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Top 10 Reasons for Studying Medicine or Dentistry in Eastern Europe
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Many students have been unsuccessful in pursuing medicine or dentistry in their home countries such as UK, Germany, USA. The nature of such courses is highly competitive. Here's why you should consider studying in Europe:
- The course is taught entirely in English, with a foreign language class taught a few hours per week to help you fit in to the country and culture. The foreign language class can assist you when you communicate with the local people or with your patients, as well as when interacting in typical every situations with your new international friends.
- You will be studying medicine or dentistry at some of the best universities in Europe. Even if your grades are not the best, you can still get accepted into some world class university as many Medical Faculties in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Ukraine and many more allow some flexibility with grade requirements. Universities will not disregard your application and will individually look at your overall performance to give you a chance. Medical Schools in Europe want you to be able to puruse your dream so they'll give you a chance to study. It then depends on you to keep up with medical school and show them what you're worth.
- You'll be studying medicine or dentistry at some of the largest medical campuses worldwide and largest teaching hospitals in Europe. The universities are all surrounded by very reputable teaching hospitals with many specialties and specialists. Some universities have specific centers like a military hospital or private hospitals with up to date technology, methodology and equipment.
- Thousands of UK students are opting for studying medicine in Europe. The international community of students from the UK and Germany and other countries is amazing! There are many students who were in your shoes and managed to pursue their dream career abroad, and so should you.
- Europe is alive, beautiful and safe, you'll experience a true culturally rich experience.
- You'll have an exciting additional option, as opposed to the limited four university options that UCAS in the UK allows you. You can apply to as many medical universities in Europe as you like – your options are limitless. Apply to each university with its procedures and have an unlimited option of universities to choose from.
- Annual Tuition fees begin from € 3000 per year. The tuition is paid in one or two instalments every year. Usually, non-EU applicants must pay the tuition upfront before applying for the visa
- Living expenses are very low, you can live very comfortably on under € 300 per month. Living costs are fantastic and you will love living like a king with such a small amount of money. A Euro or Pound is twice or sometimes thrice as strong as the local currency making everything super cheap.
- This will be a great back-up option and your safety net incase you are not accepted into medicine back home. Don't risk losing out on a year of your life because of medical school decided to not accept you, because you're not the best of the best of the best!
- You are guaranteed a job after graduation from medical school in Europe as a doctor, as the universities are accepted worldwide.
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Source by Osman M

Views: 1
November 12, 2022
What Your Doctor Knows About Varicose Vein Surgery Cost – And You Should, Too

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If you know someone who deals with frequent doctor's, you're probably taken back by the number of medical procedures you've never heard of before. Particular medical procedures you might not be familiar with are those that pertain to varicose veins, and while that's not necessarily news, what you might want a little light shown on is varicose vein surgery cost.

The one thing that is no secret is the cost of healthcare in this country. The cost of trying to be a healthy person nowadays is astoundingly high, which can often make people shy away from seeing a doctor. When it comes to varicose veins, the last thing most people will do is see their doctor about getting rid of them because it seems like an expense that's not worth making. After all, getting rid of them is often a cosmetic procedure, and dropping serious money on what essentially feels like a vanity project seems frivolous.

Herein, however, lies the problem. Too many people are making a medical decision based on its cost-effectiveness. While this is a much bigger problem in terms of healthcare (way too big for the purposes of this article), it comes down to patients not taking the time to consult their physicians, which can be dangerous. It's time to be proactive patients and act as savvy consumers. Cost is often looked at as a taboo subject, but you deserve to know everything you can to make an informed decision. When it comes to your varicose veins, you need your doctor to be upfront about the cost of surgery to treat them.

Here are some things you may learn from your physician about varicose vein surgery cost:

Surgery Costs More Money Than Other Treatments – Because of the invasive nature of surgery, it costs more. It can also lead to longer periods of recovery and may not have the outpatient recovery other treatments do.

There Is More Than One Treatment Possibility – Surgery is one of the last treatments noted in dealing with varicose veins. Be sure to ask your doctor about these possibilities first.

Insurance May Not Pay – Varicose vein treatments tend to be seen as cosmetic, therefore they're labeled as elective procedures, which most insurance plans don't cover. You need to know this before any treatments.

Less Invasive Can Be Best – Many of the treatments can be done in the office and have relatively low recovery periods. This is becoming quite the norm for most medical procedures and might be the best course of action for your varicose veins.

Alternative Medicine – Though a little on the edge, ask you doctor about any alternative medicine options. While most medical professionals may scoff at alternative medicine (herbal and dietary supplements), others may be enlightened enough to note some possibilities, though they'll be quick to note that there isn't much information out there to consider them viable options.

Varicose vein surgery cost can keep individuals from going through with the procedure just because they don't know how to pay for it. If there are issues with their insurance or simply with income, paying for surgery is almost impossible. Discuss these issues with your doctor and have honest conversations about all facets of your varicose vein treatment. The last thing you want to do is leave your health mired in misinformation & matters of billing.

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Source by Morris Raymond

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Family Medicine And Family Physicians

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To become a family physician, men and women go through a four-year degree program, they study in an accredited family medical medicine residency program, and an additional three years of training before becoming board certified. A family physician is your one-stop healthcare expert. They treat everyone in the family and they exam, research, and diagnose medical conditions from head to toe. This type of care is called integrated care where a family doctor devises individualized health plans to treat mom, dad, and children of all ages. Family doctors treat a wide range of health conditions and they can be your primary care physicians at any point in your life. Unlike other specialties, family medicine involves coordinating all types of healthcare issues, from a common cold, pregnancies, to treating an acute or chronic illness.

Family physicians must practice at the highest level of medical care throughout the world. They are required to become re-certified around every six years, through American institutions like The American Board of Family Medicine, The American Academy of Family Physicians or the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, all of which have reciprocity agreements throughout the globe for family medicine training. A few of the advantages in being seen by a primary care physician, includes the following:

• family doctors have all of your personal and family medical history because they have been treating you for years.

• physicians that have seen generations of family members can help in researching various genetic diseases, like cancer, if it appears more than once in a generation.

• doctors involved in family medicine environments can perform minor surgical procedures without the added cost of seeing a specialist.

• they improve the lives of the underserved in America and abroad.

Research and clinical studies have proven that US and worldwide primary care physicians have been responsible for lowering the world mortality rates in diseases, such as in cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, low birth weight issues, obesity, and many other illnesses and health conditions. The statistical results associated with the care provided by family physicians, have proven that they help to increase life spans and control diseases from spreading. Their participation in healthcare has reduced healthcare expenditures, they help to lower hospital admissions, emergency room admissions, and they help to reduce surgical costs.

A family doctor focuses on preventive care, community oriented care, global health, plus they diagnose and manage a wide range of health problems to improve the quality of care in local, rural, urban, and large city health. Even if people are generally healthy, patients benefit by keeping a relationship with their primary care physicians. The physicians support individuals to stay healthy through dietary programs, they encourage their patient's to exercise to stay physically and mentally healthy.

One of the main reasons that family medicine works, is the relationship that patients have with their doctors. This specialized and confidential relationship is great for individuals who feel comfortable in talking about their medical health with their physicians. Physicians around the world, are available to answer their patient's questions in a way that forms a trusting bond. This bond creates a trusting relationship, whereby patients will listen and follow their healthcare provider's advice and directions, thus decreasing chances of spreading contagions .

Family medicine is all about treating the whole person, not just their symptoms. A family physician has a profound effect on the physical, mental, environmental, emotional, and spiritual health of each of their patient's. Physicians with an intimate knowledge of their patients can help introduce the healing power of hope, love, faith, and trust, as life presents challenges that can evoke depression, fear, grief, and anger. Also, if a physician's patient requires the need to see a specialist, a family doctor will help coordinate your care. Patients can often feel frustrated and confused when they have to manage the healthcare system on their own. With a family healthcare provider on your side, the whole medical care journey is made easier and less frightening of the unknown.

Refugees have always fled to foreign countries, including the US for a chance of better opportunities for themselves and their family. The present global news events are following refugees today, who are fleeing from their native countries for various reasons. Before being accepted for resettlement, all refugees must pass medical screening examinations, which is often performed by primary care physicians. The physicians perform a thorough examination of a variety of health problems that involve the mental and social health of the refugees. The family doctor's check for infectious diseases, chronic illnesses, the refugee's overall musculoskeletal system, and parasites, thus providing immunizations. The information that they gather is shared with that country main health agency, which in the US Is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Source by Ryan A Buffington

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Exploring The Forex Trading System

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Most people are familiar with the most basic form of Foreign Exchange Trading. They know that when you travel abroad, one of the first things you do after disembarking is to find the nearest place for currency exchange. Depending on the country you call home and the country you are visiting, currency exchange will leave you either richer or poorer based on the exchange rate.

Nowadays however, Foreign Exchange Trading, or Forex, has taken on another meaning. If you hear two people excitedly chatting about Forex in an elevator or coffee shop, they are most likely referring to a type of investment trading that is growing in both popularity and esteem.

How It Works

Basically, Forex trading is how investment traders speculate regarding the trends and fluctuations in currencies. If a trader is able to stay on top of trends and accurately predict the disparities between pairs of currency values, they can make considerable profits through Forex trading.

For instance, the USD (US Dollar) and EUR (Euro) is a very commonly traded currency pair. If you had reason to believe that the USD will drop in value compared to the EUR then you would “go long” and purchase EUR/USD. If, on the other hand, you predict that the USD will rise in value, then your reaction would be to “go short”. Of course, this is just a very basic example of the principles of Forex; experienced traders keep track of many different currency pairs simultaneously using Forex Trading Systems.

All foreign exchange trading is done through a Forex broker. These brokers handle the trades and place them on the open market by networking with banks. Because of the fluctuating nature of currency exchange, Forex is a very dynamic form of investment trading. Also, unlike the international stock market, Forex is open throughout the day. The primary reason people engage in Forex is, of course, to make a profit. However, many are motivated to stick with it because of its thrilling nature.

Best Strategies for Up-and-Coming Traders

Although many people are able to supplement their incomes through Forex, it is by no means a quick and easy way to get rich. Using the Forex Trading System correctly takes time, experience, and patience. Those who are new to a Forex Trading System will need to spend time getting familiar with the jargon and tuning into ever-changing currency trends. Some general tips for newcomers to the Forex scene include:

Select a Forex Trading System that accommodates and adapts to the dynamic nature of the market. If you are using a software package to manage your trades, you will be best served by a program that keeps pace with the lightning fast changes that occur in currency trading. There is also a lot to be said for software that has a clear, easily understood format so you aren’t struggling to keep track of what’s happening in the market.

When you first dip your toes into the world of Forex, a good rule of thumb is “less is more”. This means that you should start small with your trading and build up slowly from there based on your successes. For instance, focus your initial efforts on a single currency pair and use that experience to inform future trades. Along those same lines, don’t use the maximum amount of leverage when you are new to Forex; that’s a sure-fire way to rapidly accumulate losses. Instead, begin with small leverage ratios and gradually increase as you become more experienced.

If you really want to stay on top of trades and trends, you will need to use a Forex Trading System that will send you messages regularly. This will allow you to immediately take advantage of trends and reap the financial benefits.

Most Forex brokers allow you to use a trading demo to get some practice before actually investing any money. Take advantage of these demos as they can give you a feel for currency trading in a risk-free environment.

Foreign Exchange Trading can be difficult to master, but with a level head, an effective Forex Trading System, and patience, you will be rewarded for your efforts.

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Source by Tiffany M. White

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Dealing With Customer Complaints – B.L.A.S.T

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In a restaurant, not so far away, in the not so distant future, a telephone rings, a customer complains… and the battle begins!

Handling customer complaints doesn’t have to always be a battle, with the right tools and responses you can use complaints to your advantage; to help you build your business. B.L.A.S.T is a great tool that is used by companies such as Yum! (Parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, A&W, and Long John Silvers). Training their employees in the basics of handling customer complaints. The acronym stands for:

Believe

Listen

Apologize

Satisfy

Thank

How does your company deal with customer complaints? The easiest way to find out is to pick up the phone and play the role of the complaining customer. What happened? If you were an irritated customer, would you return? Using the B.L.A.S.T guidelines, allows you to create a standardized method for dealing with your complainers and turning them into loyal customers.

Believe

This is the cornerstone of handling a customer complaint. Yes, the customer may be lying and be incorrect about their situation. It is important to understand that your customer believes that your establishment has wronged them.

Listen

Stop and listen to your customer’s complaint. I’m not certain whether it’s natural instinct or just plain stubbornness. As soon as a customer starts to complain, we start to think of how we will respond to the accusation before we are done listening, and too often the case, already have the response ready to fight back. Take a second, relax, and listen. On occasion a complaining customer will be rude, angry, and use vulgar language, stay the course and remain calm and level headed.

When the customer is done venting; in a calm, non-judgmental tone, repeat their problem. An example I used in my KFC for a mispacked order:

“What I hear you saying is that, you came in ordered and paid for 10 Pieces of chicken and when you got home, you only received 8, is that correct?”

By repeating the problem at hand, you’ve demonstrated your ability to the customer that you heard and understood their problem.

Listen and clarify. Never defend or justify. The customer doesn’t care if you were shorthanded or if you’re having a bad day, they only care that they get taken care of. No excuses, just solutions.

Apologize

Always apologize even if you did nothing wrong. From your customers’ perspective, they have a legitimate complaint, and they expect an apology. It could be as simple as “I’m sorry we’ve inconvenienced you.” or “I’m sorry I know how frustrating it is to buy dinner for my family, only not to have everything there when I get home” A sincere apology will usually diffuse a lot of frustration that the customer has. There is an exception to this rule though, if a customer calls with a critical complaint, such as food poisoning, don’t apologize, it may be construed as an acceptance of guilt, instead refer to your company’s procedures for such events.

Satisfy

Make it right. Ask the customer “What can I do to make this right for you”? Be the judge of what is fair of course, but allow them the opportunity to feel empowered over the situation. Many times they may ask for the problem be taken care of on their next visit or maybe that you talk to the person who made the mistake and correct them. We used a great system of sending out a personalized postcard apologizing for the mistake, it was a couple of handwritten sentences (yes, many times with spelling mistakes from my team members), but it was personal and always well received. We always gave them the unexpected as well, maybe a free dessert or an extra side dish just to show that we cared about them.

Thank

At the beginning, at the end, in the middle; it doesn’t matter, thank the customer for calling and complaining.

Why? With the simple act of complaining, your customer is telling you “I care about your business and your success”. They are giving you the opportunity to fix the problem and invite them back so they can give you more of their money. Puts a different spin on it doesn’t it? Thank them for giving you that second chance, for letting you know that something in your restaurant didn’t work like it normally does, for giving you the chance to make it right, and for the opportunity not to damage your reputation!

Reputation? I had to throw that one in. You work hard, day in day out, trying the best to make your business the best, and yet one unhappy customer can take it away from you. A happy customer will tell two or three friends about a good experience, but an unhappy customer will tell at least ten friends about their experience and it always multiplies through word of mouth. Case in point, when I moved cross country to my new hometown, I was at a Chamber of Commerce event and being the new person in the group, I introduced myself and what we did. No sooner than five minutes passed did I get a list of 10 restaurants in my area that in their opinion were in “need of my services”. Only one person gave me a good restaurant. I didn’t ask, I was told. To this day I still haven’t been to those restaurants as a customer, why do I want to give them my hard earned money, when they made my new friends unhappy? It may not be a rational thought, but it is human nature.

Will some people take advantage of your kindness? Of course, a rule of thumb I used in my restaurant was:

First time shame on me,

Second time shame on me, but I’m watching you,

Third time… Shame on you and I will make the decision on how I will deal with you as a customer.

Keep track of who calls to complain, names, phone numbers for follow up, addresses for your postcards. Using a binder and tracking your complaints, you will be able to detect and deter those that would take advantage of your new complaint procedures.

Adding B.L.A.S.T to your expanding toolbox of customer service tools will help you in dealing with customer complaints and turn them around so they can tell their friends what great service you have!

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Source by Albert Barneto

Views: 0

November 10, 2022
Problems Encountered by Nigerian Entrepreneur and Possible Solutions

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The success enjoyed by most industrialized countries can be attributed to the role played by technological innovation and entrepreneurship, both of which continue to drive their economies today. These two factors are seen as key components for the industrialization and development of African countries. The Nigerian government has recognized this fact and has taken measures aimed at promoting and cultivating the entrepreneurial culture in our country. Through the Nigerian Investing Commission (NIC), our government has in the past introduced a policy that required university students regardless of their area of study to take courses in entrepreneurship. While our government is putting extra effort in promoting entrepreneurship in Nigeria, there are still a number of problems that a Nigerian Entrepreneur faces. Below are some of the problems encountered and possible solutions.

* Diversifying the Economy

Though our country’s economy has over the last couple of decades relied heavily on its oil production, we must find ways to diversify our economy and avoid the over reliance on oil. Like other developing countries, Nigeria is facing an increase in its unemployment rate that is now at 6 % and is on the increase, with many graduates finding it hard to get jobs while most of those who get jobs are underemployed. This coupled with the global financial crisis in which massive numbers of employees are being laid off; entrepreneurship is seen as an essential key if we want our country to achieve its ambition of being an industrialized nation by the year 2020.

* Unfriendly Business Climate

Being an entrepreneur in Nigeria requires great determination as practicing and potential business owners are faced with countless challenges. Nigerian’s business climate should be made welcoming to those in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The role played by these MSMEs should not be underestimated since majority of the thriving businesses fall in this category and for us to achieve our goals, adequate attention and support must be directed towards these institutions. To be able to help and protect entrepreneurs, we must first have a clear idea of the challenges facing our entrepreneurs in their pursuit of making Nigeria a prosperous country.

* Lack of Credit Facilities

Potential Nigeria entrepreneurs go through many hardships when trying to access credit for their businesses. Though there is a wide range of financial institutions that offer business loans, they usually charge high interest rates deterring aspiring entrepreneurs. For instance, major banks have pegged their lending rates to as much a 28% deterring potential entrepreneurs who are mostly low income earners. Other obstacles faced by our entrepreneurs include severe collateral conditions set by banks and other lending institutions. Though our government through the Central Bank and the Banker’s Committee came up with guidelines requiring banks to set aside 10% of their profits for funding MSMEs, majority of these banks have been reluctant to do so. This has led to the emergence of micro-finance institutions which though helpful are not sufficient for meeting the financial requirements.

* Multiple Taxation

One other sensitive challenge that is encountered by majority of Nigerian entrepreneurs is multiple taxation. Although we have a responsibility of funding the government through paying taxes, most of the taxes charged on entrepreneurs are not lawful and have the effect of increasing the cost of doing business. Although Nigeria’s Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) has approved only 39 taxes and levies, there are over 500 various levies and taxes that are imposed by state and local government agents. These taxes are questionable and in the case where they are genuine, they are mostly duplicated and this has the effect of increasing the cost of doing business.

* Poor State of the Country’s Infrastructure

The state of our infrastructure can be deemed to be a nightmare to both entrepreneurs and the rest of the country’s population. With the existing infrastructure deteriorating and in some places it is non-existent; the cost of doing business has tremendously gone up. The state of the country’s road network makes it hard for entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector to transport harvested produce from farms to processing factories. According to a report released by the World Bank, Nigeria’s pace of socioeconomic development and growth is way below what we can achieve. This is mostly because of the erratic supply of electricity which has negatively affected many businesses. The outcome of power problems has prompted entrepreneurs to generate power through expensive ways that have in turn increased their production costs and made their products uncompetitive due to high prices. Our government should put policies in place to perk up Nigeria’s infrastructure so as to promote successful entrepreneurship.

* Failure to Adapt to the Changing Business Environment

Majority of those who venture into MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) do so because of their need to make money and in almost all cases, such entrepreneurs lack relevant and adequate information about the businesses they engage in. In the event where problems arise, most of these business owners lack sufficient problem solving skills and in the end they find it hard to survive. With the telecommunications sector having grown by about 206.5 % between 2002 and 2004 and is continually expanding, Nigeria has become one of the fastest growing ICT market not only in Africa but also worldwide. This presents a challenge to entrepreneurs who have not embraced technology, and who are now finding it hard to remain relevant in the competitive business environment. For existing and potential MSMEs to survive and be relevant, we must adapt to the changing business environment and embrace technology.

* Addressing the Challenges

Solving the problems encountered requires a combined effort by both the entrepreneur and all concerned stakeholders. As Small and medium business owners, we need to increase our knowledge and skills of the market by acquiring relevant and up to date education particularly in your area of business. Our entrepreneurs need to collect information about their target market by seeking help from consultants and professionals who have experience in the particular market.

One strategy that can be used by our small and medium entrepreneurs to remain relevant and competitive in today’s market is to come up with fresh and creative ideas of doing business. Due to the increase in technology, business is fast changing, thus our MSMEs need to constantly re-invent the way they do business.

There is a great need of creating a strong link between MSMEs and supporting institutions if Nigeria is to fully benefit from such businesses. Though some financial institutions are still reluctant to provide financial assistance to MSMEs, there are some that give out loans at reasonable rates provided the business sounds viable. The key challenge is for our entrepreneurs to prepare sound business proposals. For our country to achieve its goals and stop relying on oil alone, we need to focus much attention needs on the private sector and our government must create a conducive atmosphere for such businesses to thrive and drive the country towards economic prosperity.

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Source by Peter O Osalor

Views: 0

November 9, 2022
Entrepreneurship Development

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Who is an entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur is someone who manages and organizes any form of business. Who has the capability to take initiatives, motivate others, work in a team, and become a leader. He is a man who starts his own venture not seeking for a job but providing many people a hope of life.

Why Entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in case of economic development of a country. A lot of problems of our country would be solved if people will start considering entrepreneurship as the first option for their career.

Employment:

One of the greatest problems of our country is “Unemployment”. Let’s see how entrepreneurship tackles with this problem.

Current employment opportunities can only cater 5 – 10 % of population. Entrepreneurs generate employment both directly and indirectly, directly by self employment as an entrepreneur and indirectly by starting many industrial units where they offer jobs to millions of people. Thus entrepreneurship is the best way to fight with the evil of unemployment.

National Income

National Income consists of the goods and services produced in the country. The goods and services produced are consumed within the country and can also be exported to other countries. The domestic demand increases with increase in population and increase in standard of living. The export demand also increases to meet the needs of growing imports due to various reasons. An increasing number of entrepreneurs are required to meet this increasing demand for goods and services. The manufacturing rate of any developed country lies between 60% – 70%. But unfortunately in our country this rate is below 40 %. If you want to become a great entrepreneur or want to do something for your motherland, become a manufacturer not just go for a service industry.

Dispersal of economic power:

Industrial development normally may lead to concentration of economic powers in a few hands. This concentration of power in a few hands has its own evils in the form of monopolies. Developing a large number of entrepreneurs helps in dispersing the economic power amongst the population. It may help in weakening the harmful effects of monopoly.

Better standard of living:

Entrepreneurs play a vital role in achieving a higher rate of economic growth. They are able to produce goods at lower cost and supply quality goods at lower price to the community according to their requirements. When the price of of the commodities decreases the consumers get the power to buy more goods for their satisfaction. There is a great demand of such entrepreneurs who can make this thought possible.

Creating solutions for society :

An entrepreneur is a person who creates solutions not only for the problems of his business but for the whole society. Entrepreneurs play a key role for innovations and creative ideas that solve different problems in the world with the efficient use of technology. What is needed? or desired should be created with appropriate use of technology. This gives a clear thought of “Creating solutions with technology!”

The benefits and needs of entrepreneurship is endless. The greatest demand of today’s world is simply “Be an Entrepreneur!” that will solve economic problems of your family, your society, your people and your country. Let’s create wealth,not just seek for a salary.

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Source by Mohammed Faizan Ansari

Views: 0

July 28, 2022
Direct Sales Team Vs Distributor – Which is Better For an International Market?
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If you’re looking to expand your sales to new markets, then there’s one big question you must ask: do I build a direct sales presence or use a distributor? Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, but we’re going to make a strong case to use one method over the other in almost every instance.

What’s the difference between direct sales and distributors?

A direct sales presence means that your company establishes, manages, and pays a sales team of one or more people in the target market.

An outside agent is any entity that will sell your product in exchange for a service fee. One example is a sales rep, who sells your product in exchange for a percent of the sale. A distributor is similar to a rep, except they would buy product from your company and sell it directly to the end customer.

Is Direct Sales Better?

For most businesses expanding into new markets, especially international markets, hiring a distributor is a better decision-at least until there is enough return from the market to justify building a direct sales presence.

Sure, there is one major advantage to having a direct sales presence-control. Control over the day to day activities of your sales personnel is appealing to most business owners. But this control comes at a heavy price. To start, you’ll need to spend the time to hire someone in that market, then train them, then equip them with sales material and management, if not office space and equipment. These costs are prohibitive for most small businesses looking to expand internationally.

And there are even more costs that we haven’t mentioned yet. Each market has it’s own unique laws, cultures and customs that are essential to master if your company wants to establish a successful sales presence. Japan is a classic example of a marketplace with unique legal structures and business customs that, if not followed, guarantee the failure of any sales efforts. It’s hard to pin down an exact monetary value to this learning, but ask yourself this: Can you afford to establish, manage, and pay a sales force in a foreign country for at least a year while they learn the ropes and generate no revenue?

What about a Distributor? Is a Distributor better for new markets?

Distributors are a cost effective means to enter a new marketplace successfully. Here are just a few of the reasons:
- No Overhead:
  Unlike running your own sales team, a distributor will take care of the hiring, managing, payment, and optimization of its channel. You’re just borrowing their distribution, while they handle the maintenance.
- Established Channel with Local Knowledge:
  A good distributor will already know all the laws and customs of the market you’re entering. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel-you can use someone who already has valuable local knowledge.
- Understand Pricing and Purchasing Power of Market:
  Along with knowledge of the laws and customs comes knowledge about the most successful ways to price and market your product locally.
- Cost Effective:
  Since you won’t be paying for the above items, distributor relationships are much more within reach of a small business trying to enter a new market.
Using a distributor has some downsides as well, but they can be minimized by building a good relationship with a distributor.
- Not your own people:
  You won’t be able to directly manage every step of the process. While it may make you nervous to lose some control over the sales process, you can manage the risk by building a transparent relationship with your distributor with constant updates and feedback from both ends.
- Distributor has many products to represent:
  You may not be the distributor’s top priority at any given time, and you want to be sure your product is not getting shuffled to the back of the line. Once again, a well-established relationship with constant contact will ensure that your product is getting the attention it deserves.
- Not a “turn key” solution:
  You can’t just give the distributor your products and expect success. You’ll have to manage the relationship. This takes time, but it’s still less costly than trying to install a direct sales team from scratch.
So what do I do next?

If you aren’t convinced that a distributor would be better for your organization than establishing a direct sales team, seek help from a consultant who has experience establishing a presence in new markets. A consultant can use his or her experience to analyze your opportunity and recommend the best course of action.

Before you choose a distributor, you need to know….

Choosing the wrong distributor will set you up for failure. The wrong distributor simply won’t generate sales, and you’ll have wasted at least a year finding and setting up an unprofitable relationship.

There are certain things to look for in a distributor, and they are different for every market. The best thing to do is to find a professional, one with experience in distributor relationships, and hire that professional to help you search for and identify the right distributor.

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Source by J. P. Williams

Views: 0
July 28, 2022
Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Inconvenient Truth

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Entrepreneurship and innovation: The popular belief

Entrepreneurs are widely believed to be the agents behind economic growth and innovation. They are, we are told, the movers and shakers who create new industries, unseat current leaders from their thrones, and open new frontiers for everyone. Popular culture tirelessly propagates one success story after another – from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, who was glorified in "The Social Network" movie, to Tesla's Elon Musk, an immigrant who became a household name, to Google's Sergey Brin, whose internet search engine name has officially become a verb in English.

So persuasive is the narrative of the entrepreneurial technological prowess and success, that many countries – including developing countries that feel they are lagging behind – develop comprehensive policies to support and promote entrepreneurship and even set aside sizeable funds to invest in startups via government-run venture capital programs. But is this fascination with and belief in entrepreneurs justified? How likely are entrepreneurs to push the technological frontier and bring about the kind of change that governments want? Entrepreneurship Professor Sergey Anokhin from Kent State University says the hard evidence is far less convincing than the popular culture makes you believe.

The dark side of entrepreneurship

In a study of 35 countries over a 7-year period, Professor Anokhin from Kent State and Professor Joakim Wincent from Sweden's Lulea University of Technology show that there is no universally positive relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation. While for the world's leading economies such as the United States the positive link between startup rates and innovation may be true, for the developing economies the relationship is actually negative. Such countries are more likely to see innovation championed by the existing companies, not startups. With few exceptions, entrepreneurs there pursue opportunities of a different kind that are based on imitation and dissemination of others' ideas, and are not equipped to produce truly advanced "grand" innovations. On average, startups are less efficient than existing firms. Accordingly, if local governments support entrepreneurship, economic effectiveness may suffer, and innovation is less likely to occur. In fact, successful technological development in emerging economies is often associated with an aggressive entrepreneurial behavior of large corporations, not individual entrepreneurs. Such is the case, for instance, of South Korea with its chaebols .

The figure below shows the vastly different impact of startup rates on innovation and technological development (as measured by patent applications) across countries. Only rich countries can expect more entrepreneurship to result in more innovation, says Dr. Anokhin. For the lesser developed countries, as the plot demonstrates, an increase in startup rates will only lead to less, not more innovative activities. The problem, according to Sergey Anokhin, is that developing countries often look up to the leading economies when trying to design their own policies. Moreover, quite naturally, the very textbooks that the students across the world use, are written by the scholars from the world's leading countries, and do not take developing economies' context into account. Taken together, it often locks policy makers in assuming the relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation that will not hold in their particular parts of the world. The pro-entrepreneurship policies will not bring about the effects expected, and the limited resources will be wasted to support activities that are largely detrimental.

What it all means

It is time to recognize that the relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation varies across countries, says Professor Anokhin. That is why World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council for Fostering Entrepreneurship explicitly acknowledges that Silicon Valley success stories do not necessarily resonate in other parts of the world. Broad-strokes policies that aim at fostering entrepreneurship to boost country innovativeness may well be misguided. A contingency approach that takes regional specifics into account should be employed instead.

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Source by Sergey Ahmetov

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July 27, 2022
BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) – Online Trading System

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Gone are the days when you needed a broker to help you buy and sell stocks, shares and make stock market investments. Through online investment you can buy and sell shares with just a few clicks of the mouse. The economic and capital market in India cannot exist without a stock exchange; there are two main stock exchanges where transactions take place; the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). While all the major transactions take place here, there are over 20 different stock exchanges located across the country.

Online trading in India has changed the meaning of trading in the country. With no requirement for a broker, trading has become easier, faster and far more convenient than earlier days. Some of the major financial products and services offered through online trading are mutual funds, equities, general insurance, life insurance, share trading, portfolio management, commodities trading and financial planning. In online trading, the investor has to pay less brokerage as compare to offline trading. There is no need for any paperwork through online investing and the need for a middle man is eliminated. All the stock accounts are stored in a Demat account where they can be viewed.

BSE online trading was established in 1995 and is the first exchange to be set up in Asia. It has the largest number of listed companies in the world and currently has 4937 companies listed on the Exchange with over 7,700 traded instruments.

The only thing that an investor requires for online trading through BSE is an online trading account. The trading can then be done within the trading hours from any location in the world. In fact, BSE has replaced the open cry system with automated trading. Open cry system is a common method of communication between the investors at a stock exchange where they shout and use hand gestures to communicate and transfer information about buy and sell orders. It usually takes place on the ‘pit’ area of the trading floor and involves a lot of face to face interaction. However, with the use of electronic trading systems trading is easier, faster and cheaper; and is less prone to manipulation by market makers and brokers/dealers.

The BSE provides an efficient and transparent market for trading in debt instruments, equity and derivatives. This is performed through a system known as BOLT – BSE’s Online Trading System.

In the stock exchange, a key index is used to keep track of the important or the most traded stocks in the exchange. The indice used at the BSE while trading is the SENSEX and is displayed in all major portals, newspapers and magazines. It is India’s first stock market index that enjoys an iconic stature and is tracked worldwide. It is conducted on a free-float methodology and is sensitive to market sentiments and realities.

There are also indices such as BSE small cap, BSE mid cap and BSE500 to take care of medium and small companies. Furthermore, India index services and Products Limited has indices such as CNX Nifty Junior, S&P CNX Nifty, CNX 100, S&P CNX 500 and CNX Mid cap. The BSE offers 22 indices to suit a multiplicity of needs, inclusive of 12 sectorial indices. For example, the BSE PSU Index tracks the performance of the listed PSY companies and also helps the Central Government to monitor its wealth on the bourses.

The BSE has become a completely ‘corporatised and demutualized stock exchange’ through the use of online exchanges. With partners such as Deutsche Borse (DB) and Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) it has a global competitive force. BSE has strategic relationships in almost every part of the world- Europe (DB)), Hong Kong (ETF) and Asia (SGX), prominent public sector undertakings such as State Bank of India, Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India and Central Bank of India.

Benefits of BSE trading system in India for share brokers or newbies

There are a number of attractive services to empower investors and facilitate smooth transactions. Some of these include:

1) Investor Services: A range of services are offered to investors. Being the first exchange in the country to provide an amount of INR 1 million towards the investor protection fund, the BSE had launched a nationwide investor awareness program; ‘Safe Investing in the Stock Market’ under which there were 264 programmes which were conducted in over 359 cities in India.

2) BSE has an Online trading BOLT system: the online-Trading system (BOLT) facilitates on-line screen based trading in securities. Currently it operates 25,000 Trader Workstations which are located across 359 cities in the country.

3) The BSE has the world’s first centralized exchange-based Internet trading system – BSEWEBX.com. This system helps the investors anywhere in the world to trade on the BSE platform.

4) The BSE has an online Surveillance system (BOSS) which monitors on a REAL-TIME basis the price movements, the volume positions and members’ positions as well as real time measurement of default risk, generation of cross market alerts and market reconstruction.

5) The BSE has a training institute – known as the Bombay Stock Exchange Training Institute (popularly known as the acronym BTI).The BTI imparts capital market training and certification; in collaboration with a number of reputed management institutes and universities. There are over 40 courses to choose from on different aspects of the capital market and the financial Bombay Stock Exchange market.

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Source by Monish P Kumar

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July 26, 2022