click on your resource box. You can achieve this by producing better contents.
2. Failing to maximize the promotional opportunities of article marketing.
You may know already that your articles can help you generate additional links back to your site. But do you know that you can get more visitors and better search engine results from that same articles?
Mention keywords at strategic places. Just be sure not to overdo them. Some are even using anchor texts which is also an effective method. But it is important to know that majority of the directories are not able to support this.
Remember that is not only about the links back to your site. Part of doing well in your article marketing is getting picked up by publishers with a large number of audiences and gaining the ability of leveraging other brands because of the quality of your work. Better search engine results also are great benefits.
But these things do not put much money in your pocket. There are other factors that can turn your article marketing efforts into an opportunity that can boost your earnings. Not just increase the number of visitors to your site.
Start out with a plan and see to it that your article will serve the function that you intended it to have.
3. Publishing content that does not help your readers.
Maybe in the process of writing articles, you are thinking that all that is you wanted is links back to your site. And any visitors it can generate are fine.
Guess what? Not all article banks and directories are going to accept your content automatically. Oftentimes, they have some guidelines and specifications on the articles that they are accepting.
You can double the number of sites you can submit to by writing articles that the directories want to share with other people. All it takes is one publisher with a hundred thousand readers to increase your potential audience overnight.
Write the articles that publishers want in their publications if you want your article marketing to work the most effective way for you. This also means you have to obey the standard guidelines, spell checks, researching on a good topic and even hiring a writer to produce a good content on your behalf.
In the end, it is all really a matter of choice on your part. You can start getting a little exposure from increased links back but on a very basic level. Or enjoy massive exposure from a little extra time making quality contents.
It will be your choice. You may not be aware of the fact that an article submitted on directories is not meant to have the same level of exposure as highly-targeted content ones geared on a narrow group of people.
Learn the difference between these two and it will surely help you know what kinds of articles to write and to submit.
1business custoserv
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The Internet The World`s Greatest Telephone for the Success of Your Business
Business owners of companies both large and small can achieve rich improvements in their operations if they start to ask themselves regularly, "I have just been handed a powerful new tool. It essentially lets me costless communicate with anyone on the planet. How can I best use it to my advantage?"
To focus, business owners must first ask themselves two questions: As a business owner, what am I trying to achieve?
Marry your answers to the diverse communications capabilities of the World Wide Web; you will inevitably create some powerful and highly beneficial new initiatives.
In exploring strategies for success in the developing environment, it is essential to recognize a fact that is often overlooked: The Internet is fundamentally a new communications vehicle. As a consequence, a large part of its value arises because it permits cost-effective communications — down the street or on a worldwide basis—that were not possible before its emergence.
Why is this so important? Because many people have a very different view of the World Wide Web. They will suggest that the Web is an entertainment medium —something that has more in common with the television than the telephone. This focus is easy to appreciate; the typical person is more interested in the new offerings on the Web that can entertain him or her than the less exciting details of enhanced communications capabilities. In addition, Internet use is the first activity in over forty years that has been clearly documented as something that causes people to spend less time watching television. It`s therefore natural to think of it as a substitute for this medium.
Benefits of Internet Telephony to Your Business:
1) Availability Completely under Customer Control. With the internet, visitors—potential customers —come to Web sites at their convenience, making them far more receptive to what companies have to say because the customers aren`t being intruded upon (as happens with telemarketing).
2) One-to-Many Communications Performed Seamlessly. The Internet offers one-to-many communications systems without losing the privacy or interaction possible by phone. A single posting at a Web site reaches as many people as visit the site that day
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3) Reduced Effort, Time, and Cost. The Web makes things easy and affordable.
Not all businesses are currently bringing in added profit via the Web yet; nonetheless, every business needs to be working on it in order to be competitive today.
The Web makes it possible for companies both large and small to develop new communications processes that save time and money while enabling faster responses to customer needs.
Many industries rely on widely distributed field sales forces that may consist of independent agents or company employees. In today`s fast-moving business environment, providing these frontline soldiers with the most up-to-the-minute information and the best possible tools and support is critical to success, and by using the Web, companies can do so at far lower cost.
2) Availability Completely under Customer Control.
With the Internet, visitors—potential customers—come to Web sites at their convenience, making them far more receptive to what companies have to say because the customers aren`t being intruded upon (as happens with telemarketing).
3) One-to-Many Communications Performed Seamlessly
The Internet offers one-to-many communications systems without losing the privacy or interaction possible by phone. A single posting at a Web site reaches as many people as visit the site that day.
4) Reduced Effort, Time, and Cost.
The Web makes things easy and affordable.
The Web makes it possible to communicate regularly with a large volume of customers at virtually no cost.
Businesses can generally benefit by disseminating information; yet up to now, there has not been a cost-effective, satisfactory way of timely customer notification. Not only is direct mail costly, but the timing of delivery is erratic and an overwhelming amount of it is never even opened. The telephone is timely, but information disseminated by telephone is also costly and runs the risk of alienating customers who don`t want to be bothered by solicitors.
Enter the Internet. The World Wide Web gives companies a low-cost method to communicate with existing customers and to reach out to potential ones with a timeliness that has never before existed.
The new capabilities created by the Internet far exceed what could be accomplished with the telephone. Consider how a well-designed Internet customer-communications system can work:
1.) Orders are confirmed by e-mail —first immediately after they are placed, and again when they are shipped out. The shipping confirmation notice includes an internal tracking number to help customers locate the package if it fails to arrive on a timely basis.
2.) Customers can register for e-mail notifications of various kinds. By filling out an online form, customers can request to be notified about newly available products that are likely to be of interest to them.
3.) "Missing" customers can be inexpensively lured back: If a frequent customer has not made a purchase for some time, the electronic retailer can send a $5 or $10 digital coupon to encourage a return purchase. These types of ongoing efforts to build loyalty can be triggered by well-designed automated databases, combined with virtually costless e-mail, to create an inexpensive, potentially high-return, and customer loyalty program.
This suggests a central strategy for any business today: Gather e-mail addresses from customers (and permission to contact them using these addresses), even if you don`t yet have an interactive Web site. Every business from a major manufacturer to a regional discount store to the local plumber will find that well-designed e-mail messages can be a low-cost, highly effective means of building profitable revenues. In Strategy 7, I discuss how a local pest-control business might benefit tremendously from an e-mail-based initiative.
The Importance of round the clock availability
Like a good catalog and 800 numbers, the Internet makes your company accessible to customers worldwide twenty-four hours a day. However, the “Web” is better than the world`s greatest catalog."
Here`s why:
Additional visuals as well as more written detail. Catalogs face an inherent limitation: Paper and postage are costly. As a result, details —other views of a product as well as more written description—often have to be left out. So while the 800-number operator can read to customers the special washing instructions, if the product is offered on the Internet, the consumer can read the special washing instructions for him- or herself, scroll through a more lengthy product description, and in all likelihood, see more than one view of the item.
Expanded offerings. Today catalogs typically list only a portion of a company`s offerings, simply because more listings mean expansion of printing and mailing costs. The Web obliterates this limitation.\
Remember too, that anything that can be accomplished online instead of by phone is more cost effective. A five-minute call to order a $50 item, at a cost of $1 per minute, means that the call is a significant percentage of the cost structure, and a five-minute inquiry—with no purchase attached —creates a financial loss in addition to time lost by personnel who might have been making a sale to someone else. This contrasts with use of the Internet, where—to the extent that communications cost exists—they are trivial, and consumers bear the cost of company contact by paying their access service.
The Internet has now led to a new definition of what customers have come to expect: In the emerging era, businesses are almost required to provide twenty-four-hour Internet communications, so that the consumer can shop from home whenever he or she wants to. Sites that prosper will be more than order-taking vehicles; they will provide a creative, educational experience that builds knowledge about their products and services and engenders sales as well as ongoing customer loyalty.
Whether your business specializes in Porche luxury cars or temporary employment services , the Web offers you the opportunity to find people who are looking for what your company sells.
1manage business-accounting
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Careers
There are many different careers in the field of accounting ranging from entry-level bookkeeping to the Chief Financial Officer of a company. To achieve positions with more responsibility and higher salaries, it`s necessary to have a degree in accounting as well as achieve various professional designations.
One of the primary milestones in any accountant`s career is to become a Certified Public Accountant or CPA. To become a CPA you have to go to college with a major in accounting. You also have to pass a national CPA exam. There`s also some employment experience required in a CPA firm. This is generally one to two years, although this varies from state to state. Once you satisfy all those requirements, you get a certificate that designates you as a CPA and you`re allowed to offer your services to the public.
Many CPAs consider this just one stepping stone to their careers. The chief accountant in many offices is called the controller. The controller is in charge of managing the entire accounting system in a business stays on top of accounting and tax laws to keep the company legal and is responsible for preparing the financial statements.
The controller is also in charge of financial planning and budgeting. Some companies have only one accounting professional who`s essentially the chief cook and bottle washer and does everything. As a business grows in size and complexity, then additional layers of personnel are required to handle the volume of work that comes from growth. Other areas in the company are also impacted by growth, and it`s part of the controller`s job to determine just how many more salaries the company can pay for additional people without negatively impacting growth and profits.
The controller also is responsible for preparing tax returns for the business; a much more involved and complex task than completing personal income tax forms! In larger organizations, the controller can report to a vice president of finance who reports to the chief financial officer, who is responsible for the broad objectives for growth and profit and implementing the appropriate strategies to achieve the objectives.
1business ethics
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Slush Funds
According to David McClintick ("Swordfish: A True Story of Ambition, Savagery, and Betrayal"), in the late 1980`s, the FBI and DEA set up dummy corporations to deal in drugs. They funneled into these corporate fronts money from drug-related asset seizures.
The idea was to infiltrate global crime networks but a lot of the money in "Operation Swordfish" may have ended up in the wrong pockets. Government agents and sheriffs got mysteriously and filthily rich and the whole sorry affair was wound down. The GAO reported more than $3.6 billion missing. This bit of history gave rise to at least one blockbuster with Oscar-winner Halle Berry.
Alas, slush funds are much less glamorous in reality. They usually involve grubby politicians, pawky bankers, and philistine businessmen - rather than glamorous hackers and James Bondean secret agents.
The Kazakh prime minister, Imanghaliy Tasmaghambetov, freely admitted on April 4, 2002 to his country`s rubber-stamp parliament the existence of a $1 billion slush fund. The money was apparently skimmed off the proceeds of the opaque sale of the Tengiz oilfield. Remitting it to Kazakhstan - he expostulated with a poker face - would have fostered inflation. So, the country`s president, Nazarbaev, kept the funds abroad "for use in the event of either an economic crisis or a threat to Kazakhstan`s security".
The money was used to pay off pension arrears in 1997 and to offset the pernicious effects of the 1998 devaluation of the Russian ruble. What was left was duly transferred to the $1.5 billion National Fund, the PM insisted. Alas, the original money in the Fund came entirely from another sale of oil assets to Chevron, thus casting in doubt the official version.
The National Fund was, indeed, augmented by a transfer or two from the slush fund - but at least one of these transfers occurred only 11 days after the damning revelations. Moreover, despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, the unfazed premier denied that his president possesses multi-million dollar bank accounts abroad.
He later rescinded this last bit of disinformation. The president, he said, has no bank accounts abroad but will promptly return all the money in these non-existent accounts to Kazakhstan. These vehemently denied accounts, he speculated, were set up by the president`s adversaries "for the purpose of compromising his name".
On April 15, 2002 even the docile opposition had enough of this fuzzy logic. They established a People Oil`s Fund to monitor, henceforth, the regime`s financial shenanigans. By their calculations less than 7 percent of the income from the sale of hydrocarbon fuels (c. $4-5 billion annually) make it to the national budget.
Slush funds infect every corner of the globe, not only the more obscure and venal ones. Every secret service - from the Mossad to the CIA - operates outside the stated state budget. Slush funds are used to launder money, shower cronies with patronage, and bribe decision makers. In some countries, setting them up is a criminal offense, as per the 1990 Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure, and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime. Other jurisdictions are more forgiving.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands issued a press release November 2001 in which it welcomed the government`s plans to abolish slush funds. They described the poisonous effect of this practice:
"With a few notable exceptions, the practice of directing funds through politicians to district projects has been disastrous. It has created an atmosphere in which corruption is thought to have flourished. It has reduced the responsibility of public servants, without reducing their numbers or costs. It has been used to confuse people into believing public funds are the `property` of individual members rather than the property of the people, honestly and fairly administered by the servants of the people.
The concept of `slush-funds` has resulted in well-documented inefficiencies and failures. There were even accusations made that funds were withheld from certain members as a way of forcing them into submission. It seems that the era of the `slush funds` has been a shameful period."
But even is the most orderly and lawful administration, funds are liable to be mislaid. "The Economist" reported recently about a $10 billion class-action suit filed by native-Americans against the US government. The funds, supposed to be managed in trust since 1880 on behalf of half a million beneficiaries, were "either lost or stolen" according to officials.
Rob Gordon, the Director of the National Wilderness Institute accused "The US Interior Department (of) looting the special funds that were established to pay for wildlife conservation and squandering the money instead on questionable administrative expenses, slush funds and employee moving expenses".
Charles Griffin, the Deputy Director of the Heritage Foundation`s Government Integrity Project, charges:
"The federal budget provides numerous slush funds that can be used to subsidize the lobbying and political activities of special-interest groups."
On his list of "Top Ten Federal Programs That Actively Subsidize Politics and Lobbying" are: AmeriCorps, Senior Community Service Employment Program, Legal Services Corporation, Title X Family Planning, National Endowment for the Humanities, Market Promotion Program, Senior Environmental Employment Program, Superfund Worker Training, HHS Discretionary Aging Projects, Telecomm. & Info. Infrastructure Assistance. These federal funds alone total $1.8 billion.
"Next" and "China Times" - later joined by "The Washington Post" - accused the former Taiwanese president, Lee Teng-hui, of forming a $100 million overseas slush fund intended to finance the gathering of information, influence-peddling, and propaganda operations. Taiwan footed the bills trips by Congressional aides and funded academic research and think tank conferences.
High ranking Japanese officials, among others, may have received payments through this stealthy venue. Lee is alleged to have drawn $100,000 from the secret account in February 1999. The money was used to pay for the studies of a former Japanese Vice-Defense Minister Masahiro Akiyama`s at Harvard.
Ryutaro Hashimoto, the former Japanese prime minister, was implicated as a beneficiary of the fund. So were the prestigious lobbying firm, Cassidy and Associates and assorted assistant secretaries in the Bush administration.
Carl Ford, Jr., currently assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, worked for Cassidy during the relevant period and often visited Taiwan. James Kelly, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs enjoyed the Taiwanese largesse as well. Both are in charge of crafting America`s policy on Taiwan.
John Bolton, erstwhile undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, admitted, during his confirmation hearings, to having received $30,000 to cover the costs of writing 3 research papers.
The Taiwanese government has yet to deny the news stories.
A Japanese foreign ministry official used slush fund money to finance the extra-marital activities of himself and many of his colleagues - often in posh hotel suites. But this was no exception. According to Asahi Shimbun, more than half of the 60 divisions of the ministry maintained similar funds. The police and the ministry are investigating. One arrest has been made. The ministry`s accounting division has discovered these corrupt practices twenty years before but kept mum.
Even low-level prefectural bureaucrats and teachers in Japan build up slush funds by faking business trips or padding invoices and receipts. Japanese citizens` groups conservatively estimated that $20 million in travel and entertainment expenses in the prefectures in 1994 were faked, a practice known as "kara shutcho" (i.e., empty business trip).
Officials of the Hokkaido Board of Education admitted to the existence of a 100 million yen secret fund. In a resulting probe, 200 out of 286 schools were found to maintain their own slush funds. Some of the money was used to support friendly politicians.
But slush funds are not a sovereign prerogative. Multinationals, banks, corporation, religious organizations, political parties, and even NGO`s salt away some of their revenues and profits in undisclosed accounts, usually in off-shore havens.
Secret election campaign slush funds are a fixture in American politics. A 5-year old bill requires disclosure of donors to such funds but the House is busy loosening its provisions. "The Economist" listed in 2002 the tsunami of scandals that engulfs Germany, both its major political parties, many of the Lander and numerous highly placed and mid-level bureaucrats. Secret, mainly party, funds seem to be involved in the majority of these lurid affairs.
Italian firms made donations to political parties through slush funds, though corporate donations - providing they are transparent - are perfectly legal in Italy. Both the right and, to a lesser extent, the left in France are said to have managed enormous political slush funds.
President Chirac is accused of having abused for his personal pleasure, one such municipal fund in Paris, when he was its mayor. But the funds were mostly used to provide party activists with mock jobs. Corporations paid kickbacks to obtain public works or local building permits. Ostensibly, they were paying for sham "consultancy services".
The epidemic hasn`t skipped even staid Ottawa. Its Chief Electoral Officer told Sun Media in September 2001 that he is "concerned" about millions stashed away by Liberal candidates. Sundry ministers who coveted the prime minister`s job, have raised funds covertly and probably illegally.
On April 11, 2002 UPI reported that Spain`s second-largest bank, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), held nearly $200 million hidden in secret offshore accounts, "which were allegedly used to manipulate politicians, pay off the `revolutionary tax` to ETA - the Basque terrorist organization - and open the door for business deals, according to news reports."
The money may have gone to luminaries such as Venezuela`s Hugo Chavez, Peru`s Alberto Fujomori and Vladimiro Montesinos. The bank`s board members received fat, tax-free, "pensions" from the illegal accounts opened in 1987 - a total of more than $20 million.
Latin American drug money launderers - from Puerto Rico to Colombia - may have worked through these funds and the bank`s clandestine entities in the Cayman Islands and Jersey. The current Spanish Secretary of State for the Treasury has been the bank`s tax advisor between 1992-7.
The "Financial Times" reported in June 2000 that, in anticipation of new international measures to curb corruption, "leading European arms manufacturers" resorted to the creation of off-shore slush funds. The money is intended to bribe foreign officials to win tenders and contracts.
Kim Woo-chung, Daewoo`s former chairman, is at the center of a massive scandal involving dozens of his company`s executive, some of whom ended up in prison. He stands accused of diverting a whopping $20 billion to an overseas slush fund.
A mind boggling $10 billion were alleged to have been used to bribe Korean government officials and politicians. But his conduct and even the scale of the fraud he perpetrated may have been typical to Korea`s post-war incestuous relationship between politics and business.
In his paper "The Role of Slush Funds in the Preparation of Corruption Mechanisms", reprinted by Transparency International, Gherardo Colombo defines corporate slush funds thus:
"Slush funds are obtained from a joint stock company`s finances, carefully managed so that the amounts involved do not appear on the balance sheet. They do not necessarily have to consist of money, but can also take the form of stocks and shares or other economically valuable goods (works of art, jewels, yachts, etc.) It is enough that they can be used without any particular difficulty or that they can be transferred to a third party.
If a fund is in the form of money, it is not even necessary to refer to it outside the company accounts, since it can appear in them in disguised form (the `accruals and deferrals` heads are often resorted to for the purpose of hiding slush money). In light of this, it is not always correct to regard it as a reserve fund that is not accounted for in the books. Deception, trickery or forgery of various kinds are often resorted to for the purpose of setting up a slush fund."
He mentions padded invoices, sham contracts, fictitious loans, interest accruing on holding accounts, back to back transactions with related entities (Enron) - all used to funnel money to the slush funds. Such funds are often set up to cover for illicit and illegal self-enrichment, embezzlement, or tax evasion.
Less known is the role of these furtive vehicles in financing unfair competitive practices, such as dumping. Clients, suppliers, and partners receive hidden rebates and subsidies that much increase the - unreported - real cost of production.
BBVA`s payments to ETA may have been a typical payment of protection fees. Both terrorists and organized crime put slush funds to bad use. They get paid from such funds - and maintain their own. Ransom payments to kidnappers often flow through these channels.
But slush funds are overwhelmingly used to bribe corrupt politicians. The fight against corruption has been titled against the recipients of illicit corporate largesse. But to succeed, well-meaning international bodies, such as the OECD`s FATF, must attack with equal zeal those who bribe. Every corrupt transaction is between a venal politician and an avaricious businessman. Pursuing the one while ignoring the other is self-defeating.
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