Strategic Business Propolis

ANDA MERASA KESULITAN MENJALANKAN BISNIS DBS?

2010-03-09T16:45:00.008+07:00

I. PENDAHULAN.
Brosur ini dibuat untuk calon member yang belum mengetahui/mengerti tentang DBS, cara kerja dan keuntungan bagi member.Isi Brosur ini diluar tanggung jawab dari PT. PT. Duta Future Internasional (DFI) namun saya kutip dari buku “Sistem for Sukses DBS” dan pengalaman selama member DBS serta belajar dari leader yang sudah sukses. Brosur ini untuk menjelaskan secara singkat tentang DBS, mudah-mudahan berguna bagi calon member yang berminat dan mau menambah penambahan income dirinya ataupun bagi keluarga.

II. APA ITU DBS ?.
DBS merupakan produk dari PT. Duta Future Internasional (DFI) yaitu sebuah bisnis Network Marketing yang menggabungkan konsep MLM dan Binary dalam sistem e-commerce online marketing. Salah satu produknya adalah pulsa elektronik yang dijual lebih murah dari harga pasar dan dibutuhkan oleh hampir setiap orang saat ini. DBS memiliki prinsip tolong menolong atau ta’awun untuk mencapai kesuksesan bersama.

Sangat cocok untuk siapa saja, termasuk yang belum berpengalaman dalam bisnis. Di bisnis ini siapa yang lebih giat dia yang akan berpenghasilan lebih besar bahkan bisa lebih besar dari yang terlebih dahulu mensponsori/mengajak kita. DBS menggunakan sistem bagi-hasil atau mudhorobah sehingga perusahaan akan terus terjamin tidak akan merugi sehingga dapat melindungi dan memberikan keuntungan kepada seluruh membernya sampai kapanpun. Member DBS tidak diwajibkan untuk membeli produk, atau tutup point. Bahkan jika sudah memenuhi, para member dengan sendirinya akan mendapatkan bonus pulsa gratis dari PT. DFI bila dijalankan dengan sistem yang benar.

III. APA YANG KITA DAPAT DARI DBS ?
1. Keunggulan member DBS :

a. Dapat bertransaksi pulsa murah daripada harga pasaran (contoh : As 25 bisa kita beli dengan harga 25.900,- Sim 10 : Rp 10700,-

b. Mendapatkan royalti penjualan pulsa @ Rp.10,-/transaksi

c. Mendapatkan Asuransi kecelakaan selama 1 tahun, atau 5 tahun bahkan seumur hidup, tergantung pilihan Hak Usaha.

d. Mendapatkan bonus pulsa dan tambahan penghasilan setiap minggu, yaitu berupa: - Komisi Sponsor @ Rp. 20.000,-/orang - Komisi Pasangan @ Rp. 22.500 dan Deposit Pulsa @ Rp. 7.500,-/pasangan - Jumlah Titik HU @ Rp. 1000,-/titik - Duplikasi @ Rp. 2.000,-/pasangan (anda berkesempatan untuk mendapatkan penghasilan Rp.500.000,-/hari

e. Member tidak hangus bila tidak aktif atau tidak mampu menjalin jaringan

f. Tidak kerja sendiri, sebab perkembangan jaringan kita juga dibantu oleh tim support dan upline aktif kita. Sehingga banyak contoh jaringan mereka tetap berkembang sekalipun masih baru atau pasif.

g. Bisa dijalankan via Internet, sehingga bisa merekrut member dari seluruh Indonesia. Ditunjang pula oleh adanya “mesin follow up otomatis dan sistem training via email” khusus jika anda bergabung dengan tim kami.

Yg tidak bisa internet tidak masalah, anda tetap bisa jalankan bisnis ini secara konvensional. dengan bantuan brosur, pertemuan dan dukungan sponsor anda.

2. Efek member DBS

a. Tahap awal bertransaksi pulsa murah dari harga pasar.

b. Sedikit usaha membantu mengurangi pengeluaran biaya keperluan hidup dan pulsa serta turut membantu orang lain.

c. Mandiri Kebebasan finansial.

IV. CARA BERGABUNG JADI MEMBER DBS

Cara ikut member DBS yaitu dengan membeli lisensi HU (hak usaha) PT. DFI berupa starter kit yang berisi kartu CCI/EC (atau kartu reguler). Anda bisa memilih investasi sesuai jumlah HU yang anda inginkan. Kunjungi saja web saya: www.klik.ws/bisnis_ku (disana tertuang tehnik dan keunggulan clubds sehingga anda cukup meluangkan waktu kurang 1 jam sehari selebihnya serahkan team yg bekerja bahkan waktu anda sedang tidurpun jadi tidak akan mengganggu kerja utama anda. Nggak rugi loo saya sendiri sudah membuktikan)

V. PENUTUP
Demikian sekelumit / sebahagian informasi / ringkasan saya mengenai DBS, semoga dapat bermanfaat kepada kita semua.

KESIMPULAN :
Setiap member DBS berhak untuk membeli pulsa dengan harga dibawah pasar serta dapat dijualkan untuk dirinya sendiri / orang lain dengan dana aktivasi / pendaftaran / lisensi member minimal 200.000,-(cukup sekali seumur hidup).Dana Pendaftaran member DBS akan kembali, bahkan akan mendapatkan bonus pulsa dan penghasilan tanpa batas dalam setiap minggunya bila mau menjalankan sistem DBS yaitu mengenalkan DBS ini kepada minimal 2 orang.
Contoh Bukti para leader yang sukses 1. DBS635699 NOVRIZAL pasword SUKSES, pengawai Bank di Duri (Bronze Enterpreniur dicapai selama 3 bln berpenghasilan + 1-3 jt/minggu2. DBS24464 MARGONO pasword sukses, mantan sopir oplet (Silver Enterpreniur + 4 jt/minggu3. Dan masih banyak yang lainya…. Anda log in aja ke http://www.duta4future.com/ dan isi ID DBS dan paswornya kemudian lihat total subsidi, bonus harian, minguan dan statement subsidi yg telah dia terima (anda bisa seperti mereka dengan bergabung bersama saya dan aktivasidbs).
Member DBS yang baru memulai bisa berpenghasilan + >150 ribu/minggu (tergantung giat dan pergerakan jaringan tapi bila bergabung bersama aktivasidbs member yang tidak mampu cari jaringan, jaringannya akan tetap berkembang. Buktikan dehh).Contoh diatas adalah member yang telah menjalankan sistem DBS kurang dari 1 tahun.
Raih kesempatan ini sekarang juga…..!!!!!Mudah dan bermanfaat bagi anda dan keluargaIngat jangan sampai keduluan yg lain karena akan mempengaruhi nilai bonus anda segera registrasi di Website : http://www.klik.ws/bisnis_ku
Salam Sukses
Amri Dbs5774379

THE FORMULA STRATEGIC

2009-04-21T09:53:00.001+07:00

At Strategic Financials we need to understand your needs and what you require from us. To enable us to do this we need to understand more than just your financial system, we need to understand your business and what makes its function. Therefore, we make it our business to identify with your business. To do this we use our unique strategy that will enable you to take your first steps on the path to success.

STRATEGIC AIMS TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD

Financial Analysis – Strategic Financials will begin with a complete review of your business spanning business practises, application, reporting and financial operation. This will give us the understanding that we need by highlighting strengths and weaknesses and any flaws in processing financial information.

Financial Indicators – We will work with you to determine your personal and business goals and what you deem as success and address any issues that may affect your goals. We will go on to develop a business plan to set out the key financial and performance targets. It is here when we will recommend our services and allow you to decide those that you require.

Financial Management - Now that we can envisage your business needs and requirements we have the map to your success in a clear working document. We will continue to offer face to face meetings to discuss challenges or opportunities that lay ahead. We are expert and professional on all levels and provide financial reports that benefit the new financial system. These reports are clear and concise enabling us to pinpoint existing and emerging business challenges.

Financial Success – Strategic AIMS to give you financial freedom and clear vision, enabling your business to grow and increase profitability.

Product differentiation

2009-03-05T12:00:00.002+07:00

In marketing, product differentiation (also known simply as "differentiation") is the process of distinguishing the differences of a product or offering from others, to make it more attractive to a particular target market. This involves differentiating it from competitors' products as well as one's own product offerings.

Differentiation is a source of competitive advantage. Although research in a niche market may result in changing your product in order to improve differentiation, the changes themselves are not differentiation.

Marketing or product differentiation is the process of describing the differences between products or services, or the resulting list of differences. This is done in order to demonstrate the unique aspects of your product and create a sense of value. Marketing textbooks are firm on the point that any differentiation must be valued by buyers. The term unique selling proposition refers to advertising to communicate a product's differentiation.

In economics, successful product differentiation leads to monopolistic competition and is inconsistent with the conditions for perfect competition, which include the requirement that the products of competing firms should be perfect substitutes.

The brand differences are usually minor; they can be merely a difference in packaging or an advertising theme. The physical product need not change, but it could. Differentiation is due to buyers perceiving a difference, hence causes of differentiation may be functional aspects of the product or service, how it is distributed and marketed, or who buys it. The major sources of product differentiation are as follows.

Differences in quality which are usually accompanied by differences in price
Differences in functional features or design
Ignorance of buyers regarding the essential characteristics and qualities of goods they are purchasing
Sales promotion activities of sellers and, in particular, advertising
Differences in availability (e.g. timing and location).
The objective of differentiation is to develop a position that potential customers see as unique.

Differentiation primarily impacts performance through reducing directness of competition: As the product becomes more different, categorization becomes more difficult and hence draws fewer comparisons with its competition. A successful product differentiation strategy will move your product from competing based primarily on price to competing on non-price factors (such as product characteristics, distribution strategy, or promotional variables).

Most people would say that the implication of differentiation is the possibility of charging a price premium; however, this is a gross simplification. If customers value the firm's offer, they will be less sensitive to aspects of competing offers; price may not be one of these aspects. Differentiation makes customers in a given segment have a lower sensitivity to other features (non-price) of the product

MARKETING IS BUSINESS TERM REFERRING......***)

2008-12-12T12:40:00.004+07:00

Live, interactive relationship
Personal interest
Attention and response
Interesting presentation

Sales promotion
Short-term incentives to encourage buying of products:

Instant appeal
Anxiety to sell
An example of this is coupons or a sale. People are given an incentive to buy, but it does not build customer loyalty, nor encourage repeat buys in the future. A major drawback of sales promotion is that it is easily copied by competition. It cannot be used as a sustainable source of differentiation.

Marketing Public Relations (MPR)
Stimulation of demand through press release giving a favourable report to a product
Higher degree of credibility
Effectively news
Boosts enterprise's image

Customer focus
Many companies today have a customer focus (or customer orientation). This implies that the company focuses its activities and products on consumer demands. Generally there are three ways of doing this: the customer-driven approach, the sense of identifying market changes and the product innovation approach.

In the consumer-driven approach, consumer wants are the drivers of all strategic marketing decisions. No strategy is pursued until it passes the test of consumer research. Every aspect of a market offering, including the nature of the product itself, is driven by the needs of potential consumers. The starting point is always the consumer. The rationale for this approach is that there is no point spending R&D funds developing products that people will not buy. History attests to many products that were commercial failures in spite of being technological breakthroughs.[3]

A formal approach to this customer-focused marketing is known as SIVA[4] (Solution, Information, Value, Access). This system is basically the four Ps renamed and reworded to provide a customer focus.

The SIVA Model provides a demand/customer centric version alternative to the well-known 4Ps supply side model (product, price, place, promotion) of marketing management.

Product ? Solution
Promotion ? Information
Price ? Value
Place ? Access

The four elements of the SIVA model are:

Solution: How appropriate is the solution to the customer's problem/need?
Information: Does the customer know about the solution? If so, how and from whom do they know enough to let them make a buying decision?
Value: Does the customer know the value of the transaction, what it will cost, what are the benefits, what might they have to sacrifice, what will be their reward?
Access: Where can the customer find the solution? How easily/locally/remotely can they buy it and take delivery?
This model was proposed by Chekitan Dev and Don Schultz in the Marketing Management Journal of the American Marketing Association, and presented by them in Market Leader - the journal of the Marketing Society in the UK.

The model focuses heavily on the customer and how they view the transaction.

Product focus
In a product innovation approach, the company pursues product innovation, then tries to develop a market for the product. Product innovation drives the process and marketing research is conducted primarily to ensure that a profitable market segment(s) exists for the innovation. The rationale is that customers may not know what options will be available to them in the future so we should not expect them to tell us what they will buy in the future. However, marketers can aggressively over-pursue product innovation and try to overcapitalize on a niche. When pursuing a product innovation approach, marketers must ensure that they have a varied and multi-tiered approach to product innovation. It is claimed that if Thomas Edison depended on marketing research he would have produced larger candles rather than inventing light bulbs. Many firms, such as research and development focused companies, successfully focus on product innovation (Such as Nintendo who constantly change the way Video games are played). Many purists doubt whether this is really a form of marketing orientation at all, because of the ex post status of consumer research. Some even question whether it is marketing.

An emerging area of study and practice concerns internal marketing, or how employees are trained and managed to deliver the brand in a way that positively impacts the acquisition and retention of customers (employer branding).
Diffusion of innovations research explores how and why people adopt new products, services and ideas.
A relatively new form of marketing uses the Internet and is called Internet marketing or more generally e-marketing, affiliate marketing, desktop advertising or online marketing. It typically tries to perfect the segmentation strategy used in traditional marketing. It targets its audience more precisely, and is sometimes called personalized marketing or one-to-one marketing.
With consumers' eroding attention span and willingness to give time to advertising messages, marketers are turning to forms of permission marketing such as branded content, custom media and reality marketing.
The use of herd behavior in marketing.
The Economist reported a recent conference in Rome on the subject of the simulation of adaptive human behavior.[5] Mechanisms to increase impulse buying and get people "to buy more by playing on the herd instinct" were shared. The basic idea is that people will buy more of products that are seen to be popular, and several feedback mechanisms to get product popularity information to consumers are mentioned, including smart-cart technology and the use of Radio Frequency Identification Tag technology. A "swarm-moves" model was introduced by a Princeton researcher, which is appealing to supermarkets because it can "increase sales without the need to give people discounts." Large retailers Wal-Mart in the United States and Tesco in Britain plan to test the technology in spring 2007 .
Marketing is also used to promote the businesses products and is also a great way of promoting the business its self.

Other recent studies on the "power of social influence" include an "artificial music market in which some 14,000 people downloaded previously unknown songs" (Columbia University, New York); a Japanese chain of convenience stores which orders its products based on "sales data from department stores and research companies;" a Massachusetts company exploiting knowledge of social networking to improve sales; and online retailers who are increasingly informing consumers about "which products are popular with like-minded consumers" (e.g., Amazon, eBay).

MARKETING IS BUSINESS TERM REFERRING......**)

2008-11-19T16:51:00.003+07:00

Manufacturers
Reasons for direct selling methods:

Manufacturer wants to demonstrate goods.
Wholesalers, retailers and agents not actively selling.
Manufacturer unable to convince wholesalers or retailers to stock product.
High profit margin added to goods by wholesalers and retailers.
Middlemen unable to transport.
It also lets the consumer to be able to know how it works.
Reasons for indirect selling methods:

Manufacturer does not have the financial resources to distribute goods.
Distribution channels already established.
Manufacturer has no knowledge of efficient (specific) distribution.
Manufacturer wishes to use capital for further production.
Too many consumers in a large area; difficult to reach.
Manufacturer does not have a wide assortment of goods to enable efficient marketing.
Direct on-selling advantages.

Wholesalers
Reasons for using wholesalers:

Bear risk of selling goods to retailer or consumer
Storage space
Decrease transport costs
Grant credit to retailers
Able to sell for the manufacturers
Give advice to manufacturers
Break down products into smaller quantities
Reasons for bypassing wholesalers:

Limited storage facilities
Retailers' preferences
Wholesaler cannot promote products successfully
Development of wholesalers' own brands
Desire for closer market contact
Position of power
Cost of wholesalers' services
Price stabilisation
Need for rapid distribution
Make more money
Ways of bypassing wholesalers:

Sales offices or branches
Mail orders
Direct sales to retailers
Traveling Agents
Direct Orders
Specific channel

Agents
Commission agents - work for anyone who needs their services. They do not acquire ownership of goods but receive del credere commission.
Selling agents - act on an extended contractual basis, selling all of the products of the manufacturer. They have full authority regarding price and terms of sale.
Buying agents - buy goods on behalf of producers and retailers. They have an expert knowledge of the purchasing function.
Brokers - specialize in the sale of one specific product. They receive a brokerage.
Factory representatives - represent more than one manufacturer. They operate within a specific area and sell related lines of goods but have limited authority regarding price and sales terms.

Marketing communications
Marketing communications breaks down the strategies involved with marketing messages into categories based on the goals of each message. There are distinct stages in converting strangers to customers that govern the communication medium that should be used.

Advertising

Advertisement in a rail station in Berlin.Paid form of public presentation and expressive promotion of ideas
Aimed at masses
Manufacturer may determine what goes into advertisement
Pervasive and impersonal medium

Functions and advantages of successful advertising
Task of the salesman made easier

Objectives
Maintain demand for well-known goods
Introduce new and unknown goods
Increase demand for well-known goods/products/services

Requirements of a good advertisement
Attract attention (awareness)
Stimulate interest
Create a desire
Bring about action

Eight steps in an advertising campaign
Market research
Setting out aims
Budgeting
Choice of media (television, newspaper/magazines, radio, web, outdoor)
Choice of actors (New Trend)
Design and wording
Co-ordination
Test results

Personal sales
Oral presentation given by a salesman who approaches individuals or a group of potential customers:

MARKETING IS BUSINESS TERM REFERRING......*)

2008-11-14T12:11:00.002+07:00

Marketing is a business term referring to the promotion of products, especially advertising and branding. The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to market, as in shopping, or going to a market to sell ones products.

Professional usage
In professional usage the term has a wider meaning of the practice and science of trading. The American Marketing Association (AMA) states, "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders."

Marketing practice tends to be seen as a creative industry, which includes advertising, distribution and selling. It is also concerned with anticipating the customers' future needs and wants, which are often discovered through market research.
The scientific study of marketing is a wide and heavily interconnected subject with extensive academic publications. Marketing methods are also informed by many of the social sciences, particularly psychology, sociology, and economics. Anthropology is also a small, but growing influence. Market research underpins these activities. Through advertising, it is also related to many of the creative arts. The marketing literature is also infamous for re-inventing itself and its vocabulary according to the times and the culture.

Four Ps
Main article: Marketing mix
In the early 1960s, Professor Neil Borden at Harvard Business School identified a number of company performance actions that can influence the consumer decision to purchase goods or services. Borden suggested that all those actions of the company represented a “Marketing Mix”. Professor E. Jerome McCarthy, also at the Harvard Business School in the early 1960s, suggested that the Marketing Mix contained 4 elements: product, price, place and promotion.

Product: The product aspects of marketing deal with the specifications of the actual goods or services, and how it relates to the end-user's needs and wants. The scope of a product generally includes supporting elements such as warranties, guarantees, and support.
Pricing: This refers to the process of setting a price for a product, including discounts. The price need not be monetary - it can simply be what is exchanged for the product or services, e.g. time, energy, or attention.
Promotion: This includes advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and personal selling, branding and refers to the various methods of promoting the product, brand, or company.
Placement (or distribution): refers to how the product gets to the customer; for example, point-of-sale placement or retailing. This fourth P has also sometimes been called Place, referring to the channel by which a product or service is sold (e.g. online vs. retail), which geographic region or industry, to which segment (young adults, families, business people), etc. also referring to how the environment in which the product is sold in can affect sales.
These four elements are often referred to as the marketing mix,[1] which a marketer can use to craft a marketing plan.

The four Ps model is most useful when marketing low value consumer products. Industrial products, services, high value consumer products require adjustments to this model. Services marketing must account for the unique nature of services.

Industrial or B2B marketing must account for the long term contractual agreements that are typical in supply chain transactions. Relationship marketing attempts to do this by looking at marketing from a long term relationship perspective rather than individual transactions.

As a counter to this, Morgan, in Riding the Waves of Change (Jossey-Bass, 1988), suggests that one of the greatest limitations of the 4 Ps approach "is that it unconsciously emphasizes the inside–out view (looking from the company outwards), whereas the essence of marketing should be the outside–in approach".

Seven Ps
As well as the standard four P's (Product, Pricing, Promotion and Place), services marketing calls upon an extra three, totaling seven and known together as the extended marketing mix.[citation needed] These are:

People: Any person coming into contact with customers can have an impact on overall satisfaction. Whether as part of a supporting service to a product or involved in a total service, people are particularly important because, in the customer's eyes, they are generally inseparable from the total service . As a result of this, they must be appropriately trained, well motivated and the right type of person. Fellow customers are also sometimes referred to under 'people', as they too can affect the customer's service experience, (e.g., at a sporting event).
Process: This is the process(es) involved in providing a service and the behaviour of people, which can be crucial to customer satisfaction.
Physical evidence: Unlike a product, a service cannot be experienced before it is delivered, which makes it intangible. This, therefore, means that potential customers could perceive greater risk when deciding whether to use a service. To reduce the feeling of risk, thus improving the chance for success, it is often vital to offer potential customers the chance to see what a service would be like. This is done by providing physical evidence, such as case studies, testimonials or demonstrations.
Personalization: It is here referred customization of products and services through the use of the Internet. Early examples include Dell on-line and Amazon.com, but this concept is further extended with emerging social media and advanced algorithms. Emerging technologies will continue to push this idea forward.
Participation: This is to allow the customer to participate in what the brand should stand for; what should be the product directions and even which ads to run. This concept is laying the foundation for disruptive change through democratization of information.
Peer-to-Peer: This refers to customer networks and communities where advocacy happens. The historical problem with marketing is that it is “interruptive” in nature, trying to impose a brand on the customer. This is most apparent in TV advertising. These “passive customer bases” will ultimately be replaced by the “active customer communities”. Brand engagement happens within those conversations. P2P is now being referred as Social Computing and is likely to be the most disruptive force in the future of marketing.
Predictive modeling: This refers to algorithms that are being successfully applied in marketing problems (both a regression as well as a classification problem).

Product
Main article: New Product Development

Steps in product design
Design and development of product ideas.
Selection of and sifting through product ideas.
Design and testing of product concept.
Analysis of business instead of product concept.
Design and testing of emotional product.

Packaging
Main article: Packaging and labelling
Requirements of good packaging:

Functional - effectively contain and protect the contents
Provide convenience during distribution, sale, opening, use, reuse, etc.
Be environmentally responsible
Be cost effective
Appropriately designed for target market
Eye-catching (particularly for retail/consumer sales)
Communicate attributes and recommended use of the product and package
Compliant with retailers' requirements
Promotes image of enterprise
Distinguishable from competitors' products
Meet legal requirements for product and packaging
Point of difference in service and supply of product.
For a perfect product, perfect colour.
Forms of packaging:

Specialty packaging — emphasizes the elegant character of the product
Packaging for double-use
Combination packaging — two or more products packaged in the same container
Kaleidoscopic packaging — packaging changes continually to reflect a series or particular theme
Packaging for immediate consumption — to be thrown away after use
Packaging for resale — packed, into appropriate quantities, for the retailer or wholesaler

Branding
Main article: Brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes products and services from competitive offerings. A brand represents the consumers' experience with an organization, product, or service.
A brand has also been defined as an identifiable entity that makes a specific promise of value.

Branding means creating reference of certain products in consumers mind.
Co-branding involves marketing activity involving two or more products.

Trademarks
Main article: Trademark
Significance of a trademark:

Distinguishes one company's goods from those of another
Serves as advertisement for quality
Protects both consumers and manufacturers
Used in displays and advertising campaigns
Used to market new products

Pricing
Pricing refers to the amount of money exchanged for a product. This value is determined by utility to the consumer in terms of money and/or sacrifice that the consumer is prepared to give for it.

Objectives
Increase sales volume
Increase revenue
Achieve or increase profits
Increase or maintain market share
Eliminate competition
Achieve advantages of mass production
Factors influencing price-determination:

Production and distribution costs
Substitute goods available
Normal trade practices
Fixed prices
Reaction of distributors
Reaction of consumers
Nature of demand:
elastic/inelastic
Form of market:
Perfect competition
Monopolistic competition
Monopoly
Oligopoly
Steps to determine price:

Determine market share to be captured
Set up price strategy
Estimate demand
Evaluate competitors' reactions

Distribution (Place)

Channels
Manufacturer to consumer (most direct)
Manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer (traditional)
Manufacturer to agent to retailer to consumer (current)
Manufacturer to agent to wholesaler to retailer to consumer
Manufacturer to agent to consumer ( ex : DCL,AMWAY )
Manufacturer to dealer to consumer ( computers ) ... TOBE CONTINUED

JANGAN BERPANGKU TANGAN LAKUKANLAH SESUATU

2008-11-04T15:04:00.006+07:00

Tsunami telah berlalu, namun duka masih membekas yang pernah menimpa seorang pria, sebut saja lmron. Warga asli Tapak Tuan, Aceh, itu bukan korban tsunami, tapi korban impotensi, yang sembuh berkat ramuan tradisional warisan leluhur.
Lo, apa hubungannya tsunami dan impotensi? Sekilas sepertinya tak ada. Namun, kisah sejati Pak Imron dan ramuan penaik libido warisan leluhur itu setidaknya dapat menjadi pemicu semangat bahwa Aceh masih punya banyak hal, selain duka yang tersisa. Salah satunya, ya ramuan tradisional yang dapat membantu saudara-saudara senusantara yang tengah mengalami kendala dengan kejantanannya itu.
Sebagai lelaki, Pak Imron memang sempat frustrasi. Meski kiamat belum tiba, ia merasa dunianya telah berakhir. Bayangkan, umurnya baru mencapai kepala tiga, ketika impotensi tiba-tiba menyerang. Ia bukan hanya merasa rendah diri, tapi sempat juga mengalami depresi, gairah kerja menurun, vitalitas hidup merosot, bahkan lelaki yang sudah berumah tangga selama 10 tahun itu nyaris ingin bunuh diri.
Untunglah mertuanya memberi solusi jitu buat sang menantu. “Mengapa tidak kamu coba ramuan nenek moyang kita? ‘Warisan’ ini kami pelihara turun-temurun dan khasiatnya telah terbukti. Dengan minum rebusan lima akar tumbuhan ini kamu akan mendapat tambahan tenaga untuk memulihkan stamina,” wasiat sang mertua, yang memiliki banyak anak itu.

Kaya Cylindol
Banyak ahli menyebut impotensi sebagai kegagalan mencapai atau mempertahankan kemampuan untuk melakukan hubungan seksual secara sempurna.
Ada juga yang menyebutnya sebagai gangguan ereksi atau kesukaran penetrasi intim oleh laki-laki pada saat melakukan hubungan suami-istri. Bentuk gejalanya macam-macam, mulai dari yang ringan sampai superberat.
Pengembangan diagnosis yang dilakukan belakangan menunjukkan, 60% lebih gangguan impotensi disebabkan penyakit (organik). Setelah itu, biasanya disusul dengan gangguan mental.
Penyebab utamanya masalah hormonal dan melibatkan semua penyakit yang berhubungan dengan pembuluh darah dan saraf. Dalam perjalanannya, gangguan terhadap pemhuluh darah itu akhirnya mengganggu juga sistem peredaran darah pada “senjata rahasia” pria.
Hal seperti itulah yang terjadi pada Imron. Makanya, di tengah keputusasaan, setelah berobat kemana-mana tak jua sembuh, ia tak lagi berpikir panjang dan percaya begitu saja saat ditawari ramuan “akar lima” asal Tanah Rencong. “Sebagai mertua, pasti dia tak bermaksud mencelakakan saya,” cetusnya dalam hati.
Apalagi dan seorang teman, ia tahu kalau lima akar itu, masing-masing akar alang-alang (Imperata cylindrica), akar pepaya (Carica papaya), akar pinang (Areca catechu), akar kelapa (Cocos nucifera) dan rimpang jahe (Zingiber officinale) memang menyimpan khasiat antiradang, sebagai tonik, antihipertensi, penguat jantung, perangsang (stimulan), dan penguat lemah syahwat (afrodisiak).

Alang-alang

Akar termasuk tumbuhan obat dari keluarga rumput-rumputan (Gramineae). Dikenal sebagai ilalang, karena sukanya melanglang liar di kawasan tropis dan subtropis Afrika, sebagian India, Asia Tenggara, Australia, bahkan tersebar luas di Amerika Utara sampai Selatan, dan di daerah panas pada garis lintang 450 derajat di Selandia Baru dan Jepang.
Di Filipina, akar alang-alang banyak digunakan untuk mengobati disentri. Sedangkan di Malaysia dimanfaatkan sebagai obat diare dan penyakit kelamin gonorrhoea. Di Papua dan Papua New Guinea, digunakan sebagai pembersih darah, obat ginjal, dan penghilang gangguan kandung kencing. Di Brunei, rebusannya dipercaya dapat menurunkan demam (febrifuga).
Matsunaga dan kawan-kawan dalam Journal of Natural Products (1995) menyatakan, akar alang-alang mengandung senyawa eter biphenyl jenis cylindol A dan B. Senyawa cylindol A memperlihatkan aktivitas antiradang. Ada juga senyawa imperanene yang dapat mencegah pembekuan darah dalam pembuluh darah kelinci. Serta cylindrene dan graminone B yang berpengaruh mencegah penyempitan pembuluh nadi.

Akar pinang
Selain alang-alang, akar pepaya juga termasuk dalam anggota “akar lima” Tanah Rencong.
Tanaman pepaya sendiri lama dikenal sebagai penghasil buah yang kaya dengan sumber antioksidan alami, seperti vitamin A dan C. Akar maupun buah matangnya dapat mengobati wasir. Sementara air rebusan akarnya, jika diminum, dipercaya akan meningkatkan kejantanan kaum Adam, mengurangi pengeluaran urine (oliguria), obat penyakit kontak seksual seperti sifilis, flu, sakit panas, dan sembelit. Pemakaian setempat pada kulit bermanfaat sebagai obat bisul dan jerawat.

Pepaya tersebar luas di daerah tropis dan umumnya dibudidayakan. Roth dan Lindotf dalam South American Medicinal Plants (2002) menyebut, akar pepaya mengandung senyawa alkaloid karpain, sebagai bahan aktif yang menggerakkan aktivitas jantung, mengurangi tekanan dalam pembuluh darah, mengurangi frekuensi urat nadi, penekan pada sistem saraf pusat, dan peluruh air seni.
Anggota “akar lima” ketiga, akar pinang, pasti juga tak asing lagi.
Batang pinang sering digunakan sebagai alat lomba panjat pinang di perayaan hari kemerdekaan RI. Bijinya yang masih muda maupun masak sering dikunyah sebagai perangsang (stimulan) atau diramu bersama daun sirih, gambir, dan sedikit kapur sirih sehingga hasil kunyahan berwarna merah.
Di sejumlah negara Asia, biji pinang kadang dipakai sebagai obat peluruh cacing, baik pada manusia maupun binatang peliharaan, membersihkan datang bulan atau haid, obat diare, gangguan kencing, serta sakit pinggang.
Tanaman pinang tak jelas asalnya. Kemungkinan besar berasal dari Malaysia Tengah, lalu menyebar ke Asia Selatan dan Asia Tenggara. Wang dan kawan-kawan dalam Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (1997) menyebut, tanaman pinang, termasuk akarnya, mengandung senyawa alkaloid dengan unsur utama arecoline antara 0,1 – 0,2%, yang banyak terdapat pada biji pinang muda.
Senyawa arecoline bekerja atas dasar susunan saraf pusat dan saraf di sekitarnya, berperan menaikkan denyut jantung, menaikkan penggunaan glukosa pada otak, dan memperbaiki fungsi ingatan pada penderita shock

Akar Kelapa

Yang keempat, akar kelapa. Masyarakat tepi pantai kerap memakainya untuk mengobati penyakit kelamin. Di Cina, akarnya dipuji sebagai penciut selaput lendir, obat penahan perdarahan wasir,
dan dapat memperbaiki aliran darah pada tubuh. Di kawasan Indocina, akarnya dipercaya sebagai penurun demam, peluruh kencing pada pengobatan penghentian kelebihan lendir (blennorrhea) akibat penyakit kelamin, obat penyakit liver, dan bronkhitis.
Maurafe dan kawan-kawan dalam Journal Science Food Agricultural (1987) menegaskan, akar kelapa mengandung karbohidrat protides, lipid, asam lauric, myristic, dan coprylic. Asam laurie mudah dicerna sebagai sumber energi dan memperlihatkan antimikroba lipid monolourin yang dapat mempertinggi kekebalan tubuh manusia.

Minuman Shaolin
Pelengkap tim akar lima, jahe, juga tidak asing lagi nama maupun bentuknya. Ia biasa digunakan sebagai bahan minuman dan bumbu penyedap masakan.
Jahe termasuk keluarga temu-temuan, yang diperkirakan berasal dari India. Sekarang jahe telah dibudidayakan di seluruh lembah tropis. Jahe dapat tumbuh sampai ketinggian 1.500 m di atas permukaan laut, meski kebanyakan terdapat pada dataran rendah dengan curah hujan tertinggi 2.500 – 3.000 mm.
Di Cina, sejak dulu jahe telah menjadi bahan minuman para Shaolin, karena dipercaya dapat memperbaiki stamina tubuh, perangsang (stimulan), memperbaiki sirkulasi darah, dan mengatasi gangguan pencernaan. Di sejumlah negara Asia, rimpang jahe digunakan sebagai obat memperbanyak keringat (diaforetik), antimuntah, pembersih haid, dan memiliki reputasi baik sebagai penguat syahwat. Namun, wanita hamil sebaiknya tidak mengkonsumsi jahe, karena bisa mengakibatkan keguguran.

Sukamura dan Suga dalam Medicinal And Aromatic 2 (1989) juga menulis, rimpang jahe memiliki unsur utama dengan aroma pedas jenis fenol, yang sifatnya tidak mudah menguap pada senyawa gingerol, shogaol, paradol dan zingerone.
Rimpang jahe segar kering mengandung gingerol sekitar 1 – 2%. Sebagai bahan obat, jahe dapat meredakan kejang (antispasmodik), antiradang, rematik, membantu menurunkan kadar kolesterol darah, menurunkan tekanan darah, dan menyusutkan tumor hati.
Senyawa shogaol dan gingerol memiliki kekuatan untuk mencegah muntah, peluruh getah empedu, dan melindungi hati, terutama menghadapi bahaya keracunan karbon tetraklorida.
Kemampuan jahe akhirnya dapat memperbaiki fungsi hati, penyakit kuning, batu empedu, menaikkan aliran getah empedu, dan mengatasi gangguan gas dalam perut.

Untuk memperoleh khasiat kelima akar tadi dengan ukuran : 1 genggam akar alang-alang, 1 genggam akar pepaya, 1 genggam akar pinang, 1 genggam akar kelapa hijau, dan 1 jempol rimpang jahe. Setelah dicuci bersih, direbus dalam kendi tanah liat berisi air sebanyak empat gelas atau 1 liter, sampai air tinggal setengahnya. Tambahkan gula aren atau madu secukupnya, kemudian minum dua kali sehari.
Untuk pengobatan, ramuan diminum setiap hari, sampai kondisi betul-betul normal. Namun, kalau cuma buat menjaga stamina, cukup minum dua hari (pagi dan sore) dalam satu minggu, atau satu hari dalam satu minggu.
Jika tujuannya untuk meningkatkan kesuburan, tambahkan ramuan itu dengan telur bebek dan madu secukupnya, diminum tiga hari berturut-turut menjelang istri selesai haid.
Dijamin lebih jantan? “Insya Allah,” tutup Imron. disadur dari Intisari Penulis: Samiran dan Ismail, staf Balitbang Botani, LIPI, di Bogor

METRO ETHERNET

2008-10-22T17:21:00.004+07:00

A Metro Ethernet is a computer network based on the Ethernet standard and which covers a metropolitan area. It is commonly used as a metropolitan access network to connect subscribers and businesses to a Wide Area Network, such as the Internet. Large businesses can also use Metro Ethernet to connect branch offices to their Intranet.

Ethernet has been a well known technology for decades. An Ethernet interface is much less expensive than a SDH or PDH interface of the same bandwidth. Ethernet also supports high bandwidths with fine granularity, which is not available with traditional SDH connections. Another distinct advantage of an Ethernet-based access network is that it can be easily connected to the customer network, due to the prevalent use of Ethernet in corporate and, more recently, residential networks. Therefore, bringing Ethernet in to the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) introduces a lot of advantages to both the service provider and the customer (corporate and residential).

Metro Ethernet systemA typical service provider Metro Ethernet network is a collection of Layer 2 or 3 switches or routers connected through optical fiber. The topology could be a ring, hub-and-spoke (star), or full or partial mesh. The network will also have a hierarchy: core, distribution and access. The core in most cases is an existing IP/MPLS backbone, but may migrate to newer forms of Ethernet Transport in the form of 10G or 100G speeds.

Ethernet on the MAN can be used as pure Ethernet, Ethernet over SDH, Ethernet over MPLS or Ethernet over DWDM. Pure Ethernet-based deployments are cheap but less reliable and scalable, and thus are usually limited to small scale or experimental deployments. SDH-based deployments are useful when there is an existing SDH infrastructure already in place, its main shortcoming being the loss of flexibility in bandwidth management due to the rigid hierarchy imposed by the SDH network. MPLS based deployments are costly but highly reliable and scalable, and are typically used by large service providers.

Contents [hide]
1 Pure Ethernet MANs
2 SDH-based Ethernet MANs
3 MPLS-based Ethernet MANs
4 Further reading
5 External links

Pure Ethernet MANs
A pure Ethernet MAN uses only layer 2 switches for all of its internal structure. This allows for a very simple and cheap design, and also for a relatively simple initial configuration. The original Ethernet technology wasn't well suited for service provider applications; as a shared-media network, it was impossible to keep traffic isolated, which made implementation of private circuits impossible. Ethernet MANs became feasible in the late 90's due to the development of new techniques to allow transparent tunneling of traffic through the use of Virtual LANs as "point to point" or "multipoint to multipoint" circuits. Combined with new features such as VLAN Stacking (also known as VLAN Tunneling), and VLAN Translation, it became possible to isolate the customer's traffic from each other and from the core network internal signaling traffic. However, Ethernet is constantly evolving and has now carrier class features with the recent addition of IEEE 802.1ad (Provider Bridges) and IEEE 802.1Qay (Provider Backbone Transport). Spanning-tree, broadcast packets and dynamic mac learning are disabled and sub 50ms failover features are introduced.

There are three main shortcomings with a pure non PBT/PB enabled Ethernet MAN approach:

By design, layer 2 switches use fixed tables to direct traffic based on the MAC address of the endpoints. As the network gets larger, the number of MAC address transiting through the network may grow beyond the capacity of the core switches. If the core table gets full, the result is a catastrophic loss of performance due to the flooding of packets over the entire network structure.
Network stability is relatively fragile, especially if compared to the more advanced SDH and MPLS approaches. The recovery time for the standard spanning tree protocol is in the range of tens of seconds, much higher than what can be obtained in the alternative networks (usually a fraction of second). There are a number of optimizations, some standardized through the IEEE, and others vendor-specific, that seek to alleviate this problem. The clever use of such features allow the network to achieve good stability and resilience, at the cost of a more complex configuration and possible use of non-standard, vendor-specific, mechanisms.
Traffic engineering is very limited. There are few tools to manage the topology of the network; also, the fact that forwarding is done hop-by-hop, added to the possibility of broadcasts even for unicast packets (for instance, while learning new addresses), makes predicting the real traffic pattern very difficult. There are techniques that allow for some control of the preferential traffic paths; these techniques rely on the use of multiple spanning trees, or "per VLAN spanning trees", and are closely connected to the solutions used to achieve better stability and resiliency in the network.
Despite these shortcomings, non PBT/PB enabled Ethernet-based MANs are used for two primary purposes:

For small scale deployments (under a few hundred customers), a pure Ethernet MAN can be highly cost-effective. It also has the advantage of not requiring advanced knowledge of IP and related protocols, such as BGP and MPLS, which are necessary for an MPLS-based deployment.
In large scale Metro Ethernets, it's common for the access part of the network to use a pure layer 2 design. At this level, the pure layer 2 design is deemed to be cheaper while still operating under its design limitations. From the distribution layer and above, traffic is aggregated and routed using an MPLS-based Metro Ethernet design.

SDH-based Ethernet MANs
An SDH based Ethernet MAN is usually used as an intermediate step in the transition from a traditional, time-division based network, to a modern statistical network (such as Ethernet). In this model, the existing SDH infrastructure is used to transport high-speed Ethernet connections. The main advantage of this approach is the high level of reliability, achieved through the use of the native SDH protection mechanisms, which present a typical recovery time of 50 ms for severe failures. On the other hand, an SDH-based Ethernet MAN is usually more expensive, due to costs associated with the SDH/DWDM equipment that is necessary for its implementation. Traffic engineering also tends to be very limited. Hybrid designs use conventional Ethernet switches at the edge of the core SDH ring to alleviate some of these issues, allowing for more control over the traffic pattern and also for a slight reduction in cost.

MPLS-based Ethernet MANs
An MPLS based Metro Ethernet network uses MPLS in the Service Provider Network. The subscriber will get an Ethernet interface on Copper (100BASE-TX) or fiber (100BASE-FX). The customer's Ethernet packet is transported over MPLS and the service provider network uses Ethernet again as the underlying technology to transport MPLS. So, it is Ethernet over MPLS over Ethernet.

Here, Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) signaling is used as site to site signaling for the inner label (VC label) and Resource reSerVation Protocol-Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) is used as Network signaling for the outer label.

One of the restoration mechanisms used in an MPLS based Metro Ethernet Networks is Fast ReRoute-FRR (MPLS local protection)
The main advantages of an MPLS-based Metro Ethernet against a pure Ethernet are:

Scalability: pure Ethernet MAN are limited to a maximum of 4,096 VLANs for the whole network, when using MPLS, Ethernet VLANs have local meaning only (like Frame Relay PVC). Same scalability considerations applies to the MAC addresses where in a pure Ethernet MAN all MAC addresses are being shared among the network while only having local meaning in the MPLS context.
Resiliency: pure Ethernet network resiliency relies on STP or RSTP (30 to 1 sec convergence) while MPLS-based MANs use MPLS-based mechanism (i.e. MPLS Fast Reroute) to achieve SDH-like (50 msecs) convergence times.
Multiprotocol convergence: with the maturity on pseudowires standards (ATM VLL, FR VLL, etc.) an MPLS-based Metro Ethernet can backhaul not only IP/Ethernet traffic but virtually any type of traffic coming from customer networks or other access networks (i.e. ATM aggregation for UMTS).
End to End OAM: MPLS-based MAN offers a wider set of troubleshooting and OAM MPLS-based tools which enrich Service Providers ability to effectively troubleshoot and diagnose network problems.
The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) has defined two types of services that can be delivered through Metro Ethernet:

E-Line also known as Virtual Leased Line and Point-to-Point.
E-LAN also known as Virtual Private LAN Services, Transparent LAN Services and MultiPoint-to-MultiPoint.
Additionally, various access services can be provided with Metro Ethernet including; High Speed Internet access and IP/VPN access.

There are lot of vendors supplying equipment for Metro Ethernet deployments. They include ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, DATACOM, Ericsson, C-COR, Cisco, Ethos Networks, Extreme Networks, Foundry Networks, Huawei, Nortel Networks, Tellabs, ZTE, Alcatel, Juniper Networks and many more. Software solutions for vendors are provided by IP Infusion,Aricent.

In June 2002, HKBN built the largest Metro Ethernet IP network in the world, covering 1.2 million homes.

In late September 2007 Verizon Business announced that it is implementing a Metro Ethernet solution across Asia-Pacific including Australia, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong using Nortel equipment.[1]

Africa's largest and most developed privately owned MPLS Based Metro Ethernet Network is in Kenya. Reaching more than 5000 corporate entities, Kenya Data Networks is providing High End Services using Alcatel Core and Siemens Access equipment. KDN is now moving into FTTH projects and intends to cover more than 100 000 buildings in East Africa within the next 3 years

Anda Ragu BerBIsNiS ???

2008-10-09T11:48:00.005+07:00

Cara memulai bisnis ??? Jawabannya pun beraneka. Ada yang harus cari modal dulu, ada yang harus mempelajari pasar, ada yang melakukan survey ini itu, bahkan yang ekstrim ada yang mengatakan modalnya nekad saja! Semuanya tak salah dan semuanya juga tak benar hehehehe. Sebab, dari mana saja mau mulai berwirausaha, asal punya niat, tekad, ketekunan, keuletan, semangat tak mudah menyerah, dan kontinyu pasti akan ada hasil yang dicapai.

Banyak contoh nyata orang yang bermodal nekad bisa jadi pengusaha sukses. Tak sedikit pula pengusaha yang berawal dari persiapan matang akhirnya benar-benar sukses membesarkan usahanya. Salah satu contoh nyata, orang yang berkemauan kuat dan bisa sukses berkat kerja kerasnya yakni Andrie Wongso yang konon tak sampai lulus SD. Meski dari keluarga miskin, dengan prinsip: "Sukses adalah hak saya" ia mampu menjadi pengusaha sukses hingga kini.

Apa yang dilakukan Andrie Wongso dan banyak pengusaha sukses lain ini bisa diwakili oleh sebuah kalimat bijak yang sudah sering kita dengar, yakni asal ada kemauan, pasti ada jalan, "When there is a will, there is a way." Nah, lantas, jika kita sudah ada kemauan, usaha apa yang bisa ditekuni? Pilihannya sangat beragam. Untuk mengeksplorasi jenis usaha apa saja yang bisa ditekuni sebenarnya cukup gampang. Modalnya hanyalah ATMI, yakni Amati, Tirukan, dan Modifikasi.

Amati.
Yang perlu dilakukan hanyalah dengan melihat sekeliling Anda. Ada banyak bertebaran jenis usaha yang bisa Anda tekuni. Mulai dari yang sudah banyak digeluti oleh orang lain, maupun usaha-usaha yang menurut Anda masih jarang yang disentuh orang lain. Atau, dari pengamatan itu, barangkali Anda bisa menemukan sejumlah kebutuhan orang yang belum tersentuh sehingga bisa jadi ladang bisnis yang baru.
Ambil contoh, lihat kendaraan berseliweran di jalanan. Kalau Anda bisa utak-atik kendaraan, kenapa tidak coba buka usaha bengkel? Biar lebih spesifik layanannya, buat bengkel yang siap dipanggil kapan saja, kalau perlu 24 jam!
Tirukan.
Untuk menjalankan bisnis yang berhasil, coba tirukan bisnis yang ramai mendapat pelanggan di sekitar Anda. Misalnya Anda melihat pedagang bakso yang ramai. Coba, lihat apa yang membuatnya laris. Apakah lokasinya, rasanya, atau mungkin pelayanannya yang unik. Tirukan saja, apa kunci sukses yang membuatnya ramai.

Salah satu cara meniru yang sekarang sedang tren yaitu usaha dengan sistem waralaba. Pemilik usaha dengan sistem waralaba sebenarnya sudah merelakan usahanya di-copy paste oleh jaringan waralabanya, dan itu sah-sah saja, bahkan senang karena jaringan usahanya makin membesar. Karena itu, jangan segan jika bertemu dengan bisnis yang ramai, kalau mau ajaklah kerja sama, dengan begitu dalam meniru langkah suksesnya Anda bisa lebih pasti.
Modifikasi.
Kalau sudah menemukan jenis usaha yang akan dicontoh, jangan asal contek saja. Ubahlah berdasar kreativitas Anda. Misalnya biar makin ramai Anda gunakan cara yang unik, contoh bikin bakso yang kotak, atau bakso yang dibakar. Gunakan pula promosi yang unik. Misalnya beri kejutan gratis bayar untuk konsumen mangkuk ke-100, serta berbagai jenis promosi unik lainnya.

Inovasi

Selain dari ketiga cara di atas ada satu lagi cara yaitu Inovasi yaitu membuat gebrakan baru yang belum ada sama sekali. Hal ini memerlukan daya naluri bisnis yang kental yang tau trend produk yang diinginkan masyarakat misalnya 3 sd 5 tahun ke depan. Namanya produk baru perlu melakukan survey pasar, untuk mengetahui produk seperti apa yang diinginkan masyarakat future. Cara Inovasi ini membutuhkan penelitian dan modal yang cukup.

Mungkin sudah mendapat gambaran? yang penting, jika sudah menemukan jenis usaha yang ingin Anda geluti, segera take action! Lakukan dengan sepenuh hati dan terjuni dengan tekad kuat agar berhasil. Ingat. Peluang ada di mana-mana, tapi peluang baru benar-benar jadi uang kalau Anda mau mewujudkannya. Selamat berjuang kawan Ingat jangan tunggu hari esok,...

Marketing and Sales

2008-09-26T23:50:00.000+07:00

Let's think about thisquestion for a moment. Without marketing you would not have prospects orleads to follow up with, but yet without a good sales technique and strategy your closing rate may depress you.

Marketing is everything that you do to reach and persuade prospects. The sales process is everything that you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement or contract. Both are necessities to the success of a business. You cannot do without either process. By strategically combining both efforts you will experience a successful amount of business growth. However, by the same token if the efforts are unbalanced it candetour your growth.

Your marketing will consists of the measures you use to reach and persuade your prospects that you are the company for them. It's the message that prepares the prospect for the sales. It consists of advertising, public relations, brand marketing, viral marketing, and direct mail.

The sales process consists of interpersonal interaction. It is often done by a one-on-one meeting, cold calls, and networking. It's anything that engages you with the prospect or customer on a personal level rather than at a distance.

Your marketing efforts begin the process of the eight contacts that studies show it takes to move a prospect or potential client to the close of the sale. If marketing is done effectively you can begin to move that prospect from a cold to a warm lead. When the prospect hitsthe"warm" level it's much easier for the sales professional to close the sale.

Seorang Anak Laki-laki Kecil Penjual Kue

2008-09-25T08:14:00.003+07:00

Oleh Sri Lestari
Suatu siang dalam perjalanan menuju kampus, terlintas keinginanku untuk naik kereta api. Padahal hari-hari biasanya, aku selalu menaiki angkot D-128 rute Warung silah-Depok yang setia mengantarku sampai kampus dan aku cukup turun di depan Toko Buku daerah Margonda. Cukup sekali naik angkot dan hanya membayar Rp2.500, 00.

Tapi entah kenapa tiba-tiba saja saat itu muncul keinginan di luar kebiasaan. Aku ingin berangkat ke kampus naik kereta api. Pikirku, yah sekali-kali tak apalah, lagipula aku kuliah jam satu siang dan sekarang masih jam sebelas.
Setengah dua belas aku sampai di stasiun kereta Lenteng Agung. Bagi orang lain, mungkin hal ini sangat membuang-buang waktu.

Sampai stasiun, menunggu kereta. Padahal kalau aku mau lebih cepat sampai kampus, cukup naik angkot satu kali lagi ke arah Depok. Tetapi aku tetap menunggu kereta jurusan Bogor tiba. Memang, aku hanya turun tiga stasiun berikutnya, yaitu stasiun Pondok Cina.

Sambil menunggu kereta tiba, kubuka tas dan kuambil salah satu buku yang dihadiahkan oleh salah seorang sahabat pada milad (ulang tahun-red)-ku Oktober lalu. Hampir pukul dua belas kereta api jurusan Bogor baru tiba. Kulangkahkan kaki kananku masuk ke dalam kereta. Setelah melihat sekeliling, tak ada tempat duduk kosong. Berdiri pun tak apa. Lagipula alat transportasi rakyat murah meriah begini, untung-untungan bisa dapat tempat duduk.

Tak jauh dari tempatku berdiri, seorang anak laki-laki kecil penjual kue —yang kutaksir usianya baru enam tahunan—menjajakan dagangannya. Satu hal yang membuatnya berbeda dengan pedagang lainnya di kereta yang aku tumpangi, adalah caranya menawarkan kue dagangannya. Saat ia menghampiriku, dia menawarkan dagangannya kepadaku sama seperti yang ditawarkannya kepada penumpang kereta lainnya.

"Assalamualaikum… kakak, apakah kakak mau membeli kue? Hany a lima ratus rupiah saja, Kak, " tawarnya.
"Wa alaikum salam. Nggak Dik, makasih, " jawabku.
"Baiklah. Permisi kak…, " Tanpa berlama-lama, anak itu segera meninggalkanku dan kembali menawarkan dagangannya kepada penumpang kereta yang lain dengan pertanyaan yang sama.

Dalam hati aku bergumam, hari gini masih ada jajanan harga lima ratus? Modalnya berapa? Aku terus memperhatikan anak laki-laki kecil itu. Sejurus kemudian, anak itu kembali menghampiri salah seorang penumpang kereta yang telah ditawari kue jualannya barusan.

"Mungkin untuk bekal di tempat kerja, Kak?" tanyanya kembali dengan penuh harap yang ditawarinya barusan bersedia membeli kue dagangannya itu. Kembali si penumpang tersebut menolak tawaran anak penjual kue dengan sama ramahnya. Anak itu pun meninggalkan gerbong kereta tempat aku berdiri dan ia menuju ke gerbong sebelah. Untuk menjajakan kue jualannya tentunya.

Segenap rasa sesal memasuki hatiku saat melihat bocah penjual kue itu berjalan menuju gerbong sebelah. Jadi kasihan aku terhadapnya. Kenapa pula tidak kubeli kue jualannya? Cuma lima ratusan dan penumpang satu gerbong tidak ada yang mau membeli kue jualannya. Padahal masih ada dua lembar ribuan di saku kemejaku, tapi urung kukeluarkan untuk membeli kue itu. Ah… penyesalan memang selalu datang belakangan.

Baru saja anak laki-laki penjual kue itu hendak masuk ke gerbong sebelah, seorang pria setengah baya memanggilnya. Pikirku, mungkin pria tersebut berniat membeli kue anak tadi. Segera anak penjual kue itu berbalik setelah dipanggil oleh pria yang duduk tidak jauh dari tempatku berdiri.

"Ini untuk adik, " katanya sambil memasukkan (sedikit memaksa) selembar uang sepuluh ribuan ke dalam saku anak penjual kue tadi. Tanpa sempat bicara, bahkan mengucapkan terima kasih pun belum, si anak sudah diminta untuk segera melanjutkan aktivitas menjual kue-kuenya. Anak tersebut hanya tersenyum diam dan melanjutkan berjalan ke gerbong sebelah.

Yang mengherankan, justru sebelum ia masuk ke gerbong sebelah, anak penjual kue tersebut memberikan uang yang diterimanya barusan kepada sepasang pengemis buta (yang menurut dugaanku mereka suami-isteri) yang berada di gerbong yang kami tumpangi. Aku masih saja terus memperhatikan bocah kecil itu. Bahkan kuperhatikan, pria setengah baya yang barusan memberikan uang tersebut juga memperhatikannya.

Dan benarlah dugaanku, pria tersebut memanggil bocah penjual kue tadi dan menanyakan kenapa uangnya diberikan kepada pengemis buta. Anak itu hanya menjawab,

"Emak saya bilang saya tidak boleh mengemis. Saya hanya boleh menerima uang kalau ada yang membeli kue dagangannya, " jelasnya dengan bahasa Indonesia yang begitu baik dan benar. Deg… Tergetar hati ini mendengar jawaban bocah penjual kue itu.

"Tapi saya ngasih uang emang buat kamu, sedekah, " lanjut pria setengah baya kemudian.

"Uang sedekah juga sama saja dengan saya mengemis. Emak bilang saya harus jualan kalau mau mendapat uang, bukan mengemis, " jawab bocah penjual kue itu membuat desiran dalam hatiku semakin menjadi.

"Emang kalo saya beli kue kamu semuanya berapa?" tanya pria setengah baya itu setelah beberapa saat terdiam.
"Dua puluh ribu rupiah, Pak, " jawab si bocah singkat.

Tak lama kemudian, pria setengah baya itu mengeluarkan selembar uang dua puluh ribuan dari dompetnya yang ia serahkan kepada bocah penjual kue yang masih tidak kuketahui siapa namanya.

"Ini, saya beli semuanya ya…" pinta pria setengah baya itu dan langsung si bocah dengan sigap membungkus semua kue dagangannya lalu diberikannya kepada pria setengah baya yang masih mengulurkan selembar uang dua puluh ribuan.
"Terima kasih, Pak, semoga rezekinya berkah, " ujar si bocah penjual kue itu sambil menerima uang dua puluh ribuan darinya dengan penuh senyum. Ah, doa yang menyejukkan, batinku.

Tak terasa kereta sudah sampai di Stasiun Pondok Cina. Banyak juga penumpang kereta yang turun. Termasuk bocah penjual kue tadi. Tampak kesenangan meliputi wajahnya dengan nampan kue yang telah kosong. Mungkin ia akan kembali pulang. Pastilah ibunya merasakan kesenangan yang tak jauh berbeda dengan dirinya, pikirku.

Sepanjang perjalanan menuju kampus tercinta, hati dan pikiranku masih saja tertuju pada bocah laki-laki penjual kue di kereta tadi. Di tengah kesulitan hidup, seorang anak kecil dengan sebegitu konsistennya tetap teguh menjaga harga dirinya dari meminta-minta kepada orang lain. Dia yakin bahwa dengan berusaha, segala sesuatu pasti ada jalan keluarnya. Bukan dengan berpangku tangan, mengemis, memohon belas kasihan orang lain, karena kita memang hanya boleh memohon belas kasih padaNya.

Seorang bocah yang usianya mungkin hanya terpaut satu tahun lebih tua dari keponakanku di rumah, sudah harus turut merasakan pahitnya kesulitan hidup. Terlintas dalam pikiranku seandainya yang menjadi bocah tadi adalah keponakanku. Ah, tak tega aku. Bahkan untuk membayangkannya saja. Keteguhan hatinya yang tidak menjadikan tubuh kecilnya sebagai alat mengundang rasa kasihan orang lain patut kuacungi jempol. Ia tahu bahwa semua rezeki sudah diatur secara adil oleh Allah SWT. Tak ada satu pun makhluk kecuali sudah ditetapkan rezekinya. Tugas kita adalah menjemput dan mencari berkah dari karunia Allah SWT tersebut.

Bila ingat diri ini yang mudah mengeluh dan merasa lemah, tentu aku tidak ada apa-apanya dibandingkan dengan bocah penjual kue tadi. Seharusnya aku bersyukur, rasa lelah yang kurasakan karena harus mencari penghasilan tambahan untuk biaya kuliah dengan mengajar dan berjualan kue—juga— pastilah tidak selelah bocah kecil tadi. Bersyukur, karena aku masih bisa kuliah, di saat banyak orang lainnya yang putus sekolah.

Terima kasih ya Allah. Rasa syukur tak terhingga terus kulafalkan atas hikmah yang kudapat hari itu. Waktu yang lebih lama kubutuhkan untuk menunggu kereta ternyata tak sebanding dengan pelajaran berharga yang disampaikan olehNya melalui kehadiran bocah kecil penjual kue di kereta tadi. Mungkin keadaannya akan berbeda bila aku tidak naik kereta ke kampus hari itu.

Ya Allah, jadikan aku hamba yang pandai bersyukur dan bersabar….

Buatlah Indonesia Selalu Tersenyum

Belajar Terbang, Berenang, Memanjat, Berlari dan Menyelam

2008-09-01T15:41:00.008+07:00

Standarisasi sekolah berskala Nasionalnya ala semak belukar mengharuskan beberapa mata pelajaran harus bisa diikuti dengan baik.

Kurikulum tersebut mewajibkan untuk lulus dan mendapatkan ijazah ; setiap siswa harus berhasil pada lima mata pelajaran pokok dengan nilai minimal 8 pada masing-masing mata pelajaran. Adapun kelima mata pelajaran pokok tersebut adalah; Terbang, Berenang, Memanjat, Berlari dan Menyelam.

Mengingat bahwa sekolah ini berstatus “Disamakan dengan manusia”, maka para binatang berharap kelak mereka dapat hidup lebih baik dari binatang lainya, sehingga berbondong-bondonglah berbagai jenis binatang mendaftarkan diri untuk bersekolah disana; mulai dari; Elang, Tupai, Bebek, Rusa dan Katak.

Proses belajar mengajarpun akhirnya dimulai, terlihat bahwa beberapa jenis binatang sangat unggul dalam mata pelajaran tertentu; Elang sangat unggul dalam pelajaran terbang; dia memiliki kemampuan yang berada diatas binatang-binatang lainnya dalam hal melayang di udara, menukik, meliuk-liuk, menyambar hingga bertengger didahan sebuah pohon yang tertinggi.

Tupai sangat unggul dalam pelajaran memanjat; dia sangat pandai, lincah dan cekatan sekali dalam memanjat pohon, berpindah dari satu dahan ke dahan lainnya. Hingga mencapai puncak tertinggi pohon yang ada di hutan itu.

Sementara bebek terlihat sangat unggul dan piawai dalam pelajaran berenang, dengan gayanya yang khas ia berhasil menyebrangi dan mengitari kolam yang ada didalam hutan tersebut.

Rusa adalah murid yang luar biasa dalam pelajaran berlari; kecepatan larinya tak tertandingi oleh binatang lain yang bersekolah di sana. Larinya tidak hanya cepat melainkan sangat indah untuk dilihat.

Lain lagi dengan Katak, ia sangat unggul dalam pelajaran menyelam; dengan gaya berenangnya yang khas, katak dengan cepatnya masuk kedalam air dan kembali muncul diseberang kolam.

Begitulah pada mulanya mereka adalah murid-murid yang sangat unggul dan luar biasa dimata pelajaran tertentu. Namun ternyata kurikulum telah mewajibkan bahwa mereka harus meraih angka minimal 8 di semua mata pelajaran untuk bisa lulus dan mengantongi ijazah.

Inilah awal dari semua kekacauan itu. Para binatang satu demi satu mulai mempelajari mata pelajaran lain yang tidak dikuasai dan bahkan tidak disukainya.

Burung elang mulai belajar cara memanjat, berlari, namun sayang sekali untuk pelajaran berenang dan menyelam meskipun telah berkali-kali dicobanya tetap saja ia gagal; dan bahkan suatu hari burung elang pernah pingsan kehabisan nafas saat pelajaran menyelam.

Tupaipun demikian ia berkali-kali jatuh dari dahan yang tinggi saat ia mencoba terbang. Alhasil bukannya bisa terbang tapi tubuhnya malah penuh dengan luka dan memar disana-sini.

Lain lagi dengan bebek, ia masih bisa mengikuti pelajaran berlari meskipun sering ditertawakan karena lucunya, dan sedikit bisa terbang; tapi ia kelihatan hampir putus asa pada saat mengikuti pelajaran memanjat, berkali-kali dicobanya dan berkali-kali juga dia terjatuh, luka memar disana sini dan bulu-bulunya mulai rontok satu demi satu.

Demikian juga dengan binatang lainya; meskipun semua telah berusaha dengan susah payah untuk mempelajari mata pelajaran yang tidak dikuasainya, dari pagi hingga malam, namun tidak juga menampakkan hasil yang lebih baik.

Yang lebih menyedihkan adalah karena mereka terfokus untuk dapat berhasil di mata pelajaran yang tidak dikuasainya; perlahan-lahan Elang mulai kehilangan kemampuan terbangnya; tupai sudah mulai lupa cara memanjat, bebek sudah tidak dapat lagi berenang dengan baik, sebelah kakinya patah dan sirip kakinya robek-robek karena terlalu banyak berlatih memanjat. Katak juga tidak kuat lagi menyelam karena sering jatuh pada saat mencoba terbang dari satu dahan ke dahan lainnya. Dan yang paling malang adalah Rusa, ia sudah tidak lagi dapat berlari kencang, karena paru-parunya sering kemasukan air saat mengikuti pelajaran menyelam.

Akhirnya tak satupun murid berhasil lulus dari sekolah itu; dan yang sangat menyedihkan adalah merekapun mulai kehilangan kemampuan aslinya setelah keluar dari sekolah. Mereka tidak bisa lagi hidup dilingkungan dimana mereka dulu tinggal, ya.... kemampuan alami mereka telah terpangkas habis oleh kurikulum sekolah tersebut. Sehingga satu demi satu binatang-binatang itu mulai mati kelaparan karena tidak bisa lagi mencari makan dengan kemampuan unggul yang dimilikinya..

Tidakkah kita menyadari bahwa sistem persekolahan manusia yang ada saat inipun tidak jauh berbeda dengan sistem persekolahan binatang dalam kisah ini. Kurikulum sekolah telah memaksa anak-anak kita untuk menguasai semua mata pelajaran dan melupakan kemampuan unggul mereka masing-masing. Kurikulum dan sistem persekolahan telah memangkas kemampuan alami anak-anak kita untuk bisa berhasil dalam kehidupan menjadi anak yang hanya bisa menjawab soal-soal ujian.

Akankah nasib anak-anak kita kelak juga mirip dengan nasib para binatang yang ada disekolah tersebut?

Bila kita kaji lebih jauh produk dari sistem pendidikan kita saat ini bahkan jauh lebih menyeramkan dari apa yang digambarkan oleh fabel tersebut; bayangkan betapa para lulusan dari sekolah saat ini lebih banyak hanya menjadi pencari kerja dari pada pencipta lapangan kerja, betapa banyak para lulusan yang bekerja tidak sesuai dengan latar belakang pendidikan yang digelutinya selama bertahun-tahun, sebuah pemborosan waktu, tenaga dan biaya. Betapa para lulusan sekolah tidak tahu akan dunia kerja yang akan dimasukinya, jangankan kemapuan keahlian, bahkan pengetahuan saja sangatlah pas-pasan, betapa hampir setiap siswa lanjutan atas dan perguruan tinggi jika ditanya apa kemampuan unggul mereka, hampir sebagian besar tidak mampu menjawab atau menjelaskannya.

Begitupun setelah mereka berhasil mendapatkan pekerjaan, berapa banyak dari mereka yang tidak memberikan unjuk kerja yang terbaik serta berapa banyak dari mereka yang merasa tidak bahagia dengan pekerjaanya. Belum lagi kita bicara tentang carut marut dunia pendidikan yang kerapkali dihiasi tidak hanya oleh tawuran pelajar melainkan juga tawuran mahasiswa. Luar biasa “Maha Siswa” julukan yang semestinya dapat dibanggakan dan begitu agung karena Mahasiswa adalah bukan siswa biasa melainkan siswa yang “Maha”. Namun nyatanya ya Tawuran juga.

Apa yang menjadi biang keladi dari kehancuran sistem pendidikan di negeri ini...?

Sistem yang tidak menghargai proses
Belajar adalah proses dari tidak bisa menjadi bisa. Hasil akhir adalah buah dari kerja setiap proses yang dilalui. Sayangnya proses ini sama sekali tidak dihargai; siswa tidak pernah dinilai seberapa keras dia berusaha melalui proses. Melainkan hanya semata-mata ditentukan oleh ujian akhir.
Sistem yang hanya mengajari anak untuk menhafal bukan belajar dalam arti sesunguhnya
Apa beda belajar dengan menghafal; Produk dari sebuah pembelajaran kemampuan atau keahlian yang dikuasai terus menerus. Contoh yang paling sederhana adalah pada saat anak belajar sepeda. Mulai dari tidak bisa menjadi bisa, dan setelah bisa ia akan bisa terus sepanjang masa. Sementara produk dari menghafal adalah ingatan jangka pendek yang dalam waktu singkat akan cepat dilupakan. Perbedaan lain bahwa belajar membutuhkan waktu lebih panjang sementara menghafal bisa dilakukan hanya dalam 1 malam saja. Padahal pada hakekatnya Manusia dianugrahi susunan otak yang paling tinggi derajadnya dibanding mahluk manapun didunia. Fungsi tertinggi dari otak manusia tersebut disebut sebagai cara berpikir tingkat tinggi atau HOT; yang direpresentasikan melalui kemampuan kreatif atau bebas mencipta serta berpikir analisis-logis; sementara fungsi menghafal hanyalah fungsi pelengkap. Keberhasilan seorang anak kelak bukan ditentukan oleh kemampuan hafalannya melainkan oleh kemampuan kreatif dan berpikir kritis analisis.

Sistem sekolah yang berfokus pada nilai.
Nilai yang biasanya diwakili oleh angka-angka biasanya dianggap sebagai penentu hidup dan matinya seorang siswa. Begitu sakral dan gentingnya arti sebuah nilai pelajaran sehingga semua pihak mulai guru, orang tua dan anak akan merasa rasah dan stress jika melihat siswanya mendapat nilai rendah atau pada umumnya dibawah angka 6 (enam). Setiap orang dikondisikan untuk berlomba-lomba mencapai nilai yang tinggi dengan cara apapun tak perduli apakah si siswa terlihat setangah sekarat untuk mencapainya. Nyatanya toh dalam kehidupan nyata, nilai pelajaran yang begitu dianggung-anggungkan oleh sekolah tersebut tidak berperan banyak dalam menentukan sukses hidup seseorang. Dan lucunya sebagian besar kita dapati anak yang dulu saat masih bersekolah memiliki nilai pas-pasan atau bahkan hancur, justru lebih banyak meraih sukses dikehidupan nyata. Mari kita ingat-ingat kembali saat kita masih bersekolah dulu; betapa bangganya seseorang yang mendapat nilai tinggi dan betapa hinanya anak yang medapat nilai rendah; dan bahkan untuk mempertegas kehinaan ini, biasanya guru menggunakan tinta dengan warna yang lebih menyala dan mencolok mata. Sementara jika kita kaji lagi; apakah sesungguhnya representasi dari sebuah nilai yang diagung-agungkan disekolah itu...? Nilai sesungguhnya hanyalah representasi dari kemampuan siswa dalam “menghapal” pelajaran dan “subjektifitas” guru yang memberi nilai tersebut terhadap siswanya. Meskipun kerapkali guru menyangkalnya, cobalah anda ingat-ingat; berapa lama anda belajar untuk mendapatkan nilai tersebut; apakah 3 bulan...? 1 bulan..? atau cukup hanya semalam saja..? Kemudian coba ingat-ingat kembali, jika dulu saat bersekolah, ada diantara anda yang pernah bermasalah dengan salah seorang guru; apakah ini akan mempengaruhi nilai yang akan anda peroleh..? Jadi wajar saja; meskipun kita banyak memiliki orang “pintar” dengan nilai yang sangat tinggi; negeri ini masih tetap saja tertinggal jauh dari negara-negara maju. Karena pintarnya hanya pintar menghafal dan menjawab soal-soal ujian.
Sistem pendidikan yang Seragam-sama untuk setiap anak yang berbeda-beda
Siapapun sadar bahwa bila kita memiliki lebih dari 1 atau 2 orang anak; maka bisa dipastikan setiap anak akan berbeda-beda dalam berbagai hal. Andalah yang paling tahu perbedaan-perbedaanya. Namun sayangnya anak yang berbeda tersebut bila masuk kedalam sekolah akan diperlakukan secara sama, diproses secara sama dan diuji secara sama. Menurut hasil penelitian Ilmu Otak/Neoro Science jelas-jelas ditemukan bahwa satiap anak memiliki kelebihan dan sekaligus kelemahan dalam bidang yang berbeda-beda. Mulai dari Instingtif otak kiri dan kanan, Gaya Belajar dan Kecerdasan Beragam. Sementara sistem pendidikan seolah-oleh menutup mata terhadap perbedaan yang jelas dan nyata tersebut yakni dengan menyelenggaraan sistem pendidikan yang sama dan seragam. Oleh karena dalam setiap akhir pembelajaran akan selalu ada anak-anak yang tidak bisa/berhasil menyesuaikan dengan sistem pendidikan yang seragam tersebut.

Sekolah adalah Institusi Pendidikan yang tidak pernah mendidik.
Sekilas judul ini tampaknya membingungkan tapi sesungguhnya inilah yang terjadi pada lembaga pendidikan kita.

Apa beda mendidik dengan mengajar...?

Ya.. tepat!, mendidik adalah proses membangun moral/prilaku atau karakter anak sementara mengajar adalah mengajari anak dari tidak tahu menjadi tahu dan dari tidak bisa menjadi bisa.

Produk dari pengajaran adalah terbangunnya cara berpikir kritis dan kreatif yang berhubungan dengan intelektual sementara produk dari pendidikan adalah terbangunnya prilaku/akhlak yang baik.

Ya..! memang betul dalam kurikulum ada mata pelajaran Agama, Moral Panca Sila, Civic dan sebagainya namun dalam aplikasinya disekolah guru hanya memberikan sebatas hafalan saja; bukan aplikasi dilapangan. Demikian juga ujiannya dibuat berbasiskan hafalan; seperti hafalan butir-butir Panca Sila dsb. Tidak berdasarkan aplikasi siswa dilapangan seperti praktek di panti-panti jompo; terjun menjadi tenaga sosial, dengan sistem penilaian yang berbasiskan aplikasi dan penilaian masyarakat (user base evaluation).

Jadi wajar saja jika anak-anak kita tidak pernah memiliki nilai moral yang tertanam kuat di dalam dirinya; melainkan hanya nilai moral yang melintas semalam saja dikepalanya dalam rangka untuk dapat menjawab soal-soal ujian besok paginya. Apa yang dapat anda lakukan sesudah membaca artikel ini???

Internet Marketing Strategy

2008-08-22T15:59:00.006+07:00

Explore strategies and techniques that you can use on the Internet that will enhance and support your business's overall marketing objectives. Learn how to conduct banner promotions, generate targeted online traffic, positioning your content, and over all brand awareness.

B2B Marketing: Reasons to Adopt Social Media Marketing
Adopting social media marketing has been difficult for the B2B business. A recent study has revealed that 69% of B2B buyers use social media to assist them in business development and decision making. Can B2B companies really afford to continue to dismiss social media marketing techniques as an effective way to get the word out about their products and services? Learn why it's time for B2B companies to take a deep look into the effect of social media marketing and how it can benefit them.

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Internet Marketing can attract more people to your website, increase customers for your business, and enhance branding of your company and products. If you are just beginning your online marketing strategy the top 10 list below will get you started on a plan that has worked for many.
Five Myths of Internet Marketing for Independent Professionals
The vast majority of what appears on the Internet about marketing is designed to help you market products and services sold and delivered exclusively on the Internet. What does that mean for the independent professional whose web presence is primarily aimed at selling his or her own personal services? Learn how to identify and avoid the five myths of Internet Marketing for independent professionals in this guest article by C.J. Hayden.
Web Technology in Marketing: Friend or Foe?
If you're not taking maximum advantage of web technology to market your professional services, you are behind the times, and missing out on huge opportunities. At least that's what most marketing experts would have you believe. But how valid is this advice? And is it for everyone? Guest Author C.J. Hayden walks you through the necessities and options of online marketing.
What Big Online Retailers Don't Want You to Know
Don't be intimidated by the big online retailers – you should welcome the opportunity to compete with them. This week's guest author shows you things that they won't tell you that could give you a real advantage when trying to gain more ecommerce customers at their expense.

Marketing In A Virtual World
This is the age of the virtual consumer, but how do you get the attention of a potential client or prospect that you've never met face-to-face? Learn the steps you can take to successful market your company in a virtual world in this guest article by Steve Van Yoder.

Business Networking Online
Networking is one of the most effective ways to find clients for any consulting or professional services business. Learn how to increase your possibilities by networking online in this guest article by C.J. Hayden.
Five Levels of Internet Marketing and the Sales Process
Creating a successful online sales process can be accomplished by making sure that you represent and court your visitor through the five levels of the sales process on your site. You can do this by meeting the psychological needs that your visitor has. Find out how in this three part series.
Internet Marketing Strategy: What Can it Do for You?
Having an Internet marketing strategy gives you a measurable and definitive way to target your market and position your business so that those looking for what you have to offer are finding you easily. Learn what it can do for your marketing efforts.

Internet Marketing Strategy : Why is it Important?
An Internet Marketing Strategy is just as important as a business plan. Find out why it is important and the risks and problems you can face if you proceed without one.
Using Web Metrics To Improve Your Site
The goal of any web presence should be to improve the business as a whole and complement its offline marketing and sales efforts. In other words, to help it achieve maximum profitability. Learn how using web metrics can help you improve your website.
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ChannelSeven
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eMarketer
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MediaPost
Fantastic articles on media specific information. Requries registration, but it's free and worth it.
The Web Marketing Checklist: 29 Ways to Promote Your Website
Terrific article that gives you great advice and 29 practical ways to promote your website by Wilson Internet.
Up2Speed
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Website Promotion Central
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Golf is a sport in which a player Part Five

2008-08-15T14:51:00.012+07:00

A golf ball acquires spin when it is hit. Backspin is imparted for almost every shot due to the golf club's loft (i.e., angle between the clubface and a vertical plane). A spinning ball deforms the flow of air around it similar to an airplane wing; a back-spinning ball therefore experiences an upward force which makes it fly higher and longer than a ball without spin. However, too much backspin can negatively impact distance travelled; the increased lift wastes the ball's momentum in gaining altitude rather than in traveling along its flight path. The amount of backspin also influences the behavior of a ball when it impacts the ground. A ball with little backspin will usually roll out for a few metres/yards while a ball with more backspin may not roll at all, or even roll backwards. Sidespin occurs when the clubface is not aligned perpendicularly to the plane of swing. Sidespin makes the ball curve left or right, and can be used intentionally or occur unintentionally.

For a right-handed player, a subtle curve to the left is called a draw. A severe curve to the left and downward is a hook. A subtle curve to the right is a fade, while a severe curve away and upward is a slice. Draws and fades are caused by slight misalignments between the clubface and swing plane because of a slightly "open" or "closed" clubface at contact; a skilled player can control the amount of draw or fade to make the ball curve along the path of the fairway. Slices and hooks however indicate a severe misalignment, mistiming or other flaw in the player's swing, such as a swing not parallel to the desired line of travel, the club contacting the ball early or late in the swing, etc. They are generally undesirable as they reduce carry distance, are difficult to predict and therefore difficult to adjust for, and cause the ball to veer sharply away from the fairway and into hazards, trees and/or out-of-bounds.

Equipment
Main article: Golf equipment
The golfer uses equipment such as golf clubs, golf balls, golf shoes, and golf bags.

Professional golf
The majority of professional golfers work as club or teaching professionals (pros), and only compete in local competitions. A small elite of professional golfers are "tournament pros" who compete full time on international "tours". Many club and teaching professionals working in the golf industry start as caddies or a general interest in the game, finding employment at golf courses and eventually moving on to certifications in their chosen profession. These programs include independent institutions and universities, and those that eventually lead to a Class A golf professional certification.

Golf tours
Tiger Woods, the leading professional golfer in the world. Main article: Professional golf tours, are at least twenty professional golf tours, each run by a PGA or an independent tour organization, which is responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. Typically a tour has "members" who are entitled to compete in most of its events, and also invites non-members to compete in some of them. Gaining membership of an elite tour is highly competitive, and most professional golfers never achieve it.

The most widely known tour is the PGA Tour, which tends to attract the strongest fields, outside the four Majors and the three World Golf Championships events. This is due mostly to the fact that most PGA Tour events have a first prize of at least USD 800,000. The European Tour, which attracts a substantial number of top golfers from outside North America, ranks second to the PGA Tour in worldwide prestige. Some top professionals from outside North America play enough tournaments to maintain membership on both the PGA Tour and European Tour.

The other leading men's tours include the Japan Golf Tour, the Asian Tour (Asia outside Japan), the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Sunshine Tour (for Southern Africa, primarily South Africa). These four tours, along with the PGA and European Tours, are full members of the trade body of the world's main tours, the International Federation of PGA Tours. Two other tours, the Canadian Tour and the Tour de las Américas (Latin America), are associate members of the Federation. All of these tours, except for the Tour de las Américas, offer points in the Official World Golf Rankings to golfers who make the cut in their events.

Golf is unique in having lucrative competition for older players. There are several senior tours for men 50and older, the best known of which is the U.S.-based Champions Tour.

There are six principal tours for women, each based in a different country or continent. The most estigious of these is the United States based LPGA Tour.

All of the leading professional tours for under-50 players have an official developmental tour, in which the leading players at the end of the season will earn a tour card on the main tour for the following season. Examples include the Nationwide Tour, which feeds to the PGA Tour, and the Challenge Tour, which is the developmental tour of the European Tour. The Nationwide and Challenge Tours also offer Official World Golf Rankings points.

Men's major championships
Main article: Men's major golf championships
The major championships are the four most prestigious men's tournaments of the year. In chronological order they are: The Masters, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open) and the PGA Championship.

The fields for these events include the top several dozen golfers from all over the world. The Masters has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia since its inception in 1934. It is the only major championship that is played at the same course each year.[29] The U.S. Open and PGA Championship are played at courses around the United States, while The Open Championship is played at courses in the UK.

The number of major championships a player accumulates in his career has an impact on his stature in the sport. Jack Nicklaus is considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time, largely because he has won a record 18 professional majors, or 20 majors in total if his two U.S. Amateurs are included. Tiger Woods, who may be the only golfer in the foreseeable future likely to challenge Nicklaus's record, has won 15 professional majors (17 total if his three U.S. Amateurs are included), all before the age of 33. (To put this total in perspective, Nicklaus had won 11 professional majors and two U.S. Amateurs by his 33rd birthday, and did not win his 15th professional major until he was 35.) Woods also came closest to winning all four current majors in one season (known as a Grand Slam completed first by Bobby Jones) when he won them consecutively across two seasons: the 2000 U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship; and the 2001 Masters. This feat has been frequently called the Tiger Slam. The End

Golf is a sport in which a player Part Four

2008-08-14T13:05:00.008+07:00

Types of shots
Strictly speaking, every shot made in a round of golf will be subtly different, because the conditions of the ball's lie and desired travel path and distance of the ball will virtually never be exactly the same. However, most shots fall into one of the following categories depending on the purpose and desired distance:

An approach shot.A drive is a long-distance shot played from the tee or fairway, intended to move the ball a great distance down the fairway towards the green.
An approach shot is made with the intention of placing the ball on the green. A drive may place the ball on the green as well, but the term "approach" typically refers to a second or subsequent shot with a shorter-range iron club chosen for the distance required.

A putt is a shot designed to roll the ball along the ground. It is normally made on the putting green using a putter, though other clubs may be used to achieve the same effect in different situations. A lag is a long putt designed less to try to place the ball in the cup than simply to move the ball a long distance across the putting green for an easier short putt into the cup.
A chip shot is a very short lofted shot, generally made with an abbreviated swing motion. Chip shots are used as very short approach shots (generally within 35 yards/32 meters), as a "lay-up" shot to reposition the ball on the fairway, or to get the ball out of a hazard such as a sand trap. A bump and run is a variation of a chip shot, which involves running the ball along the ground with a medium- or high-lofted club using a putting motion.
Punch or knock-down shots are very low-loft shots of varying distance. They are used to avoid hitting the ball into the canopy of trees or other overhead obstructions, or when hitting into the wind which causes the ball to climb higher than normal.
Lay-up shots are made from the fairway after a drive or from the rough, but intended to travel a shorter distance than might normally be expected and/or with a higher degree of accuracy, due to intervening circumstances. Most often, a lay-up shot is made to avoid hitting the ball into a hazard placed in the fairway, or to position the ball in a more favorable position on the fairway for the next shot. They are "safe" shots; the player is choosing not to try to make a very long or oddly-placed shot correctly, therefore avoiding the risk that they will make it incorrectly and incur penalty strokes, at the cost of requiring one or more additional strokes to place the ball on the green.
Flop Shot is when a player uses a very open club like a lob wedge to get the ball high very quickly over an obstacle or to get the ball to stop quickly when it hits the ground.
A draw is when a player shapes a shot from right to left in a curving motion (or left to right for a left-handed player). This occurs when the clubface is closed relative to the swingpath. A shot which draws too much, or unintentionally and thus uncontrolled, is called a "hook" or a "pull".
A fade is when a player shapes a shot from left to right in a curving motion (or right to left for a left-handed player). This occurs when the clubface is open relative to the swingpath. A shot which fades too much, or unintentionally and thus uncontrolled, is called a "slice" or a "push".
A hook might be needed to go around a tree or obstacle. It has a strong right-to-left ballflight and is a larger version of the draw.
A slice also might be needed to go around a tree or obstacle. It has a strong left-to-right ballflight and is a larger version of the fade
A shank occurs when the club strikes the ball close to the joint between the shaft of the club and the club head, called the hosel, and thus flies at a sharp angle to the right of the intended direction (or to the left, for a left-handed player).
A topped or bladed shot occurs when the forward edge of the club head strikes the ball too high, ie at the centre of the ball or "over the top" instead of underneath as intended, and the ball thus flies very low or rolls along the ground.
A duffed shot occurs when the club head strikes the ground behind the ball, instead of striking the ball cleanly, thus slowing the club head velocity as it propels the ball and/or altering the alignment of the club head to the ball, with various consequences for the quality of the shot. This is also known as "hitting fat".
A chunked or turfed shot occurs when the club head strikes the ground behind the ball at a steep angle, causing the club to nearly stop as it pulls up a very large divot, or "chunk" of turf, causing the ball to come up extremely short of the desired target.

Swinging the golf club
Animation of the full golf swing.Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of the body, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf swing. The full golf swing itself is used in tee and fairway shots.

A full swing is a complex rotation of the body aimed at accelerating the club head to a great speed. For a right-handed golfer, it consists of a backswing to the right, a downswing to the left (during which the ball is hit), and a follow through.

The full golf swing is a complex motion that is often difficult to learn. It is common for beginners to spend several months practicing the very basics before playing their first ball on a course. Generally, even once a golfer has attained professional status, a coach is still necessary in order for the player to maintain good fundamentals.

Relatively few golfers play left-handed (i.e., swing back to the left and forward to the right). The percentage of golfers in the U.S. who play left-handed is estimated to be anywhere from 4 percent to 7 percent. Even some players who are strongly left-handed in their daily lives prefer the right-handed golf swing. In the past, this may have been due to the difficulty of finding left-handed golf clubs. Today, more manufacturers provide left-handed versions of their club lines, and the clubs are more readily purchased from mail-order and Internet catalogues, as well as golf stores. A golfer who plays right-handed, but holds the club left-hand-below-right is said to be "cack-handed" or "cross-handed". tobe continued,...

Golf is a sport in which a player Part 3

2008-08-12T18:21:00.016+07:00

Team play
A foursome (defined in Rule 29) is played between two teams of two players each, in which each team has only one ball and players alternate playing it. For example, if players A and B form a team, A tees off on the first hole, B will play the second shot, A the third, and so on until the hole is finished. On the second hole, B will tee off (regardless who played the last putt on the first hole), then A plays the second shot, and so on. Foursomes can be played as match play or stroke play.

A four-ball (Rules 30 and 31) is also played between two teams of two players each, but every player plays his own ball and for each team, the lower score on each hole is counted. Four-balls can be played as match play or stroke play:

There are also popular unofficial variations on team play:
In a scramble (also known as Ambrose), each player in a team tees off on each hole, and the players decide which shot was best. Every player then plays his second shot from within a clublength of where the best ball has come to rest, and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished. In best ball, each player plays the hole as normal, but the lowest score of all the players on the team counts as the team's score.

In a greensome, also called modified alternate shot, both players tee off, and then pick the best shot as in a scramble. The player who did not shoot the best first shot plays the second shot. The play then alternates as in a foursome.
A variant of greensome is sometimes played where the opposing team chooses which of their opponent's tee shots the opponents should use. The player who did not shoot the chosen first shot plays the second shot. Play then continues as a greensome. Such a format is known as either gruesomes, bloodsomes or gruesome greensomes.
There is also a form of starting called "shotgun," which is mainly used for tournament play. A "shotgun start" consists of groups starting at different tees, allowing for all players to start and end their round at the same time.

Handicap systems
Main article: Golf handicap
A handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur golfer's ability to play golf over 18 holes. Handicaps can be applied either for stroke play competition or match play competition. In either competition, a handicap generally represents the number of strokes above par that a player will achieve on an above average day.

In stroke play competition, the competitor's handicap is subtracted from their total "gross" score at the end of the round, to calculate a "net" score against which standings are calculated. In match play competition, handicap strokes are assigned on a hole-by-hole basis, according to the handicap rating of each hole (which is provided by the course). The hardest holes on the course receive the first handicap strokes, with the easiest holes receiving the last handicap strokes.

Calculating handicaps are often complicated, but essentially are representative of the average over par of a number of a player's previous above average rounds, adjusted for course difficulty. Legislations regarding the calculation of handicaps differs among countries. For example, handicap rules may include the difficulty of the course the golfer is playing on by taking into consideration factors such as the number of bunkers, the length of the course, the difficulty and slopes of the greens, the width of the fairways, and so on.

Handicap systems are not used in professional golf. Professional golfers often score several strokes below par for a round and thus have a calculated handicap of 0 or less, meaning that their handicap results in the addition of strokes to their round score. Someone with a handicap of zero or less is often referred to as a 'scratch golfer.'

Rules and other regulations
The rules of golf[22][23] are internationally standardised and are jointly governed by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), which was founded 1754 and the United States Golf Association (USGA). By agreement with the R&A, USGA jurisdiction on the enforcement and interpretation of the rules is limited to the United States and Mexico. The national golf associations of other countries use the rules laid down by the R&A and there is a formal procedure for referring any points of doubt to the R&A.

The underlying principle of the rules is fairness. As stated on the back cover of the official rule book: "play the ball as it lies", "play the course as you find it", and "if you can't do either, do what is fair". Some rules state that:

every player is entitled and obliged to play the ball from the position where it has come to rest after a stroke, unless a rule allows or demands otherwise (Rule 13-1) a player must not accept assistance in making a stroke (Rule 14-2) the condition of the ground or other parts of the course may not be altered to gain an advantage, except in some cases defined in the rules a ball may only be replaced by another during play of a hole if it is destroyed (Rule 5-3), lost (Rule 27-1), or unplayable (Rule 28), or at some other time permitted by the Rules. The player may always substitute balls between the play of two holes.
The Decisions on the Rules of Golf are based on formal case decisions by the R&A and USGA and are revised and updated every other year.

There are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers. Essentially, everybody who has ever received payment or compensation for giving instruction or played golf for money is not considered an amateur and may not participate in competitions limited solely to amateurs. However, amateur golfers may receive expenses which comply with strict guidelines and they may accept non-cash prizes within the limits established by the Rules of Amateur Status.

In addition to the officially printed rules, golfers also abide by a set of guidelines called Golf etiquette. Etiquette guidelines cover matters such as safety, fairness, easiness and pace of play, and a player's obligation to contribute to the care of the course. Though there are no penalties for breach of etiquette rules, players generally follow the rules of golf etiquette in an effort to improve everyone's playing experience.

Variations and similar games
Main article: Variations of golf
Variations of golf are games or activities based on or similar to the game of golf, in which the player utilizes common golf skills. Some are essentially identical to golf, with only minor rules changes, while others are more distant and arguably not simple variations but distinct games. Examples include Skins and Bingo Bango Bongo.

Hitting a golf ball
To hit the ball, the club is swung at the motionless ball wherever it has come to rest from a side stance. Many golf shots make the ball travel through the air (carry) and roll out for some more distance (roll).

Every shot is a compromise between length and precision, and long shots are often less precise than short ones. A longer shot may result in a better score if it helps reduce the total number of strokes for a given hole, but the benefit may be more than outweighed by additional strokes or penalties if a ball is lost, out of bounds, or comes to rest on difficult ground. Therefore, a skilled golfer must assess the quality of his or her shots in a particular situation in order to judge whether the possible benefits of aggressive play are worth the risks.

tobe continued,......

Golf is a sport in which a player Part Two

2008-08-08T09:14:00.004+07:00

As stated, golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. The St Andrews Links occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St Andrews, in Fife, established a customary route through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. In 176, several of the holes were deemed too short, and were therefore combined. The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine, so that a complete round of the links comprised 18 holes. Due to the status of St Andrews as the golfing capital, all other courses chose to follow suit and the 18-hole course remains the standard today.

The major changes in equipment since the 19th century have been better mowers, especially for the greens, better golf ball designs, using rubber and man-made materials since about 1900, and the introduction of the metal shaft beginning in the 1930s. Also in the 1930s the wooden golf tee was invented. In the 1970s the use of steel and then titanium to replace wood heads began, and shafts made of "graphite" (also known as carbon fiber) were introduced in the 1980s. Though wooden tees are still most popular, various designs of plastic tees have been developed in recent years, and the synthetic materials composing the modern ball continue to be developed.

Golf balls are famous for "dimples". These small dips in the surface of the golf ball decrease aerodynamic drag which allows the ball to fly further.Golf is also famous for the use of flags. These show the position of the hole to players when they make their first drive and are too far away from the hole to aim accurately. When all players in a group are within putting distance, the flag is removed by a "caddy" or a fellow player to allow for easier access to the hole.

World popularity
In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses in the world, approximately half of them in the United States. The countries with most golf courses in relation to population, starting with the best endowed were: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Wales, United States, Sweden, and England (countries with fewer than 500,000 people were excluded). Apart from Sweden, all of these countries have English as the majority language, but the number of courses in new territories is increasing rapidly. For example the first golf course in the People's Republic of China opened in the mid-1980s, but by 2005 there were 200 courses in that country.

Golf being played in 1905 in Sarasota, the site of its introduction to USA in the 1880s - collection of Sarasota History CenterThe professional sport was initially dominated by Scottish then English golfers, but since World War I, America has produced the greatest quantity of leading professionals. Other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and South Africa are also traditional powers in the sport. Since around the 1970s, Japan, Scandinavian and other Western European countries have produced leading players on a regular basis. The number of countries with high-class professionals continues to increase steadily, especially in East Asia. South Korea is notably strong in women's golf.

The last decade or so has seen a marked increase in specialised golf vacations or holidays worldwide. This demand for travel which is centered around golf has led to the development of luxury resorts which cater to golfers and feature integrated golf courses.

In the United States, the number of people who play golf 25 times or more per year fell from 6.9 million in 2000 to 4.6 million in 2005, according to the National Golf Foundation. The Foundation reported a smaller decline in the number who played golf at all; it fell from 30 million to 26 million over the same period.

Golf course
The famous 17th hole of the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course.Golf is played in an area of land designated a golf course. A course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing area, fairway, rough and other hazards, and the green with the pin and cup. A typical golf course consists of eighteen holes, but many smaller courses have only nine.

Play of the game
Every round of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. A round typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. On a nine-hole course, a standard round consists of two successive nine-hole rounds. Playing a hole on the golf course consists of hitting a ball from a tee on the teeing box (a marked area designated for the first shot of a hole, a tee shot), and once the ball comes to rest, striking it again. This process is repeated until the ball is in the cup. Once the ball is on the green (an area of finely cut grass) the ball is usually putted (hit along the ground) into the hole. The goal of resting the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible may be impeded by hazards, such as bunkers and water hazards. In most typical forms of gameplay, each player plays his or her ball from the tee until it is holed.

Players can walk or drive in motorised carts over the course, either singly or in groups of two, three, or four, sometimes accompanied by caddies who carry and manage the players' equipment and give them advice.

Each player often acts as scorer for one other player in the group, that is, he or she records the score on a score card. In stroke play (see below), the score consists of the number of strokes played plus any penalty strokes incurred. Penalty strokes are not actually strokes but penalty points that are added to the score for violations of rules or utilizing relief procedures.

Par
A hole is classified by its par, the number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete play of the hole. For example, a skilled golfer expects to reach the green on a par-four hole in two strokes (This would be considered a Green in Regulation): one from the tee (the "drive") and another, second, stroke to the green (the "approach"); and then roll the ball into the hole in two putts for par. Traditionally, a golf hole is either a par-three, -four or -five; some par-six holes exist, but are not usually found on traditional golf courses.

Primarily, but not exclusively, the par of a hole is determined by the tee-to-green distance. A typical length for a par-three hole ranges between 91 and 224 metres (100–250 yd), for a par-four hole, between 225 and 434 metres (251–475 yd). Typically, par-five holes are at between 435 and 630 metres (476–690 yd), and nontraditional par-six holes are any longer distance. These distances are not absolute rules; for example, it is possible that a 450 metre (492 yd) hole could be classed as a par-four hole, since the par for a hole is determined by its 'effective playing length'. If the tee-to-green distance on a hole is predominantly downhill, it will play shorter than its physical length and may be given a lower par rating. Par ratings are also affected by factors affecting difficulty; the placement of hazards or the shape of the hole for example can sometimes affect the play of a hole such that it requires an extra stroke to avoid playing into the hazard or out-of-bounds.

Eighteen hole courses may have four par-three, ten par-four, and four par-five holes, though other combinations exist and are not less worthy than courses of par 72. Many major championships are contested on courses playing to a par of 70, 71 or 72. In some countries, courses are classified, in addition to the course's par, with a course classification describing the play difficulty of a course and may be used to calculate a golfer's playing handicap for that given course (c.f. golf handicap).

Penalties
A bunker is a type of hazard on a golf course. The club may not be grounded prior to making a shot from a bunker. This, along with other restrictions, makes bunker shots difficult.Main article: Penalty (golf)
Penalty strokes are incurred in certain situations. Most often a penalty stroke is assessed because a player has hit into a situation from which they cannot or choose not to play the ball as it lies (e.g. in a water hazard), or because they have lost their ball (out of bounds (OB)) and must play a substitute. Penalty strokes are counted towards a player's score as if they were an extra swing at the ball. Penalty strokes can be added on for many different reasons. It could be a wrongful move that results in a penalty (moving an object that effects the ball to move.) Or a penalty could be because of a lost ball. Most rule infractions lead to a stroke penalty but also can lead to disqualification. Disqualification could be from cheating, signing for a lower score, or from rule infractions that lead to improper play.

Scoring
In every form of play, the goal is to play as few strokes per round as possible. Scores for each hole can be described as follows:

Term on a
scoreboard Specific term Definition
-4 Condor (or triple-eagle) four strokes under par
-3 Albatross (or double-eagle) three strokes under par
-2 Eagle two strokes under par
-1 Birdie one stroke under par
0 Par strokes equal to par
+1 Bogey one stroke more than par
+2 Double bogey two strokes over par
+3 Triple bogey three strokes over par

The two basic forms of playing golf are match play and stroke play/Stableford Points scoring.

In match play, two players (or two teams) play each hole as a separate contest against each other. The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is "halved" (drawn). The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other. In the case that one team or player has taken a lead that cannot be overcome in the number of holes remaining to be played, the match is deemed to be won by the party in the lead, and the remainder of the holes are not played. For example, if one party already has a lead of six holes, and only five holes remain to be played on the course, the match is over. At any given point, if the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, the match is said to be "dormie", and is continued until the leader increases the lead by one hole, thereby winning the match, or until the match ends in a tie. When the game is tied after the predetermined number of holes have been played, it may be continued until one side takes a one-hole lead.
In Stroke or Stableford Points play every player (or team) counts the number of shots taken for each hole. In Stroke Play the score achieved for each and every hole of the round or tournament is added to produce the total score, and the player with the lowest score wins (Stroke play is the game most usually played by professional golfers). In Stableford Points Play (originated by Dr Frank Stableford, 1870-1959, was first used on 16 May 1932 at Wallasey Golf Club, Cheshire, England) the player gains points for the score achieved on each hole of the round or tournament (1 point for a bogey, 2 points for a par, 3 points for a birdie, 4 points for an eagle). The points achieved for each hole of the round or tournament is added to produce the total points score, and the player with the highest score wins (Stableford Points scoring is favoured by higher handicap golfers because it does not force completion of a hole no matter the score).
There are variations of these basic principles, some of which are explicitly described in the "Rules of Golf" and are therefore regarded "official." "Official" forms of play are, among others, foursome and four-ball games. tobe continued part II ,........................

Golf is a sport in which a player Part One

2008-08-07T15:20:00.004+07:00

Golf is a sport in which a player, using many types of clubs including a driver, a putter, and irons, hits a ball into each hole on a golf course in the lowest possible number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not use a standardized playing area; rather, the game is played on golf "courses", each one of which has a unique design and typically consists of either 9 or 18 holes. Golf is defined in the Rules of Golf as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules."

A golf ball next to a hole.The first game of golf for which records survive was played at Bruntsfield Links, in Edinburgh, Scotland, in A.D. 1456, recorded in the archives of the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society, now The Royal Burgess Golfing Society. The modern game of golf spread from Scotland to England and has now become a worldwide game, with golf courses in the majority of countries.

Golf competition may be played as stroke play, in which the individual with the lowest number of strokes is declared the winner, stableford points play (as devised in 1931 by Dr. Frank Stableford of the Wallasey & Royal Liverpool Golf Clubs), in which the individual with the highest points score is declared the winner, or as match play with the winner determined by whichever individual or team posts the lower score on the most individual holes during a complete round. In addition, team events such as fourball have been introduced, and these can be played using either the stroke, stableford or matchplay format. Alternative ways to play golf have also been introduced, such as miniature golf, sholf and disc golf.

Golf has increasingly turned into a spectator game, with several different levels of professional and amateur tours in many regions of the world. People such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sörenstam have become well-recognized sports figures across the world. Sponsorship has also become a huge part of the game and players often earn more from their sponsorship contracts than they do from the game itself.

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
3 World popularity
4 Golf course
5 Play of the game
5.1 Par
5.2 Penalties
5.3 Scoring
5.4 Team play
6 Handicap systems
7 Rules and other regulations
8 Variations and similar games
9 Hitting a golf ball
9.1 Types of shots
9.2 Swinging the golf club
10 Equipment
11 Professional golf
11.1 Golf tours
11.2 Men's major championships
11.3 Women's major championships
11.4 Senior major championships
12 Environmental impact
13 Events
14 See also
15 References
16 External links

Etymology
The word Golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf,possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be derived from the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat," or "club," and the Dutch sport of the same name. It is often claimed that the word originated as an acronym for "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden", but this is strictly a false etymology.

History
Main article: History of golf
Golf is a very old game of which the exact origins are unclear. The origin of golf is open to debate as to being Chinese, Dutch or Scottish. However, the most accepted golf history theory is that this sport originated from Scotland in the 1100s.

A game somewhat similar to golf was first mentioned in Dōngxuān Records (Chinese: 東軒錄), a Chinese book of 11th Century. It was also mentioned on February 26, 1297 in the Netherlands in a city called Loenen aan de Vecht. Here the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. Whoever hit the ball into a target several hundreds of meters away the most number of times, won.

Modern golf is considered to be a Scottish invention, as the game was mentioned in two 15th century laws prohibiting the playing of the game of gowf. Some scholars have suggested that this refers to another game which is more akin to modern shinty, hurling or field hockey than golf. A game of putting a small ball into a hole in the ground using clubs was played in 17th century Netherlands. Flourishing trade over the North Sea during the Middle Ages and early Modern Period led to much language interaction between Scots, Dutch, Flemish and other languages. There are also reports of even earlier accounts of a golf like game from continental Europe.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St AndrewsHowever, these earlier games are more accurately viewed as ancestors of the game we call golf, as the fact remains that the modern game of golf we understand today originated and developed in Scotland: The first golf club memberships were formed in Scotland. The earliest permanent golf course originated there too, as did the very first written rules, as did the establishment of the 18-hole course. The first formalized tournament structures also emerged there and competitions were arranged between different Scottish cities. Over time, the modern game spread to England and from there to the rest of the world. The oldest playing golf course in the world is The Musselburgh Old Links Golf Course. Evidence has shown that golf was played here in 1672 although Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly played there in 1567. tobe continued,....

Meta Tags

2008-07-22T16:59:00.004+07:00

Meta tags are HTML codes that are inserted into the header on a web page, after the title tag. They take a variety of forms and serve a variety of purposes, but in the context of search engine optimization when people refer to meta tags, they are usually referring to the meta description tag and the meta keywords tag.

The meta description tag and the meta keywords tag were proposed so that webmasters would have a consistent method for providing meta document data to user agents, such as search engines. Unfortunately, so many unscrupulous webmasters have abused the meta description and meta keywords tag that search engines have had to de-emphasize their importance. To learn more about the meta description tag, visit What are meta descriptions? To learn more about the meta keywords tag, visit What are meta keywords?

In addition to the well-known meta description and meta keywords tags, there are other useful meta tags, including the meta http-equiv tag, meta refresh tag, the meta robots tag, the meta copyright tag, and the meta author tag, among others. These tags are used to instruct user agents such as web browsers and search engine spiders on a variety of topics.

Marketing Retail

2008-07-16T14:27:00.005+07:00

In today's CRM landscape the old analogy comparing the rifle and shotgun approaches to message and / or offer delivery is perhaps more appropriate than ever, as more retail organizations struggle to achieve one-to-one marketing-communications with customers and prospects.

Targeting allows a retail enterprise to channel its marketing budget where there is the greatest (and fastest) possibility of Return On Investment (ROI).

In terms of overall business strategy, your ability to identify and understand consumers helps you make accurate estimates about the potential for your products and services in a given market, as well as support and direct merchandise development strategies to both new and existing customers.

Whether your target is current customers or new prospects, in markets known or unknown, an effective targeting model reduces the risk of any new venture.

Blending Demographic, Behavioral, Expenditure and Media Preference data with retailer-specific data and applying data mining technologies produces Zip+4 and postal code level data assets that consistently outperform all other direct marketing techniques.

In addition, methodology that should be used must be dynamic to allow the sights to be reset frequently to keep targets in focus consistently.

Today's retail marketing managers must:
Understand the connections between the lifestyle and expenditure characteristics of customers, their propensity to purchase one product or brand over another, and leverage this understanding for competitive advantage.

Improve direct marketing response by ensuring they are targeting the right households at the right time, using the right media with the right message.
Leverage current consumer data to make better strategic decisions about products, marketing and locations.
Increase customer loyalty and retention with a scientific, data driven approach to analytical CRM.

Applying advanced analytics to current demographic, expenditure and lifestyle data produces the most accurate customer segments and profiles. With a clear picture of your different customer segments, you are in a position to develop merchandise and offers that meet the needs of existing customers and answer (or anticipate) the needs of targeted prospects.

To learn more about analytical CRM and possibilities go to retail marketing managers can implement the following projects to understand their customer, market and store locations better; achieving a very strong ROI for their retail marketing efforts in the process.

Customer and Market Potential Estimates
• Estimate the revenue potential of your customers to determine their current , potential and life-time value
• Estimate your market potential for more effective acquisition initiatives
• Quantify and qualify your market opportunities

Customer and Market Profiles
• Develop more effective communication strategies through a better understanding of who your customers are
• Learn more about your customers (their age, income, family structure, media usage, life-styles, and more) and use this information in your branding, advertising and direct marketing strategies
• Identify your market potential through a better understanding of your targets

Customer and Market Segmentation
• Develop more effective communication strategies through a better understanding of different customer groups and your market segments
• Customize your product offers by different customer and market segments
• Identify your target segments and optimize your marketing spend

Product and Service Potential
• Identify products/services that best suit your customers’ needs and market your offerings more effectively
• Be relevant and improve your up-sell and cross-sell initiatives
• Manage your products and services through a better understanding of market needs

Trade Area Analysis
• Use the information on the store performance and the socio-demographic characteristics of the trading area to estimate market potential by individual stores
• Use trade area characteristics to customize your product offerings, store displays, store size, etc. to be more relevant to your customers and to better penetrate your market
• Evaluate performance of your stores based on their trade area characteristics

Store Network Optimization
• Determine the optimum number of stores to support market needs
• Customize and optimize your stores to attract more customers

Strategic Communications

2008-06-24T17:43:00.005+07:00

Strategic Communications Group, a nationally recognized, award-winning public relations agency, today announced its selection as PR agency of record by the Card Printer Solutions division of Zebra Technologies, a global leader in on-demand secure printing solutions.

“The card printing solutions industry is extremely competitive and market visibility is critical to cut through the clutter,” said Kathryn Lodato, director of Americas marketing and worldwide marketing services for Zebra Card Printer Solutions. “We identified Strategic as the most qualified PR firm for our needs based on their strong track record of delivering successful market visibility campaigns for technology clients and deep experience within our highly specialized market.”

Strategic will execute an integrated public relations and business development campaign to provide third-party credibility, awareness and sales support for Zebra. Strategic will also launch a series of vertical, targeted media campaigns to support key company sales and marketing initiatives.

In addition, Strategic will tap into its Network of Relationships® to support prospective business development activities.

“On-demand printing and identification solutions are seeing strong demand in a diverse set of industries including healthcare IT, gaming, entertainment, hospitality, retail, education and financial services,” said Brian Muys, managing director at Strategic. “Zebra’s industry-standard on-demand printing technologies strongly position them for continued growth. We are excited to work with them to help further their leadership and visibility in this rapidly evolving market.”

About Zebra Card Printer Solutions
A world leader in desktop card printers, Zebra Card Printer Solutions is a division of Zebra Technologies Corporation, which delivers innovative and reliable on-demand printing solutions to businesses and governments in 100 countries around the world. A broad range of applications benefit from Zebra brand thermal bar code label and receipt printers and plastic card printers (formerly branded Eltron®), in addition to RFID and real time locating systems, resulting in enhanced security, increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs and better customer service. Information about Zebra card printers can be found at http://www.zebracard.com. Information about Zebra Technologies can be found at http://www.zebra.com.

About Strategic Communications Group

Strategic Communications Group, Inc. (Strategic) is a nationally recognized, award-winning public relations firm that provides integrated communications and business development services to help its clients increase sales, profitability, and corporate and product valuation. Strategic has worked with successful, growth-oriented companies such as Acuity Mobile, AMERICOM GOVERNMENT SERVICES, Aptara, DataPath, Everest Software, GlobeRanger, Integral Systems, Lagan Technologies, Microspace Communications Corporation, Pitney Bowes Management Services, Senforce Technologies, Stanley, Inc., and Tellabs, among others.

What differentiates Strategic is the proven ability to leverage all of its industry connections and market relationships to identify sales, partnership, employee recruitment and financial/M&A opportunities for its clients. For more information about the agency’s public relations capabilities and the Strategic Network of Relationships®, visit http://www.gotostrategic.com

Competing WIN

2008-06-20T09:31:00.004+07:00

By Richard Fouts,
When preparing for that first call, always be clear on how your prospect competes. Why? Because it helps you correctly position your solution – and rise above the noise of your own competitors.

How does your prospect go to market?
Does your prospect compete with product innovation? Customer service? Or operational effectiveness? Rarely do companies compete with all three.

My motives for shopping at service-superstar Nordstrom are satisfied much differently than when I shop at super-efficient Wal-Mart. Apple and Sony pull customers from Dell with product innovation. They do not aspire to offer the lowest price. Nor are they stellar service providers.

HOW TO CREATE DOMINAN MARKET and WINNING

2008-06-12T12:50:00.005+07:00

Review is from: Kotler on Marketing: Philosophy, psychology, psience and the future Kotler on Marketing, by Philip Kotler

The marketing executive is routinely expected to target a market, position a product, match features to benefits, select channels, and establish the pricing policy. In addition he or she allocates and primes the sales force, manages the brand, and manages category profitability. Indeed, it has been said, that the best training for a future marketing director is a short spell as CEO.

Professor Kotler is often regarded the world's foremost marketing authority. He has been writing textbooks over four decades and his eight hundred and fifty-page book, Marketing Management, is widely referred to as the bible. In Kotler on Marketing, he takes the reader through a whirlwind tour of the marketing discipline. Marketing is more than "selling with a college degree". Rather it supplements selling, using strategic tools, such as segmentation, and tactical tools, which help match benefits to needs. As Dilbert says, the most important segment is the `stupid rich', and if you sell enough units there, then you develop economies of scale and can sell to the `stupid poor', the segment "where the real volume is".

The book has four chapters on strategic marketing which teach us how to build value and deliver brand equity. It then has four chapters on tactical marketing which teach us to design the marketing mix, and two chapters on administrative marketing, which involves planning, organising, evaluating and controlling. It has a further section on transformational marketing, looking at trends and predicting the essential marketing issues of the future.

Management textbooks are well known for their acronyms and alliterative lists, the three R's, the four P's, and the seven S's to name a few. This book is contains many such lists from winning marketing practices, to an updated version of the four P model, as well as the five generic value propositions. Each chapter has questions at the end to help the manager "apply the content to his company's situation", and there is an appendix at the end looking at success strategies of marketing in different industries.

Jane Gephart, editor of the Sloan Management review, asks her contributors if they can write an introduction which "does not mention the pace of change in today's world". Kotler on Marketing mentions the pace of change repeatedly and uses the standard case studies such as Wal-Mart and South West Airlines in their expected settings. However, if you are not one of the three million students who have bought Professor Kotler's text books, and don't have the time to wade through 800 pages, then you will find this book easy to read and comprehensive. It will give you the framework, the questions, and the language needed to hold an intelligent marketing conversation. In that sense, this book is itself a case study in marketing; it is a repackaged product, aimed at a target market and using value pricing.

MARKETING and SALES

2008-06-11T16:00:00.005+07:00

The marketing and sales organization is analyzed for its strengths and current activities. Factors to consider include:
Experience of Marketing/Sales manager including contacts in the industry (prospects, distribution channels, media), familiarity with advertising and promotion, personal selling capabilities, general management skills and a history of profit and loss responsibilities.
The ability to generate good publicity as measured by past successes, contacts in the press, quality of promotional literature and market education capabilities.
Sales promotion techniques such as trade allowances, special pricing and contests.
The effectiveness of your distribution channels as measured by history of relations, the extent of channel utilization, financial stability, reputation, access to prospects and familiarity with your offering.
Advertising capabilities including media relationships, advertising budget, past experience, how easily the offering can be advertised and commitment to advertising.
Sales capabilities including availability of personnel, quality of personnel, location of sales outlets, ability to generate sales leads, relationship with distributors, ability to demonstrate the benefits of the offering and necessary sales support capabilities.
The appropriateness of the pricing of your offering as it relates to competition, price sensitivity of the prospect, prospect's familiarity with the offering and the current market life cycle stage.

Customer Services
The strength of the customer service function has a strong influence on long term market success. Factors to consider include:
Experience of the Customer Service manager in the areas of similar offerings and customers, quality control, technical support, product documentation, sales and marketing.
The availability of technical support to service your offering after it is purchased.
One or more factors that causes your customer support to stand out as unique in the eyes of the customer.
Accessibility of service outlets for the customer.
The reputation of the enterprise for customer service.
Conclusion
After defining your strategy you must use the information you have gathered to determine whether this strategy will achieve the objective of making your enterprise competitive in the marketplace. Two of the most important assessments are described below.
Cost To Enter Market
This is an analysis of the factors that will influence your costs to achieve significant market penetration. Factors to consider include:
Your marketing strength.
Access to low cost materials and effective production.
The experience of your enterprise.
The complexity of introduction problems such as lack of adherence to industry standards, unavailability of materials, poor quality control, regulatory problems and the inability to explain the benefits of the offering to the prospect.
The effectiveness of the enterprise infrastructure in terms of organization, recruiting capabilities, employee benefit programs, customer support facilities and logistical capabilities.
Distribution effectiveness as measured by history of relations, the extent of channel utilization, financial stability, reputation, access to prospects and familiarity with your offering.
Technological efforts likely to be successful as measured by the strength of the development organization.
Profit Potential
This is an analysis of the factors that could influence the potential for generating and maintaining profits over an extended period. Factors to consider include:
Potential for competitive retaliation is based on the competitors resources, commitment to the industry, cash position and predictability as well as the status of the market.
The enterprise's ability to construct entry barriers to competition such as the creation of high switching costs, gaining substantial benefit from economies of scale, exclusive access to or clogging of distribution channels and the ability to clearly differentiate your offering from the competition.
The intensity of competitive rivalry as measured by the size and number of competitors, limitations on exiting the market, differentiation between offerings and the rapidity of market growth.
The ability of the enterprise to limit suppliers bargaining power.
The enterprise's ability to sustain its market position is determined by the potential for competitive imitation, resistance to inflation, ability to maintain high prices, the potential for product obsolescence and the 'learning curve' faced by the prospect.
The availability of substitute solutions to the prospect's need.
The prospect's bargaining power as measured by the ease of switching to an alternative, the cost to look at alternatives, the cost of the offering, the differentiation between your offering and the competition and the degree of the prospect's need.
Market potential for new products considering market growth, prospect's need for your offering, the benefits of the offering, the number of barriers to immediate use, the credibility of the offering and the impact on the customer's daily operations.
The freedom of the enterprise to make critical business decisions without undue influence from distributors, suppliers, unions, investors and other outside influences.

A MARKET PENETRATION STRATEGY

2008-06-10T07:51:00.002+07:00

If near term income is not so critical and rapid market penetration for eventual market control is desired, then you set your prices very low.
A COMPARABLE PRICING STRATEGY
If you are not the market leader in your industry then the leaders will most likely have created a 'price expectation' in the minds of the marketplace. In this case you can price your offering comparably to those of your competitors.
Promotion
To sell an offering you must effectively promote and advertise it. There are two basic promotion strategies, PUSH and PULL.
The PUSH STRATEGY maximizes the use of all available channels of distribution to "push" the offering into the marketplace. This usually requires generous discounts to achieve the objective of giving the channels incentive to promote the offering, thus minimizing your need for advertising.
The PULL STRATEGY requires direct interface with the end user of the offering. Use of channels of distribution is minimized during the first stages of promotion and a major commitment to advertising is required. The objective is to "pull" the prospects into the various channel outlets creating a demand the channels cannot ignore.
There are many strategies for advertising an offering. Some of these include:
Product Comparison advertising
In a market where your offering is one of several providing similar capabilities, if your offering stacks up well when comparing features then a product comparison ad can be beneficial.

Product Benefits advertising
When you want to promote your offering without comparison to competitors, the product benefits ad is the correct approach. This is especially beneficial when you have introduced a new approach to solving a user need and comparison to the old approaches is inappropriate.
Product Family advertising
If your offering is part of a group or family of offerings that can be of benefit to the customer as a set, then the product family ad can be of benefit.
Corporate advertising
When you have a variety of offerings and your audience is fairly broad, it is often beneficial to promote your enterprise identity rather than a specific offering.
Distribution
You must also select the distribution method(s) you will use to get the offering into the hands of the customer. These include:
On-premise Sales involves the sale of your offering using a field sales organization that visits the prospect's facilities to make the sale.
Direct Sales involves the sale of your offering using a direct, in-house sales organization that does all selling through the Internet, telephone or mail order contact.
Wholesale Sales involves the sale of your offering using intermediaries or "middle-men" to distribute your product or service to the retailers.
Self-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering using self service retail methods of distribution.
Full-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering through a full service retail distribution channel.
Of course, making a decision about pricing, promotion and distribution is heavily influenced by some key factors in the industry and marketplace. These factors should be analyzed initially to create the strategy and then regularly monitored for changes. If any of them change substantially the strategy should be reevaluated.

The Environment
Environmental factors positively or negatively impact the industry and the market growth potential of your product/service. Factors to consider include:
Government actions - Government actions (current or under consideration) can support or detract from your strategy. Consider subsidies, safety, efficacy and operational regulations, licensing requirements, materials access restrictions and price controls.
Demographic changes - Anticipated demographic changes may support or negatively impact the growth potential of your industry and market. This includes factors such as education, age, income and geographic location.
Emerging technology - Technological changes that are occurring may or may not favor the actions of your enterprise.
Cultural trends - Cultural changes such as fashion trends and life style trends may or may not support your offering's penetration of the market
The Prospect
It is essential to understand the market segment(s) as defined by the prospect characteristics you have selected as the target for your offering. Factors to consider include:
The potential for market penetration involves whether you are selling to past customers or a new prospect, how aware the prospects are of what you are offering, competition, growth rate of the industry and demographics.
The prospect's willingness to pay higher price because your offering provides a better solution to their problem.
The amount of time it will take the prospect to make a purchase decision is affected by the prospects confidence in your offering, the number and quality of competitive offerings, the number of people involved in the decision, the urgency of the need for your offering and the risk involved in making the purchase decision.
The prospect's willingness to pay for product value is determined by their knowledge of competitive pricing, their ability to pay and their need for characteristics such as quality, durability, reliability, ease of use, uniformity and dependability.
Likelihood of adoption by the prospect is based on the criticality of the prospect's need, their attitude about change, the significance of the benefits, barriers that exist to incorporating the offering into daily usage and the credibility of the offering.

The Product/Service
You should be thoroughly familiar with the factors that establish products/services as strong contenders in the marketplace. Factors to consider include:
Whether some or all of the technology for the offering is proprietary to the enterprise.
The benefits the prospect will derive from use of the offering.
The extent to which the offering is differentiated from the competition.
The extent to which common introduction problems can be avoided such as lack of adherence to industry standards, unavailability of materials, poor quality control, regulatory problems and the inability to explain the benefits of the offering to the prospect.
The potential for product obsolescence as affected by the enterprise's commitment to product development, the product's proximity to physical limits, the ongoing potential for product improvements, the ability of the enterprise to react to technological change and the likelihood of substitute solutions to the prospect's needs.
Impact on customer's business as measured by costs of trying out your offering, how quickly the customer can realize a return from their investment in your offering, how disruptive the introduction of your offering is to the customer's operations and the costs to switch to your offering.
The complexity of your offering as measured by the existence of standard interfaces, difficulty of installation, number of options, requirement for support devices, training and technical support and the requirement for complementary product interface.

The Competition
It is essential to know who the competition is and to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Factors to consider include:
Each of your competitor's experience, staying power, market position, strength, predictability and freedom to abandon the market must be evaluated.
Your Enterprise
An honest appraisal of the strength of your enterprise is a critical factor in the development of your strategy. Factors to consider include:
Enterprise capacity to be leader in low-cost production considering cost control infrastructure, cost of materials, economies of scale, management skills, availability of personnel and compatibility of manufacturing resources with offering requirements.
The enterprise's ability to construct entry barriers to competition such as the creation of high switching costs, gaining substantial benefit from economies of scale, exclusive access to or clogging of distribution channels and the ability to clearly differentiate your offering from the competition.
The enterprise's ability to sustain its market position is determined by the potential for competitive imitation, resistance to inflation, ability to maintain high prices, the potential for product obsolescence and the 'learning curve' faced by the prospect.
The prominence of the enterprise.
The competence of the management team.
The adequacy of the enterprise's infrastructure in terms of organization, recruiting capabilities, employee benefit programs, customer support facilities and logistical capabilities.
The freedom of the enterprise to make critical business decisions without undue influence from distributors, suppliers, unions, creditors, investors and other outside influences.
Freedom from having to deal with legal problems.

Development
A review of the strength and viability of the product/service development program will heavily influence the direction of your strategy. Factors to consider include:
The strength of the development manager including experience with personnel management, current and new technologies, complex projects and the equipment and tools used by the development personnel.
Personnel who understand the relevant technologies and are able to perform the tasks necessary to meet the development objectives.
Adequacy and appropriateness of the development tools and equipment.
The necessary funding to achieve the development objectives.
Design specifications that are manageable.

Production
You should review your enterprise's production organization with respect to their ability to cost effectively produce products/services. The following factors are considered:
The strength of production manager including experience with personnel management, current and new technologies, complex projects and the equipment and tools used by the manufacturing personnel.
Economies of scale allowing the sharing of operations, sharing of production and the potential for vertical integration.
Technology and production experience
The necessary production personnel skill level and/or the enterprise's ability to hire or train qualified personnel.
The ability of the enterprise to limit suppliers bargaining power.
The ability of the enterprise to control the quality of raw materials and production.
Adequate access to raw materials and sub-assembly production. tobe continued........

MARKETING PLAN STRATEGY

2008-06-09T15:50:00.008+07:00

The information for this article was derived from many sources, including Michael Porter's book Competitive Advantage and the works of Philip Kotler. Concepts addressed include 'generic' strategies and strategies for pricing, distribution, promotion, advertising and market segmentation. Factors such as market penetration, market share, profit margins, budgets, financial analysis, capital investment, government actions, demographic changes, emerging technology and cultural trends are also addressed.

There are two major components to your marketing strategy:
how your enterprise will address the competitive marketplace, how you will implement and support your day to day operations.
In today's very competitive marketplace a strategy that insures a consistent approach to offering your product or service in a way that will outsell the competition is critical. However, in concert with defining the marketing strategy you must also have a well defined methodology for the day to day process of implementing it. It is of little value to have a strategy if you lack either the resources or the expertise to implement it.

In the process of creating a marketing strategy you must consider many factors. Of those many factors, some are more important than others. Because each strategy must address some unique considerations, it is not reasonable to identify 'every' important factor at a generic level. However, many are common to all marketing strategies. Some of the more critical are described below.

You begin the creation of your strategy by deciding what the overall objective of your enterprise should be. In general this falls into one of four categories:
If the market is very attractive and your enterprise is one of the strongest in the industry you will want to invest your best resources in support of your offering.
If the market is very attractive but your enterprise is one of the weaker ones in the industry you must concentrate on strengthening the enterprise, using your offering as a stepping stone toward this objective.
If the market is not especially attractive, but your enterprise is one of the strongest in the industry then an effective marketing and sales effort for your offering will be good for generating near term profits.
If the market is not especially attractive and your enterprise is one of the weaker ones in the industry you should promote this offering only if it supports a more profitable part of your business (for instance, if this segment completes a product line range) or if it absorbs some of the overhead costs of a more profitable segment. Otherwise, you should determine the most cost effective way to divest your enterprise of this offering.
Having selected the direction most beneficial for the overall interests of the enterprise, the next step is to choose a strategy for the offering that will be most effective in the market. This means choosing one of the following 'generic' strategies (first described by Michael Porter in his work, Competitive Advantage).

A COST LEADERSHIP STRATEGY is based on the concept that you can produce and market a good quality product or service at a lower cost than your competitors. These low costs should translate to profit margins that are higher than the industry average. Some of the conditions that should exist to support a cost leadership strategy include an on-going availability of operating capital, good process engineering skills, close management of labor, products designed for ease of manufacturing and low cost distribution.

A DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY is one of creating a product or service that is perceived as being unique "throughout the industry". The emphasis can be on brand image, proprietary technology, special features, superior service, a strong distributor network or other aspects that might be specific to your industry. This uniqueness should also translate to profit margins that are higher than the industry average. In addition, some of the conditions that should exist to support a differentiation strategy include strong marketing abilities, effective product engineering, creative personnel, the ability to perform basic research and a good reputation.

A FOCUS STRATEGY may be the most sophisticated of the generic strategies, in that it is a more 'intense' form of either the cost leadership or differentiation strategy. It is designed to address a "focused" segment of the marketplace, product form or cost management process and is usually employed when it isn't appropriate to attempt an 'across the board' application of cost leadership or differentiation. It is based on the concept of serving a particular target in such an exceptional manner, that others cannot compete. Usually this means addressing a substantially smaller market segment than others in the industry, but because of minimal competition, profit margins can be very high.

PRICING
Having defined the overall offering objective and selecting the generic strategy you must then decide on a variety of closely related operational strategies. One of these is how you will price the offering. A pricing strategy is mostly influenced by your requirement for net income and your objectives for long term market control. There are three basic strategies you can consider.

A SKIMMING STRATEGY
If your offering has enough differentiation to justify a high price and you desire quick cash and have minimal desires for significant market penetration and control, then you set your prices very high. tobe continue,......

TOOLs of MARKETING

2008-06-05T18:00:00.008+07:00

Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers coordinate their companies’ market research, marketing strategy, sales, advertising, promotion, pricing, product development, and public relations activities. In small firms, the owner or chief executive officer might assume all advertising, promotions, marketing, sales, and public relations responsibilities. In large firms, which may offer numerous products and services nationally or even worldwide, an executive vice president directs overall advertising, marketing, promotions, sales, and public relations policies. (Executive vice presidents are included in the Handbook statement on top executives.)
Advertising managers
Advertising Managers oversee advertising and promotion staffs, which usually are small, except in the largest firms. In a small firm, managers may serve as liaisons between the firm and the advertising or promotion agency to which many advertising or promotional functions are contracted out. In larger firms, advertising managers oversee in-house account, creative, and media services departments. The account executive manages the account services department, assesses the need for advertising and, in advertising agencies, maintains the accounts of clients. The creative services department develops the subject matter and presentation of advertising. The creative director oversees the copy chief, art director, and associated staff. The media director oversees planning groups that select the communication media—for example, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, or outdoor signs—to disseminate the advertising.

Marketing managers
Marketing managers develop the firm’s marketing strategy in detail. With the help of subordinates, including product development managers and market research managers, they estimate the demand for products and services offered by the firm and its competitors. In addition, they identify potential markets—for example, business firms, wholesalers, retailers, government, or the general public. Marketing managers develop pricing strategy to help firms maximize profits and market share while ensuring that the firm’s customers are satisfied. In collaboration with sales, product development, and other managers, they monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services, and they oversee product development. Marketing managers work with advertising and promotion managers to promote the firm’s products and services and to attract potential users.
Promotions managers.
Promotions managers supervise staffs of promotions specialists. These managers direct promotions programs that combine advertising with purchase incentives to increase sales. In an effort to establish closer contact with purchasers—dealers, distributors, or consumers—promotions programs may use direct mail, telemarketing, television or radio advertising, catalogs, exhibits, inserts in newspapers, Internet advertisements or Web sites, in-store displays or product endorsements, and special events. Purchasing incentives may include discounts, samples, gifts, rebates, coupons, sweepstakes, and contests.
Public relations managers.
Public relations managers supervise public relations specialists. (See the Handbook statement on public relations specialists.) These managers direct publicity programs to a targeted audience. They often specialize in a specific area, such as crisis management, or in a specific industry, such as health care. They use every available communication medium to maintain the support of the specific group upon whom their organization’s success depends, such as consumers, stockholders, or the general public. For example, public relations managers may clarify or justify the firm’s point of view on health or environmental issues to community or special-interest groups.
Public relations managers also evaluate advertising and promotions programs for compatibility with public relations efforts and serve as the eyes and ears of top management. They observe social, economic, and political trends that might ultimately affect the firm, and they make recommendations to enhance the firm’s image on the basis of those trends.
Public relations managers may confer with labor relations managers to produce internal company communications—such as newsletters about employee-management relations—and with financial managers to produce company reports. They assist company executives in drafting speeches, arranging interviews, and maintaining other forms of public contact; oversee company archives; and respond to requests for information. In addition, some of these managers handle special events, such as the sponsorship of races, parties introducing new products, or other activities that the firm supports in order to gain public attention through the press without advertising directly.
Sales managers
Sales managers direct the firm’s sales program. They assign sales territories, set goals, and establish training programs for the sales representatives. (See the Handbook statement on sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing). Sales managers advise the sales representatives on ways to improve their sales performance. In large, multi-product firms, they oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs. Sales managers maintain contact with dealers and distributors. They analyze sales statistics gathered by their staffs to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and to monitor customers’ preferences. Such information is vital in the development of products and the maximization of profits.
Work environment. Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers work in offices close to those of top managers. Working under pressure is unavoidable when schedules change and problems arise, but deadlines and goals must still be met.
Substantial travel may be involved. For example, attendance at meetings sponsored by associations or industries often is mandatory. Sales managers travel to national, regional, and local offices and to the offices of various dealers and distributors. Advertising and promotions managers may travel to meet with clients or representatives of communications media. At times, public relations managers travel to meet with special-interest groups or government officials. Job transfers between headquarters and regional offices are common, particularly among sales managers.
Long hours, including evenings and weekends are common. In 2006, about two-thirds of advertising, marketing, and public relations managers worked more than 40 hours a week.

Networking the most effective Sales

2008-06-05T17:34:00.004+07:00

Networking is one of the most effective ways to find clients for any consulting or professional services business. But if you limit your networking to only what you can do in person, you'll be missing out on a huge number of possibilities.Networking is more than entering a room full of people and exchanging business cards. It's creating a pool of contacts with whom you can exchange clients, referrals, resources, ideas, and information. Networking can happen by phone, by mail, over coffee, and increasingly, over the Internet.

Research on a Budget

2008-06-04T18:02:00.002+07:00

Market Research is the study of groups of people that you would like to sell your products or services to. Spending time to do Market Research minimizes risk and often improves your chances of success. Researching your target market can provide you with sound and objective data. The problem is that market research can be extremely expensive, so how can you do the research if you are on a tight budget? Low-cost market research is not impossible, let me show you how.
First off lets consider the things we need to look for when conducting our market research. Your target market should have at least four common characteristics. They are:

My target market has a particular need.
My target market has enough money to purchase my products or services.
My target market has decision making power.
My target market has access to my products and services.
In order to determine these characteristics you must spend time researching and asking yourself the following questions:
My customers have a particular need. What is that need?
My customers have enough money to buy what I am selling. Who needs and can afford what you are offering?
My customers have decision making power. Who has the authority to say yes to what I'm offering?
My customers have access to my products and services. How accessible are my products or services to my target market?

Difference Marketing and Advertising

2008-06-03T18:17:00.002+07:00

You will often find that many people confuse marketing with advertising or vice versa. While both components are important they are very different. Knowing the difference and doing your market research can put your company on the path to substantial growth.
Let's start off by reviewing the formal definitions of each and then I'll go into the explanation of how marketing and advertising differ from one another:
Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.

Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.
After reading both of the definitions it is easy to understand how the difference can be confusing to the point that people think of them as one-in-the same, so lets break it down a bit.

Advertising is a single component of the marketing processIt's the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product, or the services you are offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet. Advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations following in a close second and market research not falling far behind.
The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective. Think of marketing as everything that an organization does to facilitate an exchange between company and consumer.

MARKETING COMMUNICATION

2008-05-28T15:35:00.007+07:00

Marketing communications breaks down the strategies involved with marketing messages into categories based on the goals of each message. There are distinct stages in converting strangers to customers that govern the communication medium that should be used. Advertising Paid form of public presentation and expressive promotion of ideas Aimed at masses Manufacturer may determine what goes into advertisement Pervasive and impersonal medium Functions and advantages of successful advertising Task of the salesman made easier Forces manufacturer to live up to conveyed image Protects and warns customers against false claims and inferior products Enables manufacturer to mass-produce product Continuous reminder Uninterrupted production a possibility Increases goodwill Raises standards of living (or perceptions there of) Prices decrease with increased popularity Educates manufacturer and wholesaler about competitors' offerings as well as short comings in their own. Objectives Maintain demand for well-known goods Introduce new and unknown goods Increase demand for well-known goods

Requirements of a good advertisement Attract attention (awareness) Stimulate interest Create a desire Bring about action Eight steps in an advertising campaign Market research Setting out aims Budgeting Choice of media (TV, newspaper, radio) Choice of actors (New Trend) Design and wording Coordination Test results Personal sales Oral presentation given by a salesman who approaches individuals or a group of potential customers: Live, interactive relationship Personal interest Attention and response Interesting presentation Sales promotion Short-term incentives to encourage buying of products: Instant appeal Anxiety to sell Marketing Public Relations (MPR) Stimulation of demand through press release giving a favourable report to a product Higher degree of credibility Effectively news Boosts enterprise's image Customer focus Many companies today have a customer focus (or customer orientation). This implies that the company focuses its activities and products on consumer demands. Generally there are three ways of doing this: the customer-driven approach, the sense of identifying market changes and the product innovation approach. In the consumer-driven approach, consumer wants are the drivers of all strategic marketing decisions. No strategy is pursued until it passes the test of consumer research. Every aspect of a market offering, including the nature of the product itself, is driven by the needs of potential consumers. The starting point is always the consumer. The rationale for this approach is that there is no point spending R&D funds developing products that people will not buy. History attests to many products that were commercial failures in spite of being technological breakthroughs. A formal approach to this customer-focused marketing is known as SIVA (Solution, Information, Value, Access). This system is basically the four Ps renamed and reworded to provide a customer focus.The SIVA Model provides a demand/customer centric version alternative to the well-known 4Ps supply side model (product, price, place, promotion) of marketing management. Product -> Solution Promotion -> Information Price -> Value Place ->Access The four elements of the SIVA model are: Solution: How appropriate is the solution to the customer's problem/need? Information: Does the customer know about the solution? If so, how and from whom do they know enough to let them make a buying decision? Value: Does the customer know the value of the transaction, what it will cost, what are the benefits, what might they have to sacrifice, what will be their reward?Access: Where can the customer find the solution? How easily/ locally/ remotely can they buy it and take delivery? This model was proposed by Chekitan Dev and Don Schultz in the Marketing Management Journal of the American Marketing Association, and presented by them in Market Leader - the journal of the Marketing Society in the UK. The model focuses heavily on the customer and how they view the transaction. Product focus In a product innovation approach, the company pursues product innovation, then tries to develop a market for the product. Product innovation drives the process and marketing research is conducted primarily to ensure that a profitable market segment(s) exists for the innovation. The rationale is that customers may not know what options will be available to them in the future so we should not expect them to tell us what they will buy in the future. However, marketers can aggressively over-pursue product innovation and try to overcapitalize on a niche. When pursuing a product innovation approach, marketers must ensure that they have a varied and multi-tiered approach to product innovation. It is claimed that if Thomas Edison depended on marketing research he would have produced larger candles rather than inventing light bulbs. Many firms, such as research and development focused companies, successfully focus on product innovation. It typically tries to perfect the segmentation strategy used in traditional marketing. It targets its audience more precisely, and is sometimes called
Personalized marketing personalized marketing or one-to-one marketing. With consumers' eroding attention span and willingness to give time to advertising messages, marketers are turning to forms of Permission marketing such as Branded content, Custom media and Reality marketing. The use of herd behavior in marketing.In an article entitled "Swarming the shelves: How shops can exploit people's herd mentality to increase sales", The Economist recently reported a recent conference in Rome on the subject of the simulation of adaptive human behavior. Mechanisms to increase impulse buying and get people "to buy more by playing on the herd instinct" were shared. The basic idea is that people will buy more of products that are seen to be popular, and several feedback mechanisms to get product popularity information to consumers are mentioned, including smart-cart technology and the use of Radio Frequency Identification Tag technology. A "swarm-moves" model was introduced by a Princeton researcher, which is appealing to supermarkets because it can "increase sales without the need to give people discounts." Large retailers Wal-Mart in the United States and Tesco in Britain plan to test the technology in spring 2007 . Other recent studies on the "power of social influence" include an "artificial music market in which some 14,000 people downloaded previously unknown songs" (Columbia University, New York); a Japanese chain of convenience stores which orders its products based on "sales data from department stores and research companies;" a Massachusetts company exploiting knowledge of social networking to improve sales; and online retailers who are increasingly informing consumers about "which products are popular with like-minded consumers" (e.g., Amazon, eBay).

Strategy Marketing

2008-05-28T15:15:00.011+07:00

Introduction
A market-focused, or customer-focused, organization first determines what its potential customers desire, and then builds the product or service. Marketing theory and practice is justified in the belief that customers use a product or service because they have a need, or because it provides a perceived benefit.
Two major factors of marketing are the recruitment of new customers (acquisition) and the retention and expansion of relationships with existing customers (base management). Once a marketer has converted the prospective buyer, base management marketing takes over. The process for base management shifts the marketer to building a relationship, nurturing the links, enhancing the benefits that sold the buyer in the first place, and improving the product/service continuously to protect the business from competitive encroachments.

For a marketing plan to be successful, the mix of the four "Ps" must reflect the wants and desires of the consumers or Shoppers in the target market. Trying to convince a market segment to buy something they don't want is extremely expensive and seldom successful. Marketers depend on insights from marketing research, both formal and informal, to determine what consumers want and what they are willing to pay for. Marketers hope that this process will give them a sustainable competitive advantage. Marketing management is the practical application of this process. The offer is also an important addition to the 4P's theory.
Within most organizations, the activities encompassed by the marketing function are led by a Vice President or Director of Marketing. A growing number of organizations, especially large US companies, have a Chief Marketing Officer position, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) states, "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.".
Marketing methods are informed by many of the social sciences, particularly psychology, sociology, and economics. Anthropology is also a small, but growing influence. Market research underpins these activities. Through advertising, it is also related to many of the creative arts. Marketing is a wide and heavily interconnected subject with extensive publications. It i also an area of activity infamous for re-inventing itself and its vocabulary according to the times and the culture.

Concept of Marketing
Marketing is an instructive business domain that serves to inform and educate target markets about the value and competitive advantage of a company and its products. “Value (marketing)” is worth derived by the customer from owning and using the product. “Competitive Advantage” is a depiction that the company or its products are each doing something better than their competition in a way that could benefit the customer.
Marketing is focused on the task of conveying pertinent company and product related information to specific customers, and there are a multitude of decisions (strategies) to be made within the marketing domain regarding what information to deliver, how much information to deliver, to whom to deliver, how to deliver, when to deliver, and where to deliver. Once the decisions are made, there are numerous ways (tactics) and processes that could be employed in support of the selected strategies.
The goal of marketing is to build and maintain a preference for a company and its products within the target markets. The goal of any business is to build mutually profitable and sustainable relationships with its customers. While all business domains are responsible for accomplishing this goal, the marketing domain bears a significant share of the responsibility.
Within the larger scope of its definition, marketing is performed through the actions of three coordinated disciplines named: “Product Marketing”, “Corporate Marketing”, and “Marketing Communications”.

Two levels of marketing
Strategic marketing attempts to determine how an organization competes against its competitors in a market place. In particular, it aims at generating a competitive advantage relative to its competitors.
Operational marketing executes marketing functions to attract and keep customers and to maximize the value derived for them, as well as to satisfy the customer with prompt services and meeting the customer expectations. Operational Marketing includes the determination of the porter's five forces model

Four Ps
Main article: Marketing mix
In the early 1960's, Professor Neil Borden at Harvard Business School identified a number of company performance actions that can influence the consumer decision to purchase goods or services. Borden suggested that all those actions of the company represented a “Marketing Mix”. Professor E. Jerome McCarthy, also at the Harvard Business School in the early 1960s, suggested that the Marketing Mix contained 4 elements: product, price, place and promotion.
In popular usage, "marketing" is the promotion of products, especially advertising and branding. However, in professional usage the term has a wider meaning which recognizes that marketing is customer-centered. Products are often developed to meet the desires of groups of customers or even, in some cases, for specific customers. E. Jerome McCarthy divided marketing into four general sets of activities. His typology has become so universally recognized that his four activity sets, the Four Ps, have passed into the language.

The four Ps are:
Product: The product aspects of marketing deal with the specifications of the actual goods or services, and how it relates to the end-user's needs and wants. The scope of a product generally includes supporting elements such as warranties, guarantees, and support.
Pricing: This refers to the process of setting a price for a product, including discounts. The price need not be monetary - it can simply be what is exchanged for the product or services, e.g. time, energy, psychology or attention.
Promotion: This includes advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and personal selling, branding and refers to the various methods of promoting the product, brand, or company.
Placement (or distribution): refers to how the product gets to the customer; for example, point of sale placement or retailing. This fourth P has also sometimes been called Place, referring to the channel by which a product or services is sold (e.g. online vs. retail), which geographic region or industry, to which segment (young adults, families, business people), etc.
These four elements are often referred to as the marketing mix, which a marketer can use to craft a marketing plan. The four Ps model is most useful when marketing low value consumer products. Industrial products, services, high value consumer products require adjustments to this model. Services marketing must account for the unique nature of services. Industrial or B2B marketing must account for the long term contractual agreements that are typical in supply chain transactions. Relationship marketing attempts to do this by looking at marketing from a long term relationship perspective rather than individual transactions.
As a counter to this, Morgan, in Riding the Waves of Change (Jossey-Bass, 1988), suggests that one of the greatest limitations of the 4 Ps approach "is that it unconsciously emphasizes the inside–out view (looking from the company outwards), whereas the essence of marketing should be the outside–in approach". Nevertheless, the 4 Ps offer a memorable and workable guide to the major categories of marketing activity, as well as a framework within which these can be used.

Seven Ps
As well as the standard four P's (Product, Pricing, Promotion and Place), services marketing calls upon an extra three, totaling seven and known together as the extended marketing mix. These are:
People: Any person coming into contact with customers can have an impact on overall satisfaction. Whether as part of a supporting service to a product or involved in a total service, people are particularly important because, in the customer's eyes, they are generally inseparable from the total service . As a result of this, they must be appropriately trained, well motivated and the right type of person. Fellow customers are also sometimes referred to under 'people', as they too can affect the customer's service experience, (e.g., at a sporting event).
Process: This is the process(es) involved in providing a service and the behaviour of people, which can be crucial to customer satisfaction.
Physical evidence: Unlike a product, a service cannot be experienced before it is delivered, which makes it intangible. This, therefore, means that potential customers could perceive greater risk when deciding whether to use a service. To reduce the feeling of risk, thus improving the chance for success, it is often vital to offer potential customers the chance to see what a service would be like. This is done by providing physical evidence, such as case studies, testimonials or demonstrations.

Four New Ps
Personalization: It is here referred customization of products and services through the use of the Internet. Early examples include Dell on-line and Amazon.com, but this concept is further extended with emerging social media and advanced algorithms. Emerging technologies will continue to push this idea forward.
Participation: This is to allow customer to participate in what the brand should stand for; what should be the product directions and even which ads to run. This concept is laying the foundation for disruptive change through democratization of information.
Peer-to-Peer: This refers to customer networks and communities where advocacy happens. The historical problem with marketing is that it is “interruptive” in nature, trying to impose a brand on the customer. This is most apparent in TV advertising. These “passive customer bases” will ultimately be replaced by the “active customer communities”. Brand engagement happens within those conversations. P2P is now being referred as Social Computing and is likely to be the most disruptive force in the future of marketing.
Predictive modeling: This refers to algorithms that are being successfully applied in marketing problems (both a regression as well as a classification problem).

New Product Development
Breadth -- number of product lines in a range.
Depth -- number of product items in a product line.

Steps in product design
Design and development of product ideas.
Selection of and sifting through product ideas.
Design and testing of product concept.
Analysis of instead of product concept.
Design and testing of emotional product.

Packaging
Main article: Packaging and labelling
Requirements of good packaging
Functional - effectively contain and protect the contents
Provide convenience during distribution, sale, opening, use, reuse, etc.
Be environmentally responsible
Be cost effective
Appropriately designed for target market
Eye-catching (particularly for retail/consumer sales)
Communicate attributes and recommended use of the product and package
Compliant with retailers' requirements
Promotes image of enterprise
Distinguishable from competitors' products
Meet legal requirements for product and packaging
Point of difference in service and supply of product.
For a perfect product, perfect colour.

Forms of packaging
Specialty packaging — emphasizes the elegant character of the product
Packaging for double-use
Combination packaging two or more products packaged in the same container
Kaleidoscopic packaging — packaging changes continually to reflect a series or particular theme
Packaging for immediate consumption — to be thrown away after use
Packaging for resale — packed, into appropriate quantities, for the retailer or wholesaler

Main article: Trademark
Significance of a trademark
Distinguishes one company's goods from those of another
Serves as advertisement for quality
Protects both consumers and manufacturers
Used in displays and advertising campaigns
Used to market new products

Main article: Brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes products and services from competitive offerings. A brand represents the consumers' experience with an organization, product, or service.
Co-branding involves marketing activity involving two or more products.

Pricing
Pricing refers to the amount of money exchanged for a product. This value is determined by utility to the consumer in terms of money and/or sacrifice that the consumer is prepared to give for it.

Objectives
Increase sales volume
Increase revenue
Achieve or increase profits
Increase or maintain market share
Eliminate competition
Achieve advantages of mass production

Factors influencing price-determination
Production and distribution costs
Substitute goods available
Normal trade practices
Fixed prices
Reaction of distributors
Reaction of consumers
Nature of demand:
Elastic
Inelastic
Form of market:
Perfect competition
Monopolistic competition
Monopoly
Oligopoly

Steps to determine price
Determine market share to be captured
Set up price strategy
Estimate demand
Evaluate competitors' reactions

Distribution (Place)

Channels
Manufacturer to consumer (most direct)
Manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer (traditional)
Manufacturer to agent to retailer to consumer (current)
Manufacturer to agent to wholesaler to retailer to consumer
Manufacturer to agent to customer ( ex : AMWAY )

Manufacturers
Reasons for direct selling methods
Manufacturer wants to demonstrate goods.
Wholesalers, retailers and agents not actively selling.
Manufacturer unable to convince wholesalers or retailers to stock product.
High profit margin added to goods by wholesalers and retailers.
Middlemen unable to transport.

Reasons for indirect selling methods
Manufacturer does not have the financial resources to distribute goods.
Distribution channels already established.
Manufacturer has no knowledge of efficient distribution.
Manufacturer wishes to use capital for further production.
Too many consumers in a large area; difficult to reach.
Manufacturer does not have a wide assortment of goods to enable efficient marketing.
direct on-selling advantages

Wholesalers
Reasons for using wholesalers
Bear risk of selling goods to retailer or consumer
Storage space
Decrease transport costs
Grant credit to retailers
Able to sell for the manufacturers
Give advice to manufacturers
Break down products into smaller quantities

Reasons for bypassing wholesalers
Limited storage facilities
Retailers' preferences
Wholesaler cannot promote products successfully
Development of wholesalers' own brands
Desire for closer market contact
Position of power
Cost of wholesalers' services
Price stabilisation
Need for rapid distribution
Make more money

Ways of bypassing wholesalers
Sales offices or branches
Mail orders
Direct sales to retailers
Travelling agents
Direct Orders

Agents
Commission agents work for anyone who needs their services. They do not acquire ownership of goods but receive del credere commission.
Selling agents act on an extended contractual basis, selling all of the products of the manufacturer. They have full authority regarding price and terms of sale.
Buying agents buy goods on behalf of producers and retailers. They have an expert knowledge of the purchasing function.
Brokers specialize in the sale of one specific product. They receive a brokerage.
Factory representatives represent more than one manufacturer. They operate within a specific area and sell related lines of goods but have limited authority regarding price and sales terms.

Create and Manage a Filter list of Websites

2008-05-26T13:31:00.007+07:00

To create and manage a filter list of websites whose ads you'd like to restrict from showing on your site or AdSense for search results pages, simply log in to your account at https://www.google.com/adsense and click the Competitive Ad Filter link below the AdSense Setup tab. You can create separate filter lists for your content pages and for your AdSense for search results pages. Ads for the websites that you add to your competitive ad filter list typically will not run on your pages, but remember that filtering sites may decrease the number of ads that can appear on your pages as well as decrease your potential earnings.

For more details on using your competitive ad filter, please read the Filtering Ads section of this FAQ Google adsense.We also combine an editorial team and filtering technology to maximize the quality of the Google ads on Google and publisher sites:
Review: Across the Google network, ads are reviewed using a combination of human and automated processes before they are shown on publishers' sites. The review process takes into account a variety of factors, including the quality of the ad and whether the ad is suitable for all audiences.
Sensitive content filters: At times, certain ads may not be appropriate to run on all pages. For example, Google automatically filters out ads that would be inappropriate on a news page about a catastrophic event.Please note that Google does not commit that all ads for the websites that you add to your competitive ad filter list or ads containing objectionable content will be prevented from display on your site.How do I add sites to my filter list?
You can add up to 200 sites to your filter list. The URLs you enter into your filter list can be the actual URL of the website or the URL that is displayed on the ad for that website.
Log in to your account at https://www.google.com/adsense?sourceid=asos&subid=ww-ww-et-HC_entry&medium=link
Click Competitive Ad Filter under the AdSense Setup tab (for AdSense for search results pages)
Choose the appropriate product sub-tab
Click Add / Edit Sites
In the appropriate text box, enter the URLs of the sites whose ads you would like to filter from your site or AdSense for search results pages. Enter one URL per line.
Save your changes
Please note that it may take up to 3 hours for new URLs to be filtered from your pages.

meta tags

2008-05-26T13:25:00.004+07:00

The meta description tag and the meta keywords tag were proposed so that webmasters would have a consistent method for providing meta document data to user agents, such as search engines.

Unfortunately, so many unscrupulous webmasters have abused the meta description and meta keywords tag that search engines have had to de-emphasize their importance. To learn more about the meta description tag, visit What are meta descriptions? To learn more about the meta keywords tag, visit What are meta keywords?

In addition to the well-known meta description and meta keywords tags, there are other useful meta tags, including the meta http-equiv tag, meta refresh tag, the meta robots tag, the meta copyright tag, and the meta author tag, among others. These tags are used to instruct user agents such as web browsers and search engine spiders on a variety of topics.

The axiom is that charity starts at Home

2008-05-08T16:35:00.002+07:00

The trip home to Nigeria had been planned for months, every detail considered to prevent a hitch in their good intentions. On the first day of their charity mission, four N.F.L. players riding a bus on the way to meet Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua, were — bang! — broadsided by a truck. “It was really scary,” Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora said.
For a moment, the players-turned-ambassadors could be forgiven for thinking they might have been better off staying home and sending a check. No one was injured, although the accident derailed the meeting with the president. The rest of trip went smoothly and the only other jolts were the emotional kind. College scholarships were established at 10 Nigerian universities. HIV testing kits were distributed to clinics. Water wells were dug in a village that had none. A popular youth soccer team was outfitted. Connections were made. Ideas were formed.

The axiom is that charity starts at home, and that is what drew the players — Umenyiora, Houston Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, and Chicago Bears defensive linemen Adewale Ogunleye and Israel Idonije — to Nigeria in March.
“We’re from there — that’s what it boils down to,” Umenyiora said in a telephone interview. “You can come to America and lose sight of where you’re from.”
And now there is talk about doing more next year, and more the year after that — expanding the focus to other African nations, recruiting more and more professional athletes with money and connections to the continent.
“There is a lot of strife and civil wars and things,” Umenyiora said. “And a lot of the people speaking out about it in America are not athletes. That’s not a good thing. We’re going to do something about that.”
The N.F.L. and other professional leagues are quick to cite the charitable causes of players, and much work is done with no fanfare. But it is not often that players from different teams and with little urging from their employers, spend a week together on the other side of the world trying to improve lives.
The four are part of a growing fraternity of N.F.L. players with direct family ties to Nigeria. Several others became tangentially involved with the cause, donating ideas and money, but did not make the trip.
It was no spring break with good friends. The four who traveled did not previously know one another well. Ogunleye is the only one who knew each of the others. Okoye first met Umenyiora and Idonije in New York on the way to Nigeria.
Umenyiora, born in London to Nigerian parents, lived in Nigeria from ages 7 to 14 before moving to the United States; his mother and brother live in Lagos. Okoye was born in Lagos and moved to the United States at age 12. Ogunleye was born in New York to Nigerian immigrants. Idonije was born in Lagos and moved to Brandon, Manitoba, when he was 8.
Each had loose plans to go to Nigeria this off-season, as they have in the past, to visit family and see what kind of help they could provide with their time and money. Each has scores of relatives in Nigeria.
Each knows that the country — where the life expectancy at birth is about 48 years, and 70 percent of the 138 million people live in poverty — could use their attention.
It was Okoye, a rookie last season, who rallied the group, believing it could do more good than the players individually. Others agreed.
“We said, let’s do this together and make a bigger splash,” Ogunleye said in a phone interview.
In December, Okoye’s older brother, Arinze, and a cousin, Okey Chidume (the three live together in the Houston area) began working on details of the trip. The fathers of Okoye and Ogunleye laid some groundwork with contacts in Nigeria and took part in the trip. So did Ogunleye’s brother, Ranti.
The mission was called Athletes in the Diaspora: Community Interventions, and received plenty of news media attention in Nigeria. At the heart of their charity is the scholarship program, called Changing Africa Through Education. The contingent met with officials of the National Universities Commission, and plans to finance 20 scholarships at 10 Nigerian universities. The group hopes to increase the total yearly.
“We don’t want to give kids scholarships to go to school in the States or to London or something,” Ogunleye said, a counterintuitive notion given that his parents came to New York largely for improved education. “We want to keep the kids there so they can help build the country up from within.”
Between meetings with university, government and health officials, the group crisscrossed the country in planes and buses, and sprinkled in other pet projects. Okoye combined with Nike to sponsor the Enugu Rangers, a national youth soccer team, to donate new uniforms and equipment. Ogunleye oversaw the christening of three water wells in Emure, a city where his parents had lived.
“It was amazing to see how little can change a community’s life,” Ogunleye said.
It was not just the lives of others that were affected. Umenyiora returned to the United States thinking about what he was leaving behind.
He wondered if his life after football might be lived there, or if he might someday run for public office in Nigeria.
“I came back on the plane thinking, man, there is so much work that needs to be done over there,” Umenyiora said.
Plans are under way for a return trip next year, and a trip to another African nation in 2010. Friends are being recruited. Money and awareness are being raised.
“Ever since I was little,” said Okoye, still only 20, “I dreamt of this — being able to do something like this. But what kid hasn’t?”

Marketing Strategic Program

2008-05-07T15:06:00.003+07:00

A marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

Key part of the general corporate strategy
A marketing strategy is most effective when it is an integral component of corporate strategy, defining how the organization will successfully engage customers, prospects, and competitors in the market arena. It is partially derived from broader corporate strategies, corporate missions, and corporate goals. As the customer constitutes the source of a company's revenue, marketing strategy is closely linked with sales. A key component of marketing strategy is often to keep marketing in line with a company's overarching mission statement.
Basic theory: 1) Target Audience 2) Proposition/Key Element 3) Call to Action

Sectorial tactics and actions
A publishing strategy can serve as the foundation of a marketing plan. A marketing plan contains a set of specific actions required to successfully implement a marketing strategy. For example: "Use a low cost product to attract consumers. Once our organization, via our low cost product, has established a relationship with consumers, our organization will sell additional, higher-margin products and services that enhance the consumer's interaction with the low-cost product or service."
A strategy consists of a well thought out series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives[3]. Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results.
A marketing strategy often integrates an organization's marketing goals, policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole. Similarly, the various strands of the strategy , which might include advertising, channel marketing, internet marketing, promotion and public relations can be orchestrated. Many companies cascade a strategy throughout an organization, by creating strategy tactics that then become strategy goals for the next level or group. Each one group is expected to take that strategy goal and develop a set of tactics to achieve that goal. This is why it is important to make each strategy goal measurable.
Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive. They are partially planned and partially unplanned. See strategy dynamics.

Types of strategies
Every marketing strategy is unique, but can be reduced into a generic marketing strategy. There are a number of ways of categorizing these generic strategies. A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below:
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme, firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry. Typically there are three types of market dominance strategies: Leader; Challenger; Follower
Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength. Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage.

Cost leadership
Product differentiation
Market segmentation
Innovation strategies - This deals with the firm's rate of the new product development and business model innovation. It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation. There are three types: Pioneers; Close followers and Late followers
Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question, “How should the firm grow?”. There are a number of different ways of answering that question, but the most common gives four answers: Horizontal integration; Vertical integration; Diversification and Intensification
A more detailed scheme uses the categories: Prospector; Analyzer and Defender and Reactor
Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies.

Strategic models
Marketing participants often employ strategic models and tools to analyze marketing decisions. When beginning a strategic analysis, the 3Cs can be employed to get a broad understanding of the strategic environment. An Ansoff Matrix is also often used to convey an organization's strategic positioning of their marketing mix. The 4Ps can then be utilized to form a marketing plan to pursue a defined strategy.

Marketing in Practice
The Consumer-Centric Business
There are a many companies especially those in the Consumer Package Goods (CPG) market that adopt the theory of running their business centred around Consumer, Shopper & Retailer needs. Their Marketing departments spend quality time looking for "Growth Opportunities" in their categories by identifying relevant insights (both mindsets and behaviours) on their target Consumers, Shoppers and retail partners. These Growth Opportunites emerge from changes in market trends, segment dynamics changing and also internal brand or operational business challenges.The Marketing team can then prioritise these Growth Opportunites and begin to develop strategies to exploit the opportunities that could include new or adapted products, services as well as changes to the 4Ps.
Real-life marketing primarily revolves around the application of a great deal of common-sense; dealing with a limited number of factors, in an environment of imperfect information and limited resources complicated by uncertainty and tight timescales. Use of classical marketing techniques, in these circumstances, is inevitably partial and uneven.
Thus, for example, many new products will emerge from irrational processes and the rational development process may be used (if at all) to screen out the worst non-runners. The design of the advertising, and the packaging, will be the output of the creative minds employed; which management will then screen, often by 'gut-reaction', to ensure that it is reasonable.
For most of their time, marketing managers use intuition and experience to analyze and handle the complex, and unique, situations being faced; without easy reference to theory. This will often be 'flying by the seat of the pants', or 'gut-reaction'; where the overall strategy, coupled with the knowledge of the customer which has been absorbed almost by a process of osmosis, will determine the quality of the marketing employed. This, almost instinctive management, is what is sometimes called 'coarse marketing'; to distinguish it from the refined, aesthetically pleasing, form favored by the theorists

The Tyranny Languange Perversely

2008-05-06T11:04:00.008+07:00

In El Señor Presidente, hope is suppressed by the dictatorship. As the Judge Advocate states in the novel, "the President's first rule of conduct is never to give grounds for hope, and everyone must be kicked and beaten until they realise the fact".It can be argued that Camila represents hope in the novel because both her father and husband were able to persevere under the dictatorship by thinking of her; however, the President destroys this sense of hope with false stories. When the thought of her loyalty is eliminated, both her father and husband die because they have lost the hope of returning to her. Furthermore, Camila's happiness with her child and their escape to the countryside can be seen as the one glimpse of hope in an otherwise dark and disturbing ending. For critic Jean Franco, it is love that offers what little hope there is in the novel: "The system is undermined only by love—the love of an idiot for his mother, a woman trying desperately to save her husband from death."

Tyranny and alienation
The theme of tyranny and alienation shows how a dictatorship not only alienates and "others" the people in the country, but also prevents the country itself from achieving European modernization. In a 1967 essay, literary critic Ariel Dorfman argues that "dictatorship, which in El Señor Presidente manifested itself in the political realm, is now a dictatorship of fire of the word, but always a tyranny that men themselves ask for, adore, and help to build". Dorfman also notes that "The 'little human bundles' of Asturias's world end up destroying themselves, being disintegrated by the very forces that they themselves spoke."By this he means that the characters are undone by their own actions and words as the President uses and twists them. The tyranny of language perversely parallels the political oppression which is omnipresent in Asturias's world. Richard Franklin argues that "in a philosophical sense, Asturias has eloquently affirmed the validity of individual experience".
Asturias shows how, under the conditions of dictatorship, characters slowly lose their human identities. The Zany, for instance, while fleeing the city, is described as running "aimlessly, with his mouth opened and his tongue hanging out, slobbering and panting". Just a few lines later, the Zany is "whin[ing] like an injured dog". In what is in part a critique of the book, Jorge Barrueto argues that El Señor Presidente depicts Latin America as a whole as "Other". Everyone from the President to the Zany displays this “otherness” as they cannot be civilized. Dictatorship produces Otherness, by dehumanizing its subjects, but is also itself presented as barbaric, absurd, and no more than an "imitation of the European ways". Thanks to phenomena such as dictatorship, Latin America appears to be a land where "Otherness" prevails and for this reason Latin America cannot "evolve" or reach truly European levels of modernity. For Barrueto, "this narrative's goal is to prove that Latin American societies, though they are aware of the blueprint of Modernity, are unable to act accordingly."

Fertility and destruction
According to Latin American literature scholar Richard Callan, the dichotomy between destruction and fertility is embodied in the opposition between the President and Miguel Angel Face. While the President represents sterility and destruction,his favorite, Miguel Angel Face, embodies fertility, a positive and generative force of nature. Callan notes that Miguel Angel Face's transformation from the President's favorite to a positive generative force is not deliberate. Instead, Callan argues that "it results from the birth of true love in his formerly barren heart. However, he is too engrossed in his love to notice the shift in his relationship with the President."The President, not surprisingly, identifies himself candidly with death.Examples from the novel include the death sentences he gives to Abel Carvajal (for a crime the President is fully aware the man did not commit) and to Lucio Vasquez, a man in his service that carried out his wish for the Zany to be killed and yet is still executed. In contrast to the President, Callan highlights Miguel Angel Face's association with love. The love that Miguel Angel Face develops for Camila identifies him with love and life, and leads to procreation—the birth of his son. Rosello argues that even before his transformation, Miguel Angel Face was aware of the President's destructive nature. As such, Rosello argues that Miguel Angel Face "knew from the beginning that the only 'safety' in the President's world is a form of self destruction: only by losing his identity and letting the President's mind invade his own could he hope to remain alive". So, when he failed to comply, he did indeed lose his life.
Reception
In Guatemala, El Señor Presidente received significant attention from the date of its first publication. Mostly this was from other left-wing writers and intellectuals, who recognized and praised both its stylistic innovation and its political commitment, if sometimes with the complaint that the novel was overly influenced by European modernism. But, as Dante Liano observes, "those in power have not been able to stand Asturias's voice".
Critical reception elsewhere in Latin America was also enthusiastic. One of the book's first reviewers was María Rosa Oliver, writing in the influential Argentine journal Sur shortly after the novel's second edition was produced in Buenos Aires. She particularly praises the plot: the fact that the novel is more than simply a lyrical still life. Rather, she argues, El Señor Presidente "stirs our five senses." And her conclusion stresses the book's Latin American qualities, arguing that it "enchants us, stirs us, moves us, and softens us all at the same time, producing much the same effect as when we travel, eyes and heart wide open, around these Latin American lands or the pages that tell their history."
Before long the novel's fame spread around the world. The first award Asturias received for El Señor Presidente was the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger in 1952. El Señor Presidente has steadily garnered further acclaim. In the words of literary scholar Jack Himelblau, the book is "an avant-garde and critically significant novel in the history of Spanish-American fiction" and Latin American history and literature scholar Charles Macune includes El Señor Presidente in a list of prominent translated Latin American novels. For Macune, novels and novelists of Latin America are "both history makers as well as reflections of the region's history". Unlike Latin American newspapers and archival materials, translated Latin American novels are far more accessible to readers without a knowledge of Spanish. In fact, Macune shows that El Señor Presidente has been well-received not only in its original Spanish but also in its English translation.

Nobel Prize
In December 1967 Asturias won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his life's work, including El Señor Presidente. Upon receiving the prize, he gave a lecture regarding Latin American literature as both "testimony" and "instrument for struggle". In particular, he spoke about the possibility of forging a new style of novel in Latin America, drawing on the region's indigenous heritage. This new style would make the novel a vehicle of hope and light in what he termed "this night that threatens us now". It would be "the affirmation of the optimism of those writers that defied the Inquisition, opening a breach in the conscience of the people for the march of the Liberators".
The Nobel Prize Committee, in awarding the prize, described El Señor Presidente in the following terms:
This magnificent and tragic satire criticizes the prototype of the Latin American dictator who appeared in several places at the beginning of the century and has since reappeared, his existence being fostered by the mechanism of tyranny which, for the common man, makes every day a hell on earth. The passionate vigour with which Asturias evokes the terror and distrust which poisoned the social atmosphere of the time makes his work a challenge and an invaluable aesthetic gesture.
Asturias's home country celebrated his international recognition. In Guatemala his face soon adorned postage stamps, a street was named after him, and he received a medal. According to Kjell Strömberg in The 1967 Prize, "the whole of his little country was given over to rejoicing".
Further admiration was expressed throughout Latin America, where Asturias's Nobel Prize was viewed as an accomplishment for Latin American literature as a whole, rather than the achievement of a single author or country. As scholar Richard Jewell notes, there had been substantial criticism that Latin American writers were being ignored by the Nobel committee. Beginning with Miguel Ángel Asturias in 1967, however, the academy selected four Latin American writers within twenty-four years.
Biographer Gregory Rabassa, who has translated other works by Asturias, highlights the effects of the Nobel Prize on Asturias's subsequent work, saying, "[h]is winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1967 gave him a long-awaited financial independence that ... enabled him to withdraw to his writing and the many aims and possibilities that [had] been on his mind for so many years".

Many developing countries are already making efforts that result in significant

2008-05-06T11:03:00.002+07:00

Strong scientific evidence shows that urgent action to tackle climate change is imperative. New research has confirmed that the climate really is changing and there are signs that these changes have accelerated. Impact analyses are beginning to quantify precisely what the cost of inaction or of simply pursuing current policies will be.

In 2005, the Commission laid the foundations for an EU strategy to combat climate change. This document now sets out more concrete steps to limit the effects of climate change and to reduce the risk of massive and irreversible disruptions to the planet. These short-term and medium-term measures target both developed countries (the EU and other industrialised countries) and developing countries.

The EU and its Member States have confirmed their target to limit the global average temperature increase to 2° Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels, the point beyond which the impact of climatic change is believed to increase dramatically. Research shows that stabilising the level of greenhouse gases at 450 ppmv (parts per million volume of CO2 equivalent) would lead to a 1 in 2 chance of reaching the target of a 2°C rise (compared with a 1 in 6 chance if levels reach 550 ppmv, and a 1 in 16 chance if levels hit 650 ppmv).

Costs and benefits of future policy choices

Recent research, such as the PESETA study carried out for the Joint Research Centre and the Stern Review, points out the hefty economic and social costs of failing to take sufficient action to combat climate change. The Stern Review estimates this cost at between 5 and 20% of global DGP.

Climate change will cause widespread damage to populations, ecosystems and resources, as well as to infrastructure and living conditions, ranging from an increase in mortality and disease linked to changes in temperature, damage caused by more frequent flooding and a rise in sea level, increasing desertification in Southern countries and scarcer fresh water resources. The PESETA study focuses in particular on the impacts in Europe on agriculture, public health, tourism, river basins and coastal systems.

According to the impact assessment carried out by the Commission, the investment needed to maintain the level of greenhouse gases at 450 ppmv would cost about 0.5% of global GDP over the period 2013-2030. Global GDP growth would only fall by 0.19% per year up to 2030, a fraction of the expected annual GDP growth rate (2.8%). The Commission also stresses that the global cost needed is overstated, since it does not account for the benefits of combating climate change.

Effectively tackling climate change would in fact produce significant benefits, including fewer damages by avoiding problems. In the same way, reducing our consumption of fossil fuels (especially oil and gas) will help cut costs in importing these resources and substantially improve the security of energy supply. Similarly, reducing CO2 emissions will help improve air quality, which will produce huge health benefits. What's more, most studies show that mitigation policies would have positive effects on employment, for example in the field of renewable energy and cutting-edge technology.

The benefits of combating climate change will not stop at EU borders. Similar benefits can be expected in other countries if they adopt similar measures to Europe, especially regarding the security of energy supply and air quality.

Action in the EU

The EU has already proved, through internal policies, that is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without undermining economic growth. The Commission stresses that there is the potential to further reduce emissions considerably and echoes its commitment to pursue and extend current measures and to adopt new measures.

The Commission suggests that the EU should adopt targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It calls for the EU to set the target in international negotiations of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries by 30% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2020. Until an international agreement is made, and without prejudice to the position it will take in these negotiations, the EU should immediately make the resolute and independent commitment to reduce its own emissions by at least 20% by 2020. At the March 2007 European Council, Member States also strongly backed these targets (see below under "Related acts").

In line with the strategic analysis of the EU's energy policy (see below under "Related acts"), the Commission recommends taking the following measures on energy:

improving the EU's energy efficiency by 20% by 2020;
increasing the share of renewable energy to 20% by 2020;
developing an environmentally safe carbon capture and geological storage policy.
The Commission believes that the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) needs to be strengthened by taking measures such as the following:

increasing the duration of quota allocations to over five years, as it is now;
extending the scheme to other gases and sectors;
aligning allocation procedures across Member States and
linking the EU ETS to compatible mandatory schemes in other States (such as California and Australia).
In order to limit emissions in the transport sector, the Commission asks the Council and Parliament to adopt, where necessary, proposals to include aviation in the EU ETS and to link taxes on tourism vehicles to their CO2 emissions. There are also plans to reduce CO2 emissions from cars to reach the target of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre (g CO2/km). The Commission also stresses the need for consumers to do more, to cut the emissions produced by freight transport by road and maritime transport and to address biofuels .

The document suggests cutting CO2 emissions in other sectors, such as by improving the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings . It also recommends reducing other gases, notably by adopting and strengthening measures on agriculture and forestry , setting limits for methane emissions from industry and gas engines and including these sources of emissions in the EU ETS, stricter measures on fluorinated greenhouse gases and tackling nitrous oxide from combustion and large installations.

It is also important to rapidly mobilise funds for research on the environment, energy and transport under the Seventh Framework Programme and to increase the research budget after 2013 to promote the development of clean technology and increase our knowledge of climate change. The action plans on energy technology and environmental technology must be fully implemented.

The document also notes that the strategic guidelines on cohesion should be applied, which promote sustainable transport and energy and environmental technologies.

International Action

The battle against climate change can only be won through global action. International negotiations must move beyond rhetoric towards negotiations on concrete commitments.

The Commission believes that developed countries must commit to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions by 30% compared to 1990 levels by 2020, as part of a post-2012 international agreement. Developed countries also have the technological and financial capacity to reduce their emissions, which is why they should make most of the effort over the next decade. Emissions trading schemes will be a key tool to ensure that developed countries can reach their targets cost-effectively.

The growth in developing countries' economies and emissions makes it essential for them to start reducing the rise in their emissions as soon as possible and to cut their emissions in absolute terms after 2020, since by 2020, these countries will be responsible for over half the greenhouse gas emissions.

Many developing countries are already making efforts that result in significant reductions in the growth of their greenhouse gas emissions, through policies addressing economic, security or local environmental concerns. Developing countries have many strategic options where the benefits outweigh the costs, such as improving energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy, adopting measures on air quality and recovery of methane from sources such as waste.

The following elements should be part of the process to step up action in these countries:

streamlining and expanding the clean development mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol to cover entire national sectors;
improving access to finance via a combination of the various mechanisms available so that developing countries can build the facilities to generate the cleanest energy possible;
introducing emissions trading schemes for certain industrial sectors where the capacity exists to properly monitor emissions;
countries that reach a level of development similar to that of developed countries should make a quantified, appropriate commitment;
no commitments for least developed countries.
Lastly, a future international agreement should address issues such as further cooperation in research and technology development, halting deforestation and restoring forested areas, adapting to the inescapable impacts of climate change and concluding an international agreement on energy efficiency standards.

Background

This communication follows up on the 2005 communication, which laid the basis for a future climate change strategy (see below under "Related acts"). The measures proposed in this strategy are closely linked to the "Energy package" published by the Commission in January 2007, which defines a new European energy policy and sets out clear, quantified targets.

According to scientific research, the currents levels of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere are the highest they have been for 650 000 years, which causes a significant acceleration of the greenhouse effect. To stabilise global warming at an average of 2° Celsius, global emissions must fall by almost 50% compared to 1990 levels by 2050, which implies a 60 to 80% reduction by most developed countries by 2050 and a gradual but significant effort made by developing countries.

RELATED ACTS
Conclusions of the Spring European Council of 8 and 9 March 2007.
At the European Council, the EU set the unilateral target to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The European Council agreed that developed countries should commit to collectively cutting their emissions by about 30% by 2020, compared to 1990 levels, as part of an international agreement, and by 60 to 80% by 2050. The Council supported a 30% cut in the EU's emissions by 2020, provided that this international agreement is successfully concluded. With its action plan on energy policy for the period 2007-2009, the European Council supported the following goals:

to improve energy efficiency to save 20% of the EU's energy consumption compared to forecasts for 2020;
to raise the share of renewable energy to 20% of EU overall energy consumption by 2020;
to raise the share of biofuels to at least 10% of total petrol and diesel consumption for transport in the EU by 2020.
Communication from the Commission, dated 10 January 2007, on an Energy Policy for Europe [COM(2007) 1 final - Not published in the Official Journal].

This communication is the centrepiece of the package of measures that the Commission submitted in January 2007 (the energy package). After assessing the energy challenges that Europe faces, especially climate change and the security of supply, the Commission sets out a number of steps to take in areas such as the internal energy market, security of supply, energy efficiency, renewable energy resources, energy technology and international energy policy.

Commission Communication of 9 February 2005 on Winning the Battle Against Global Climate Change [COM(2005) 35 final - Official Journal C 125 of 21 May 2005].

On the basis of an analysis of the effects of climate change and the costs and benefits of mitigation, the Commission outlines a future EU climate change strategy. This strategy is underpinned mainly by implementing current policies, taking new measures that are coherent with other EU policies, stepping up research and international cooperation and raising public awareness.

Member of The Tribun also Drunk

2008-05-06T11:01:00.006+07:00

Asturias first wrote El Señor Presidente in response to the dictatorial rule of Manuel Estrada Cabrera. Because Asturias spent a decade writing the novel, the delay in its publication, and the fact that it never names its eponymous President, many scholars have noted that it could equally be taken to apply to the subsequent regime of Jorge Ubico. Moreover, since the novel's publication, it has been used to critique dictatorial rule throughout Latin America. In its examination of the nature of dictatorial power in general, it helped initiate the new genre of the dictator novel. As literary critic Gerald Martin argues, El Señor Presidente is "the first real dictator novel".

The dictator novel is a genre that has developed as a vehicle for Latin American writers to critique concentrated authority. Assistant Professor of Spanish at Walsh University, Jorge J Barrueto, argues that El Señor Presidente has been heralded as epitomizing dictatorship, "a phenomenon perceived to be a natural and inherent trait in the region". According to Garcia Calderon, the legacy of colonialism in Latin America has often led to the rise of an absolute authority, which seeks to contain a nation's inner conflict. Once in power, the man in charge often seeks complete control; he often amends constitutions, dismantling laws which previously prevented his re-election. For example, in 1899 General Manuel Estrada Cabrera altered the Guatemalan Constitution which had previously prohibited his re-election. Typically, however, dictator novels attempt to examine the abstract nature of authority figures and to question the idea of authority in general instead of focusing on the rule of a particular dictator.
Asturias's text marks a dramatic shift in narrative writing. Precursors such as Domingo Sarmiento's Facundo (1845) were judged on how adequately they reflected reality. With its stylized magic realism, Asturias's El Señor Presidente broke from this realist paradigm—it is an avant-garde novel that laid the foundation for many other authors to develop what is now a broad and extensive genre.
Style According to Latin American literary scholar Gerald Martin, Asturias's El Señor Presidente, which was written and published before the Latin American Boom of the 1960s, uses a style now classified as the "new novel" or "new narrative". In this novel, Asturias breaks from the historic and realist style that dominated novels at the time. Martin argues that the novel "exemplifies more clearly than any other novel the crucial link between European Surrealism and Latin American Magical Realism. It is, indeed, the first fully-fledged Surrealist novel in Latin America."
Richard Franklin contends that on occasion surrealist writing obscures meaning, but in El Señor Presidente Asturias avoids this flaw. His combination of rationalism with "a world of forms" creates "an imagery which reveals a deeper reality, one which is more deeply rooted in the human psyche". As such, Asturias's surrealist style highlights the modern disintegration of long-standing belief systems.[49] Literary scholar Gabriele Eckart gives as an excellent example of Asturias's surrealist style his portrayal of The Zany's psychic processes in which "language sometimes breaks apart into incomprehensible sounds". This allows Asturias to present the real and imaginary, as well as the communicable and incommunicable, as non-contradictory. Himelblau also highlights how El Señor Presidente projects "reality in relative, fluid terms—that is it allows its characters to disclose the temporal setting of the novel's fictional events". In this regard, then, Himelblau notes that El Señor Presidente "is also, as far as we are aware, the first novel in Spanish America that seeks to render fictional reality of time as a function of point of view".[52] The novel defies traditional narrative style by inserting numerous episodes that contribute little or nothing to the plot as the characters in these episodes often appear inconsistently. Instead of relaying the book's themes through characters, Asturias uses repetition of motifs and a mythical substructure to solidify the book's message.

Asturias employs figurative language to describe dream imagery and the irrational. Literary critic Hughes Davies points out that Asturias frequently appeals to the reader's auditory senses. Asturias's often incantatory style employs "unadulterated poetry to reinforce his imagery through sound". This helps readers to understand the physical as well as the psychological aspects of the novel. According to Knightly, "few of Asturias's characters have much psychological depth; their inner conflicts tend to be externalized and played out at the archetypal level".[53] More significantly, Asturias was the first Latin American novelist to combine stream of consciousness writing and figurative language. Hughes Davies argues that from the outset of El Señor Presidente, the gap between words and reality is exemplified through onomatopoeia, simile and repetition of phrases. Knightly notes that "animistic elements surface occasionally in the characters' stream of consciousness". For example, in the chapter "Tohil's Dance", Tohil, the God of Rain in Maya mythology, is imagined by Angel Face as arriving "riding on a river of pigeons' breasts which flowed like milk". In Angel Face's vision, Tohil demands a human sacrifice and is content only so long as he "can prevail over men who are hunters of men". Tohil pronounces: "Henceforth there will be neither true death nor true life. Now dance." As Knightly explains, this scene follows the President's orders for Miguel Angel Face to go on a mission that ends in his death,[53] and is "a sign of the President's evil nature and purposes". Davies contends that these literary techniques, when "combined together with a discontinuous structure, give the text its surrealistic and nightmarish atmosphere".

Reality versus dream
Asturias blurs the separation between dream and reality throughout El Señor Presidente, making it one of the novel's most prominent themes. Latin American writer and critic Ariel Dorfman notes that the mixing of dream and reality is partly a result of Asturias's frequent use of figurative language. This stylistic choice is reflected in the content of the story itself, which suggests that an important effect of dictatorial power is the blurring of dreams and reality. Dorfman also notes that the President is sustained by fear, which further blurs the distinction between reality and dream. This fear grants him the voluntary or involuntary support of others, enabling the President to exercise his mandates. Dorfman asserts that the President's use of fear elevates his mandates to legends. These legends are then able to "impose itself upon reality because men live it fully in a way to make sense of their humanity". One example of this theme, elucidated by Eckart, is a series of scenes leading to the arrest of the lawyer Carvajal. When the President decides to blame Carvajal for the murder of Colonel Sonriente, it is clear that Carvajal is confounded by the charges. Moreover, despite being a lawyer, Carvajal is unable to defend himself during the sham trial with "the members of the tribunal so drunk that they cannot hear him". As Eckart asserts, "to be captured and tortured without ever knowing why is another horrible feature of a dictatorship. For the victim, reality unexpectedly becomes unreality, no longer comprehensible by a logical mind."Therefore, the use of fear by a dictatorship blurs the line between reality and dream for the people being ruled.
Asturias's ambiguous use of detail adds to the confusion between reality and dream. For example, the title pages of parts one and two state that they take place between April 21 and 27. Part three, on the other hand, occurs over "Weeks, Months, Years". While this time-scale initially appears very specific, no year is indicated. Furthermore, the novel is set in a country similar to Guatemala and includes references to Maya gods (such as in the chapter "Tohil's Dance") but no direct statement by any character confirms this. Bauman argues that Asturias, by "preferring instead to distance himself from the immediate historical reality and focus critical light on the internal problems", attends to what "he sees there". This enables Asturias to address a wider audience, not restricted to Guatemalans, that can relate individually to the experience of living under dictatorial rule.
In obscuring reality, truth becomes unclear. As literary critic Mireille Rosello notes, it is the President who decides what is true, denying any other opinion, even if other characters witness an event with their own eyes or ears. Unlike the characters in the novel, readers are aware that the characters are relying on a notion of truth or reality that no longer exists under the dictatorship of the President. "Truth" does not exist before the President puts it into words, and even at that, the only "truth" under dictatorial rule is the words the President is speaking at any given moment—one cannot even safely repeat the President's versions of events. The characters are thus left unaware of what constitutes the "truth".

Writing and power
A major theme of the dictator novel concerns the use of writing as a medium of power. In El Señor Presidente, Asturias uses language to challenge dictatorial power. Throughout the novel the reader observes the authority of the President over the people through his control of what they write. In the chapter "The President's Mail-Bag", a stream of letters informs the President of peoples' actions. While many are "writing the truth" and turning in their fellow citizens, many others feel that "it is not safe to trust to paper". Writing is closely linked to authority and is a means to solidify power, because language can be manipulated into lies that eventually kill. For example, the President orders a newspaper to include the false statement that he attended the wedding of Camila, the daughter of General Canales. When the General reads these words and perceives them as truth, his heart is broken and he subsequently dies. Miguel Angel Face is also killed by the manipulation of words: he is told that Camila has become the President's mistress, and upon hearing this falsified news, he loses the will to live. These episodes in the novel demonstrate how closely language, the written word, and power are linked. The characters in El Señor Presidente lose their sense of reality, making it difficult for them to know who to trust. As Rosello argues, "in this state of terror, language is deliberately used as a means of seducing the addressee into harmlessness, and has lost its function of conveying information".

Their values to the extent that compassion for one's Companion

2008-05-06T10:54:00.004+07:00

The Zany (orig. Spanish el Pelele), also translated as the Idiot by some critics, appears only in the first four chapters and again at the end of chapter seven but serves a critical function in the novel. The Zany, who "looked like a corpse when he was asleep" and had eyes that "saw nothing, felt nothing" is critical to establishing the tone of the novel and triggering the novel's action. Critic John Walker argues that, by "choosing the Idiot as a representative of the innocent, a political, who suffer the abuses of a totalitarian regime Asturias shows how dictatorship corrupts people and destroys their values to the extent that compassion for one's companion in distress ceases to exist."In fact, it becomes clear that the only happiness that the Zany experiences is through the memory of his dead mother. Asturias then shows how el Pelele, a mother-loving figure, "suffers at the hands of those who, long under the domination of the over-aggressive father figure, lack love and pity".

Furthermore, el Pelele is a tool that allows readers to see the psychological effects of living under a dictatorship ruled by terror. His murderous act seems to trigger the subsequent events of the novel and to impact on all the characters. Also important is the fact that the one moment of complete happiness experienced by the Zany in the novel takes place while he is in a dream-like state. Walker argues that this serves to highlight the harsh, nightmarish world of reality in which he has been forced to live.

Minor characters
The novel includes a host of minor characters who, in Richard Franklin's words, "grope for the means to assert the validity of self and to anchor this individuality in a nightmare which constantly faces it with black nothingness". These characters range from Colonel José Parrales Sonriente, otherwise known as the "man with the little mule", whose murder at the Cathedral Porch opens the novel, to a series of beggars, prisoners, minor officials, relatives, flatterers, barkeepers and prostitutes. Some of these are tragic figures, such as Fedina de Rodas, who readers see tortured and then sold to a brothel while she still clutches her dead baby in her arms. Others, however, provide comic relief. Sometimes they have colorful or playful names or nicknames, such as "Flatfoot" (a beggar), the "Talking Cow" (a woman who delivers a speech of praise to the President), or Doña Benjamin VenJamón , who, with her husband the puppet-master Don Benjamin, closes the novel with a lament for the demise of the Cathedral Porch.

Main article: Magic realism
According to scholar Luis Leal, in the genre of magic realism, "the writer confronts reality and tries to untangle it, to discover what is mysterious in things, in life, in human acts." Magic realist writing does not create imaginary creatures or places; instead, the writer tries to display "the mysterious relationship between man and his circumstances". Leal further points out that in magic realism, "key events have no logical or psychological explanation. The magical realist does not try to copy the surrounding reality or to wound it but to seize the mystery that breathes behind things." He also clarifies that "magical realism is not magic literature either. Its aim, unlike that of magic, is to express emotions, not to evoke them".
To many scholars, El Señor Presidente is a landmark Latin American novel because of Asturias's early use of magic realism, a literary technique often employed by acclaimed Latin American writers such as Gabriel García Márquez. In an interview with Asturias, Gunter Lorenz heralded Asturias as the inventor of magic realism, and even as its most successful practitioner. Asturias himself defines this style not as "a concrete reality but a reality that arises from a definitely magical imagination ... in which we see the real disappear and the dream emerge, in which dreams are transformed into a tangible reality". Richard Franklin argues that magic realism is most evident in Asturias's exploration and depiction of the innermost reality of the human mind. This exploration is Thiscombined with "the material content of an urban mass caught in the grip of an iron regime" throughout the novel. Franklin goes on to herald the synthesis of these two elements as "a real contribution to the novelistic genre of America".

Modern Development Economics

2008-05-06T10:51:00.008+07:00

The origins of modern development economics are often traced to the need for, and likely problems with the industrialization of eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War II. The key authors are Paul Rosenstein-Rodan,Kurt Mandelbaum and Ragnar Nurkse. Only after the war did economists turn their concerns towards Asia, Africa and Latin America. At the heart of these studies, by authors such as Simon Kuznets and W. Arthur Lewis was an analysis of not only economic growth but also structural transformation.

Linear-stages-of-growth model
An early theory of development economics, the linear-stages-of-growth model was first formulated in the 1950s by W. W. Rostow in The Stages of Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto. This theory modifies Marx's stages theory of development and focuses on the accelerated accumulation of capital, through the utilization of both domestic and international savings as a means of spurring investment, as the primary means of promoting economic growth and, thus, development.

The linear-stages-of-growth model posits that there are a series of five consecutive stages of development which all countries must go through during the process of development. These stages are “the traditional society, the pre-conditions for take-off, the take-off, the drive to maturity, and the age of high mass-consumption” Simple versions of the Harrod-Domar Model provide a mathematical illustration of the argument that improved capital investment leads to greater economic growth.

Such theories have been criticized for not recognizing that, while necessary, capital accumulation is not a sufficient condition for development. That is to say that this early and simplistic theory failed to account for political, social and institutional obstacles to development. Furthermore, this theory was developed in the early years of the Cold War and was largely derived from the successes of the Marshall Plan. This has led to the major criticism that the theory assumes that the conditions found in developing countries are the same as those found in post-WWII Europe.

Structural-change theory
Structural-change theory deals with policies focused on changing the economic structures of developing countries from being primarily comprised of subsistence agricultural practices to being a “more modern, more urbanized, and more industrially diverse manufacturing and service economy.” There are two major forms of structural-change theory; W. Lewis’ two-sector surplus model, which views agrarian societies as consisting of large amounts of surplus labor which can be utilized to spur the development of an urbanized industrial sector, and Hollis Chenery’s patterns of development approach, which is the empirical analysis of the “sequential process through which the economic, industrial and institutional structure of an underdeveloped economy is transformed over time to permit new industries to replace traditional agriculture as the engine of economic growth.”

Structural-change approaches to development economics have faced criticism for their emphasis on urban development at the expense of rural development which can lead to a substantial rise in inequality between internal regions of a country. The two-sector surplus model, which was developed in the 1950s, has been further criticized for its underlying assumption that predominantly agrarian societies suffer from a surplus of labor. Actual empirical studies have shown that such labor surpluses are only seasonal and drawing such labor to urban areas can result in a collapse of the agricultural sector. The patterns of development approach has been criticized for lacking a theoretical framework.

International dependence theory
International dependence theories gained prominence in the 1970s as a reaction to the failure of earlier theories to lead to widespread successes in international development. Unlike earlier theories, international dependence theories have their origins in developing countries and view obstacles to development as being primarily external in nature, rather than internal. These theories view developing countries as being economically and politically dependent on more powerful, developed countries which have an interest in maintaining their dominant position. There are three different, major formulations of international dependence theory; neocolonial dependence theory, the false-paradigm model and the dualistic-dependence model. The first formulation of international dependence theory, neocolonial dependence theory has its origins in Marxism and views the failure of many developing nations to undergo successful development as being the result of the historical development of the international capitalist system.

Neoclassical theory
First gaining prominency with the rise of several conservative governments in the West during the 1980s, neoclassical theories represents a radical shift away from International Dependence Theories. Neoclassical theories argue that governments should not intervene in the economy; in other words, these theories are claiming that an unobstructed free market is the best means of inducing rapid and successful development. Competitive free markets unrestrained by excessive government regulation are seen as being able to naturally ensure that the allocation of resources occurs with the greatest efficiency possible and the economic growth is raised and stabilized.

It is important to note that there are several different approaches within the realm of neoclassical theory, each with subtle, but important, differences in their views regarding the extent to which the market should be left unregulated. These different takes on neoclassical theory are the free market approach, public-choice theory, and the market-friendly approach. Of the three, both the free-market approach and public-choice theory contend that the market should be totally free, meaning that any intervention by the government is necessarily bad. Public-choice theory is arguably the more radical of the two with its view, closely associated with libertarianism, that governments themselves are rarely good and therefore should be as minimal as possible.

The market-friendly approach, unlike the other two, is a more recent development and is often associated with the World Bank. This approach still advocates free markets but recognizes that there are many imperfections in the markets of many developing nations and thus argues that some government intervention is an effective means of fixing such imperfections

Topics of Research
Development economics also includes topics such as Third World debt, and the functions of such organisations as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Many economists in this field are interested in ways of promoting stable and sustainable growth in poor countries and areas, by promoting self reliance and education in some of the lowest income countries in the world. Where economic issues merge with social and political ones, it is referred to as development studies.

Growth indicator controversy
Per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP per head) is used by many developmental economists as an approximation of general national well-being. However, these measures are criticized as not measuring economic growth well enough, especially in countries where there is much economic activity that is not part of measured financial transactions (such as housekeeping and self-homebuilding), or where funding is not available for accurate measurements to be made publicly available for other economists to use in their studies (including private and institutional fraud, in some countries). Even though per-capita GDP as measured can make economic well-being appear smaller than it really is in some developing countries, the discrepancy could be still bigger in a developed country where people may perform outside of financial transactions an even higher-value service than housekeeping or homebuilding as gifts or in their own households, such as counseling, lifestyle coaching, a more valuable home décor service, and time management. Even free choice can be considered to add value to lifestyles without necessarily increasing the financial transaction amounts. More recent theories of Human Development have begun to see beyond purely financial measures of development, for example with measures such as medical care available, education, equality, and political freedom. One measure used is the Genuine Progress Indicator, which relates strongly to theories of distributive justice. Actual knowledge about what creates growth is largely unproven; however recent advances in econometrics and more accurate measurements in many countries is creating new knowledge by compensating for the effects of variables to determine probable causes out of merely correlational statistics.

Recent developments
The most prominent contemporary development economist is perhaps the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. Recent theories revolve around questions about what variables or inputs correlate or affect economic growth the most: elementary, secondary, or higher education, government policy stability, low tariffs, fair court systems, available infrastructure, availability of medical care, prenatal care and clean water, ease of entry and exit into trade, and equality of income distribution (for example, as indicated by the Gini coefficient), and how to advise governments about macroeconomic policies, which include all policies that affect the economy. Education enables countries to adapt the latest technology and creates an environment for new innovations. The cause of limited growth and divergence in economic growth lies in the high rate of acceleration of technological change by a small number of developed countries. These countries’ acceleration of technology was due to increased incentive structures for mass education which in turn created a framework for the population to create and adapt new innovations and methods. Furthermore, the content of their education was composed of secular schooling that resulted in higher productivity levels and modern economic growth.

Last and only thing that remained alive in him and ultimately

2008-05-06T10:35:00.011+07:00

In the early morning, Fedina de Rodas rushes to Canales's house in an attempt to save him from arrest for the murder of Colonel Sonriente. She arrives too late and is found by the Judge Advocate, an aide to the President. He arrests her as an accomplice in Canales's escape, and tortures her in hopes of learning Canales's location. The soldiers smear lime on her breasts before giving her back her baby, which causes its death as it refuses to feed from "the sharpness of the lime".

Back at the Two Step, Miguel Angel Face visits Camila. He tries to find her a home with her aunts and uncles but they all refuse to take her in for fear of losing their friends and being associated with "the daughter of one of the President's enemies". More is revealed of Miguel Angel Face's complex character and the struggle between his physical desires for Camila and his desire to become a better person in a world ruled by terror.
Camila grows very ill and a boy is sent to inform Miguel Angel Face that her condition has worsened. He dresses quickly and rushes to the Two Step to see her. Eventually relieved of charges by the President, Fedina de Rodas is purchased by a brothel, and when it is discovered that she is holding her dead baby in her arms, she is placed in a hospital. Miguel Angel Face informs Major Farfan, who is in the service of the President, that there is a threat to his life. By this act saving a man in danger, Angel Face hopes "God would grant him Camila's life in exchange". General Canales escapes into a village and, assisted by three sisters and a smuggler, crosses the frontier of the country.

A student, a sacristan and Abel Carvajal, together in a prison cell, talk because they are "terrified of the silence" and "terrified of the darkness". Carvajal's wife runs all over town, visiting the President and influential figures such as the Judge Advocate, begging for her husband's release because she is left in the dark regarding what has happened to him. Carvajal is given a chance to read his indictment but, unable to defend himself against falsified evidence, is sentenced to execution.
Miguel Angel Face is advised that if he really loves her then Camila can be spared "by means of the sacrament of marriage" and the two of them are soon married. Camila is healing and struggling with the complexities of her new marriage. General Canales dies suddenly in the midst of plans to lead a revolution when he is falsely informed that the President has attended his daughter’s wedding.The President runs for re-election, championed in a bar by his fawning supporters, while Angel Face is entrusted with an international diplomatic mission. Camila and Angel Face share an emotional parting. Major Farfan intercepts Angel Face once he reaches the port and arrests him on the President’s orders. Angel Face is violently beaten and imprisoned and an impostor takes his place on the departing ship. Camila, now pregnant, waits anxiously for letters from her husband. When she is past hope, Camila moves to the countryside with her young boy, whom she calls Miguel. Angel Face becomes the nameless prisoner in cell 17. He thinks constantly of Camila as the hope of seeing her again is the "last and only thing that remained alive in him" and ultimately dies heartbroken when he is falsely told that she has become the President’s mistress.
The Cathedral Porch stands in ruins and prisoners who have been released are quickly replaced by other unfortunate souls. The puppet-master, Don Benjamin, has been reduced to madness because of the environment of terror he has been made to endure. Readers are given one more glimpse of the maddening state of life under a dictatorship. The epilogue concludes with a more hopeful tone, which is seen through a "mother's voice telling her rosary" which concludes with the Kyrie eleison; the call for the "Lord to have Mercy".

Despite the manifest influence of Asturias's

2008-05-05T17:41:00.005+07:00

Even though El Señor Presidente was written in France and is set in an unnamed Latin American country, governed by an unnamed President in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, there is still plenty of support linking the novel to the Estrada Cabrera era in Guatemala. For example, as critic Jack Himelblau explains, "Asturias wrote his novel primarily with his compatriots in mind, who, undoubtedly, had lived through the tyranny of Estrada Cabrera from 1898 to 1920." Manuel Estrada Cabrera was notorious for his brutal repression of dissent in Guatemala, and Asturias had been involved in protests against his rule in 1920. Asturias integrated and reworked incidents from Estrada Cabrera's dictatorship into the novel, such as the torture of a political adversary, who had been tricked "into believing that his innocent wife had been unfaithful to him".

U.S. and other foreign diplomats. Rather than go into exile, however, the ex-president opted to defend himself against criminal charges. In the ensuing trial, Asturias served as a legal secretary and so, as Gregory Rabassa's biographical sketch points out, he had the opportunity to base his own fictional leader—the President—on his observations of the disgraced Guatemalan dictator. As Asturias himself put it:
I saw him almost every day in the prison. And I found that there's no doubt that men like that have a special power over people. To the extent that while he was a prisoner people would say: "No, that can't be Estrada Cabrera. The real Estrada Cabrera escaped. This is some poor old man that they've locked up in here."
El Señor Presidente was not published until years after it was written. Asturias claims that Jorge Ubico y Castañeda, the dictator of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944, "prohibited its publication because his predecessor, Estrada Cabrera, was my Señor Presidente which meant that the book posed a danger to him as well". Additionally, because Ubico was Guatemala's dictator while the novel was being finished, critics have linked him with the characterization of the President in El Señor Presidente. As Himelblau notes, elements of the book "could easily have been interpreted as reflecting General Ubico's dictatorship". The novel eventually first saw the light of day in Mexico, in 1946, at a time when Juan José Arévalo was serving as Guatemala's first democratically elected president.
Even though El Señor Presidente was written in France and is set in an unnamed Latin American country, governed by an unnamed President in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, there is still plenty of support linking the novel to the Estrada Cabrera era in Guatemala. For example, as critic Jack Himelblau explains, "Asturias [...] wrote his novel primarily with his compatriots in mind, who, undoubtedly, had lived through the tyranny of Estrada Cabrera from 1898 to 1920." Manuel Estrada Cabrera was notorious for his brutal repression of dissent in Guatemala, and Asturias had been involved in protests against his rule in 1920. Asturias integrated and reworked incidents from Estrada Cabrera's dictatorship into the novel, such as the torture of a political adversary, who had been tricked "into believing that his innocent wife had been unfaithful to him".
Estrada Cabrera was eventually forced out of office as a result of popular disturbances and the intervention of U.S. and other foreign diplomats. Rather than go into exile, however, the ex-president opted to defend himself against criminal charges. In the ensuing trial, Asturias served as a legal secretary and so, as Gregory Rabassa's biographical sketch points out, he had the opportunity to base his own fictional leader—the President—on his observations of the disgraced Guatemalan dictator. As Asturias himself put it:
I saw him almost every day in the prison. And I found that there's no doubt that men like that have a special power over people. To the extent that while he was a prisoner people would say: "No, that can't be Estrada Cabrera. The real Estrada Cabrera escaped. This is some poor old man that they've locked up in here."
El Señor Presidente was not published until years after it was written. Asturias claims that Jorge Ubico y Castañeda, the dictator of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944, "prohibited its publication because his predecessor, Estrada Cabrera, was my Señor Presidente which meant that the book posed a danger to him as well".Additionally, because Ubico was Guatemala's dictator while the novel was being finished, critics have linked him with the characterization of the President in El Señor Presidente. As Himelblau notes, elements of the book "could easily have been interpreted as reflecting General Ubico's dictatorship".The novel eventually first saw the light of day in Mexico, in 1946, at a time when Juan José Arévalo was serving as Guatemala's first democratically elected president.
Despite the manifest influence of Asturias's experiences in Guatemala under Estrada Cabrera and Ubico, and despite certain historical ties, critic Richard Callan observes that Asturias's "attention is not limited to his times and nation, but ranges across the world and reaches back through the ages. By linking his created world with the dawn of history, and his twentieth-century characters with myths and archetypes, he has anchored them to themes of universal significance Asturias himself affirms that he "wrote El Señor Presidente without a social commitment". By this he means that unlike some of his other books, such as Leyendas de Guatemala (Legends of Guatemala) or Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize), "El Señor Presidente had a wider relevance because it did not focus so heavily on Guatemalan myths and traditions." Asturias depicts aspects of life that are common to all dictatorial regimes, and so establishes El Señor Presidente as one of his most influential works.experiences in Guatemala under Estrada Cabrera and Ubico, and despite certain historical ties, critic Richard Callan observes that Asturias's "attention is not limited to his times and nation, but ranges across the world and reaches back through the ages. By linking his created world with the dawn of history, and his twentieth-century characters with myths and archetypes, he has anchored them to themes of universal significance."Asturias himself affirms that he "wrote El Señor Presidente without a social commitment". By this he means that unlike some of his other books, such as Leyendas de Guatemala (Legends of Guatemala) or Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize), "El Señor Presidente had a wider relevance because it did not focus so heavily on Guatemalan myths and traditions." Asturias depicts aspects of life that are common to all dictatorial regimes, and so establishes El Señor Presidente as one of his most influential works.

Screen Writing Today

2008-05-05T17:03:00.003+07:00

The year is 1890. Directors, editors, and cameramen are making silent films with the help of a "scenarist," usually an ex-vaudeville actor who invents humorous situations. But where are the screenwriters?
"Screenwriting is the toughest craft, and when you write well, when you can create a good story, peopled with good characters that truly relate to each other, that evoke tears or laughter that is human and durable, then you can write your own ticket."

These early films don't need them. Without sound, there is no need for dialogue.
All of that changed with the advent of sound for film in the 1920s. Suddenly, actors needed something to say. Writers flocked to Hollywood in droves from Broadway and from the worlds of literature and journalism. For a brief time in the 1930s, some of the world's most famous writers wrote Hollywood scripts: William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bertolt Brecht, and Thomas Mann.
In 1932, William Faulkner earned $6,000 in salary and rights for a story, a substantial amount of money at the time. Just five years later, F. Scott Fitzgerald earned $1,250 per week, more money than he had ever earned in his life, and enough to get him out of the serious debt he had fallen into. Despite generous pay, the conditions under which these world-renowned writers labored were anything but ideal. Hollywood was a factory system, churning out movies at a furious pace. Screenwriters found themselves at the bottom rung of the studio ladder.
By the end of World War II, screenwriters were complaining about their place in the Hollywood machine. Leonard Spigelgass, editor of Who Wrote the Movie and What Else Did He Write (Writer's Guild, 1960), summed up the situation:
"Over the years we have been called hacks, high-priced secretaries, creatures of the director or producer, pulp writers, craftsmen, sell-outs, cop-outs, mechanical robots. No Pulitzer Prizes for us, no Nobels, no mention of our names...."
Screenwriters continued to earn little prestige for their hard work, until the filmmaking system experienced some important shifts.
The status of movie stars began to increase, and writers often found them to be powerful allies. Occasionally, stars would request a script by a particular writer, as happened with Katherine Hepburn and the movie Woman of the Year. Hepburn brought the script to the attention of studio head Louis B. Mayer, and the script's writers, Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin, received $100,000 for its use.
A few writers also managed to obtain creative control over their work. John Huston, a well-known filmmaker who began as a writer, demanded a clause in his contract with the studio that would give him the opportunity to direct. A screenwriter gained more respect if he demonstrated a real talent for directing.
Increasingly, writers became more important players within the studio system. Even so, some left the security and good pay of the studio to freelance for whoever held the reins—studios, stars, or other players. By the late 1940s, screenwriting was a lucrative occupation.

Writers Under Fire: The 1950s
In the 1950s, the Supreme Court declared that studios that owned chains of movie houses had a monopoly. The practice was declared illegal, and this ruling marked the beginning of the end for the Hollywood movie moguls, the all-powerful studio heads who had reigned in the early days of the studio system. As screenwriters increasingly worked on a freelance or project-by-project basis, and as the powerful studios weakened, writers no longer enjoyed the same protection they once had.
At the same time, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began their campaign against suspected Communists. They doggedly pursued possible Communists in the film industry, which included going after screenwriters. Without the protection of the studios, writers were easy prey.
From 1947 to 1960, many writers, including the famous "Hollywood Ten," were blacklisted as a result of their investigation by HUAC. They were not allowed to work in the movie industry, sometimes for more than a decade. To stay afloat, many blacklisted writers went underground, writing under false names and using someone else to "front" their work. The blacklisting ended in 1960. That year, Dalton Trumbo, one of the blacklisted screenwriters, was given credit for writing the popular films Spartacus and Exodus.
Screenwriters today are important and often powerful players in the filmmaking process. They are paid as well as directors and producers are, and their work is considered an art. Screenplays are often published and sold to the general public in bookstores just like novels and plays.
Though rare in the 1930s and 1940s, many screenwriters today are asking to direct in order to guide their script through the filmmaking process. The number of writers who turn to directing steadily increases year after year. Even if they do not direct, screenwriters often have a say in the project from script through production, collaborating closely with actors and directors to foster their ideas through to finished film.

The old Lesson Applies and this Provocative New Book makes a Compelling Case

2008-05-05T16:25:00.008+07:00

Weil helpfully points out the lipstick-on-the-collar warning signs of trouble: maxed-out credit cards, bank accounts with cash missing or unaccounted for, a refusal to discuss finances or unopened bills and general secrecy about money. And watch out for a pattern of revenge shopping binges following fights.
The solution? Weil is a great believer in talking frankly about the problem. But some of her proposed conversations just don't sound real. For example, here's her suggestion for how a workaholic spouse should confront a partner about secret credit-card bills: "You must be so stressed and lonely.

I know my working late nights and on weekends contributed to this, big time! I want to help you with a plan for the credit card debt that's accumulated, probably from your 'weariness.'" Words not likely to ever be spoken. But Weil argues persuasively that from the beginning of the relationship, couples need to break through the broader societal taboo against discussing money openly. "Participating in a regular review of the relationship's financial and emotional balance sheets," she says, "is the first step in identifying and treating these issues."
It's not the crime, it's the cover-up. In politics and in marriage, the old lesson applies. And this provocative new book makes a compelling case that financial infidelity--lying to your partner about how much you spend, secretly playing the stock market or piling up debts--can be just as damaging to a relationship as adultery. "The dangerous thing about financial infidelity," writes Weil, "is not the secret itself, but the act of conscious deception in a relationship." Weil, a psychologist in New York City with 30 years of experience counseling troubled couples, takes an uncompromising position: "There's no such thing as an innocent financial fib." Even if you don't accept her zero-tolerance approach--Weil frowns on even the surreptitious picking of your partner's clothing pockets or wallet for extra cash--financial faithlessness may be more widespread than you think. According to a recent Harris poll, 40% of all adults in a committed relationship admitted to lying to their partner about spending habits

Latin America Litertaure

2008-05-05T16:18:00.004+07:00

El Señor Presidente (The President) is a 1946 novel written in Spanish by Nobel Prize-winning Guatemalan writer and diplomat Miguel Ángel Asturias. A landmark text in Latin American literature, El Señor Presidente explores the nature of political dictatorship and its effects on society. Asturias makes early use of a literary technique now known as magic realism. One of the most notable works of the dictator novel genre, El Señor Presidente developed from an earlier Asturias short story, written to protest social injustice in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in the author's home town.

Although El Señor Presidente does not explicitly identify its setting as early twentieth-century Guatemala, the novel's title character was inspired by the 1898–1920 presidency of Manuel Estrada Cabrera. Asturias began writing the novel in the 1920s and finished it in 1933, but the strict censorship policies of Guatemalan dictatorial governments delayed its publication for thirteen years.
The character of the President rarely appears in the story but Asturias creates a number of other characters to show the terrible effects of living under a dictatorship. His use of dream imagery, onomatopoeia, simile, and repetition of particular phrases, combined with a discontinuous structure, which consists of abrupt changes of style and viewpoint, springs from surrealist and ultraist influences. The style of El Señor Presidente influenced a generation of Latin American authors. The themes of Asturias's novel, such as the inability to tell reality apart from dreams, the power of the written word in the hands of authorities, and the alienation produced by tyranny, center around the experience of living under a dictatorship.
On its eventual publication in Mexico in 1946, El Señor Presidente quickly met with critical acclaim. In 1967, Asturias received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his entire body of work. This international acknowledgment was celebrated throughout Latin America, where it was seen as a recognition of the region's literature as a whole. Since then, El Señor Presidente has been adapted for the screen three times.