A Company Website is No Longer an Option

3
Dec/09
0

It was just 10 years ago that the local Telephone Yellow Pages in every town was the first place every business put their advertising dollars. For as little as $25 a year, a small business could be listed in this amazing reference book which every consumer reached for first in locating the business services and products they needed. A consumer even had to call their local Better Business Bureau to get information which took time and was very inconvenient for most individuals. Many local businesses paid individuals to put circulars on windshields and door knobs in their targeted marketing area. This was the best and most effective method of mass merchandising. Many of you reading this, including myself, earned some great spending money in our teens this way.
Small businesses never thought about doing business outside a 10 mile radius from their shop or their small town. The “Mom and Pop” business was content to service the customers in their geographic area and did not conceive they could compete outside their market area for any number of reasons. Many small retail establishments were more interested in doing everything they could to use their City Council to keep Wal-Mart from entering their market. Small manufacturing companies were watching their product being produced in China and Mexico and not being able to compete with these new manufacturers.
Every business cycle has its winners and losers and the cycle of the “Internet” has caused many small and medium businesses to fail while it has allowed many businesses to make dramatic changes, keep up with the new marketplace and increase their profitability.
I continue to be amazed at the small and medium businesses that do not feel the need to have a presence on the Web and continue to believe they are secure and happy with their local geographic marketplace. These, unfortunately, are businesses waiting to fail and close. This statement sounds harsh but is as factual as “death and taxes. ”
My twenty year old son has never used a YellowPage book and only knows to use www. yellowpages. com or www. superpages. com to find a business service or product locally. He believes my stories about the annual YellowPages are as useful as my father’s discussion with me about his walking to school in the snow. My son automatically uses Google to find whatever he needs and purchases products from all over the world with ease.
My point is very simple here for every businessman who either doesn’t see the need or is afraid of taking the next step – DO IT and DO IT NOW !!
There are numerous web hosting companies that are very reliable. Many of these same companies have a free website building tool that allows most people with just an elementary knowledge of “computer speak” to build a useable and professional looking site in a short time period. There are many, many consulting companies and computer companies that will build and maintain a professional website at a cost that is comfortable for any business owner.   The bottom line is that you must have a Website to be a functioning part of today’s business environment and it must be and stay current to attract your customer base.
I have also stated loud and clear for many years that all business is global, whether we like it or not. The “Mom and Pop” business that makes and sells custom cowboy boots, ladies handbags, custom furniture or anything is now a global business. The medium business that sells scratch removal polish, water jugs, electronic components for transformers or anything else is now a global business.
The only businesses that are not global and can exist and thrive at this time are in third world countries where there is not adequate telephone, fax and internet communication or have a government that does not allow these facilities. If you live anywhere else in the world, you are and will continue to work in a global environment. Your business must adapt and embrace this new business community for the future success and profitability of your company.
When you create your website, do not put a 5 digit input field for “Zip Code. ” Ask your website designer to put in the fields for “Zip Code/Postal Code” and make sure you add a field for “Country. ” Remember that the German businessman, who uses the internet to find better products and services, may want to contact you. Do not make it difficult for your potential customers to contact you.
Finally, do your homework and ensure your web hosting company submits your site to the internet search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and AOL. It is fairly easy to do this yourself but you will be busy increasing your infrastructure for the new business you are creating thanks to your new global web based business.

Mel Luigs is the President and CEO of AML & Associates, a national management consulting company, which provides a “Part Time” CFO for small and medium business that want to grow and expand. He is a highly accomplished executive with a solid history of developing critical business solutions and demonstrated leadership in both small and Fortune 500 companies. He has a strong combination of operational and financial expertise in both the manufacturing, retail and franchise business areas along with a solid background building strong working relationships, growing small companies or departments, building customer oriented teams and obtaining results. His company website is www. aml-associates. com

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Playing the Game: Subverting Colonial Power Structures in Mathabane’s Kaffir Boy and Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease

3
Dec/09
0

Mark Mathabane’s 1986 autobiography, Kaffir Boy, describes his upbringing under South African apartheid and the process by which he escapes to the United States. A bright student, young Mark devours the books his mother’s white employer lends him, and through their relationship, he also begins playing tennis – which was pretty high on the list of white and upper-crusty sports in those days. Under the guidance of a black player, Mark becomes so skilled that he is invited to play at an all-white tennis club. Surprisingly, nobody at the club cares that this is a huge rule violation, and Mark’s presence not only dispels some white stereotypes about blacks, but also makes him recognize his own fundamental equality with a world that would have him think otherwise. Eventually, Mark’s mentor encourages him to play for the South African Breweries’ Open, which the apartheid government has made multi-racial in a feeble attempt to improve their international image. Insulted by their country’s transparent and self-serving gesture, every black player decides to boycott the event – except Mark. Although his participation outcasts him from the black community, it also has huge symbolic implications. Mark crosses into the white sectors of Johannesburg – which was against the law at the time – to play a very elite sport, thus literally beating the colonizers at their own game. On a more practical level, showcasing his ability earns him a scholarship to Limestone College in South Carolina, which not only allows him to escape South Africa, but also brings him to a place where his story can be heard and make a difference. Kaffir Boy just goes to show that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em – and THEN beat ‘em. In a similar tradition of African literature is Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, who is best known for a series of novels about British colonization that includes Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease. Although Achebe is the most widely-translated African author in the world, he has received strong criticism for not writing in his native Igbo. Unlike Mathabane, Achebe still called Africa home when he decided to write in English. Just as Mathabane finds himself defending his participation in the tennis open, Achebe must argue for his use of English over Igbo. First, English is the only language spoken across all of Nigeria (not to mention most of the rest of the world), which allows his message to reach millions instead of just thousands or even hundreds. Secondly, Achebe never allows the language to confine him; he manipulates English to conform to Igbo style, mimic its cadence, and express its proverbs. By “extending the frontiers of English so as to accommodate African thought-patterns,” Achebe forces the language to serve him, thus subverting voice of the colonizer to convey that of the oppressed.

Shmoop is an online study guide for English Literature like Kaffir Boy and Things Fall Apart. Its content is written by Ph. D. and Masters students from top universities, like Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale who have also taught at the high school and college levels. Teachers and students should feel confident to cite Shmoop.

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Will Erica Baxter and James Packer last longer than Jodhi Meares and James Packer?

2
Dec/09
1

http://www.ericapacker.com

How long did bikini model Jodhi Meares stay married to that fat ugly idiot billionaire James Packer? Less than 3 years wasn’t it?

Now he is marrying another model. Are all models gold diggers or just the smart ones? I suppose it makes sense to try and make a quick buck out of having good looks. Even stooping as low as to sucker some drooling naive media mogul into marriage.

http://www.jodhimeares.com

Jodhi got a beach house and her own swimwear company out of screwing the guy for awhile.

James Packer is a classic example of everything which is most hated about western capitalism. He was born rich having inherited his vast fortune from that lowlife Kerry Packer. A thug who also inherited his money from another jerk.

After blowing billions on that One Tel fiasco James has proven himself a moron. I wonder how long it will be before this Scientologist clutz is again paying a divorce settlement.

Less than two years this time I reckon.

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