Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A List of Companies Going Out of Business and How to Overcome the Recession and Unemployment Rate

Due to the continued decline of our current economy, many businesses are being forced to either go out of business, claim bankruptcy, or scale back in production and store sales.  This is of course adding to the current rate of unemployment and stress for millions of people around the world.  Many people are searching the internet, desperately scouring for a list of companies going out of business to see if their jobs are also at risk.  I have done some research and here is some of what I've found as well as some options for what to do if this has affected you.

List of Companies Going Out of Business:

-Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
-Linens N' Things
-Wickes Furniture Store
-Levitz Furniture Store
-J.Jill
-Cache

A List of Companies Going Out of Business and How to Overcome the Recession and Unemployment Rate

Companies Scaling Back and with extensive Store Closings:

-Dillard's
-KB Toys
-Home Depot
-The Sharper Image
-Ethan Allen Interiors
-J.C. Penney
-Lowe's
-Office Depot
-Sprint Nextel
-Macy's
-Foot Locker
-GAP
-Talbots
-Eddie Bauer
-Ann Taylor

Unfortunately, the longer this article stays in circulation, the higher the likelihood that by the time you read this, the list will have grown.

What To Do if this List of Companies Going Out of Business, or Store Closings has Affected You and Your Job:

According to business and finance tycoon, Robert Kiyosaki, one of the most effective ways to work towards true financial security during this economic recession is to own your own business.  As a matter of fact, with the rising rates of unemployment, the prospect of owning a home business and being your own boss has never been as appealing and popular as it is right now.  If you really think about it, when you consider the recession that we are experiencing right now and the changing job markets, it is more important than ever that the general public is educated, made aware and able to change their approach to personal finance and business.

Another important point is that the world is thrusting further and further ahead into the Information Age and as such, owning an online business to take advantage of this progress is the best tactic for keeping up and staying ahead of the game.

If this list of companies going out of business and the current unemployment rate has had a personal affect on you, then I would absolutely recommend looking into and taking advantage of the benefits of owning a business in the Internet and Online Marketing Industry.  There could be no better time than now to take control of your financial future.  Don't just leave your personal financial success in the hands of the economy.  Take this opportunity now to explore your best options for starting a business and making money at home.  Start working now towards financial freedom and massive success.  I am personal proof that it can be done!

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Friday, January 25, 2013

The Benefits of Exporting For a Small Business

Somehow, people have the perception that a small business does not export. A business that is going international is usually assumed to be a large company, and with this perception in mind a lot of small business owners shy away from trading internationally. It is the problem of scale that frightens them, but is this indeed true?

They likely think this way because of the huge capital outlay that is needed to get into exporting, but in reality, a significant percentage of exporters are small businesses. Take note that the size of the company is not always important. It also does not need to have a huge marketing department just because it is going international. This is particularly true when the company sells in only smaller quantities or sells occasionally. The success of a small business in the exporting industry is dependent on the quality, competitive pricing and continuous availability of products. Despite the risks involved, which are actually part and parcel of any business, exporting brings a number of benefits to small businesses.

One of the benefits of trading internationally is the potential increase of sales and profits that international trade brings, although this is significantly influenced by the quality and success of your product. With an expanded market, sales of products will definitely increase if consumers discover how much they need or desire these products and if the company continuously supplies and retains good quality products, innovates and invests in product development when needed.

The Benefits of Exporting For a Small Business

A small business can also gain market share globally through exporting. Obviously, when a company starts doing international trading, it becomes part of the global market. It will have a good opportunity to expand its customer base, and this will bring about better potential for long term growth.

Most small businesses start with the domestic market first before going into exporting. By achieving domestic success they will attain the background knowledge needed to break into foreign markets. Without a good level of success in their home markets, companies will be unlikely to achieve success abroad. If you can't make it at home then work on that before expanding your borders.

In working to achieve this level of domestic success, your business will likely become a prominent competitor in your home market, and this competitiveness will help you to be successful in the wider world markets that you will face when exporting.

Another possible advantage of tapping the international market is the lower cost of production. With the increase of supplies needed for a wider target market, the cost of production per unit of product should decrease.

The next significant foreign trade benefit for small businesses is the potential gain of knowledge. By entering the international market, a company can gain various experiences which can be used to improve both its domestic and foreign businesses. It can gain information on new technologies, new product and marketing ideas, and much more. Such knowledge can be used to develop better products and sell them more effectively.

Diversifying risks is one more advantage of exporting. With the company's expansion to other countries, risks such as economic downfall and market changes are more evenly distributed. While domestic companies may be wholly affected when misfortune hits the domestic market, a company with foreign interests will not suffer such great losses.

A small business can also benefit from selling its excess products internationally. If the company exports its goods, it does not have to give huge discounts to its domestic market or throw away excess products. Excess products can be sold to other markets that are not so important to the long term future.

And lastly, exporting can lengthen the life of a product. A typical product has a life cycle of launch - growth - maturity - decline. An exporting business is able to extend these stages and significantly extend the lifetime of its products by launching it to export markets while the domestic market is still in maturity. Product development to replace that product in the home market can then be financed by export sales and hey presto! Your entire product cycle becomes self-sufficient and one financial strain on your business has been eradicated.

With these benefits that come with exporting, owners of small businesses should consider tapping the international market. The size of the business is irrelevant: what matters is the will to succeed in the export markets. All it needs is high quality and useful products, and a good entrepreneur who is a risk taker in order to succeed.

The Benefits of Exporting For a Small Business
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Naz Daud is the founder of CityLocal. This Franchise Opportunity is for people who would like to work from home and be their own boss.

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Copyright information: This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included.

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Benefits of International Business - Even Small Businesses Can Profit

What are the benefits of international business? All you have to do to find the answer to this question is to see what smart investors do on Wall Street. They develop a portfolio that includes international stocks in order to hedge their losses if prices go down in the U.S., and to bolster their chances of gaining lucrative returns from a variety of sources. If you are a small business owner and have a product or a service that has relevancy outside of the United States you may be able to expand your reach into other markets where the shipping costs and taxes are not exorbitantly high. The question is how does someone living, for example, in Great Britain or Germany find out about you? Here are some tips that you should consider following.

In the first place, you will need to have a website that contains what are called "keywords" or "keyword phrases" that people use when searching for certain items. Having a website online without any of these phrases in your text or domain name will serve you poorly when it comes to driving traffic to your site. You can learn how to use online marketing techniques, however, to greatly enhance your visibility factor online, and to use social media to create a promotional campaign that can eventually garner you untold thousands of dollars in profit.

The benefits of international business are yours for the taking, but only if you create a plan for it. Take some time to learn online marketing and social media techniques, and not only can you expand your reach oversees but you can increase your profits at home.

Benefits of International Business - Even Small Businesses Can Profit
Benefits of International Business - Even Small Businesses Can Profit
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Steve Boston is an author, television producer, boxing trainer and marketing entrepreneur. He helps people start online businesses with little or no investment-no paper, no inventory, no employees, no bosses, and best of all-potential income that can far exceed professional salaries anywhere on the planet in an industry that is unlimited in growth. Visit this site: [http://www.nocontractcellphones.biz]

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Culture in the Business Environment

Management Challenge

Organizations are judged on their financial performance and therefore, by default so are their management teams. The key for managers is understanding how financial success is measured, impacts on operational performance and options available to make positive sustainable change.

Traditional Approach

Culture in the Business Environment

Typically managers tend to think in two dimensions when trying to address the problem. What do I need to change in my operations to achieve the desired financial results? Timescales may be tight and sometimes the short term needs may outweigh the long term aspirations. Sometimes short term measures can damage the long term capabilities of an organization. This can become a vicious circle where the law of diminishing returns is compounded by the diminishing options available. If you look at the diagram link below you will see a dotted line defined as the Minor Loop where the financial demands of revenue, profit, cash flow and equity are served by changes in operations of the business. This can be successful but it is a path littered with hazards.

Minor Loop Evidence

This is not simply an opinion it is backed by research conducted by Cameron and Quinn who stated that the three most typical change initiatives conducted by organizations in what could be described as Minor Loop were:

Restructuring Quality Initiatives Process Initiatives

Of these at least 75% failed, stalled or did not achieve the desired benefits. A summary of their findings is below.

Only 20% of TQM initiatives met their quality objectives and 40% were a complete flop A survey of senior managers who had been involved in downsizing found that 74% indicated that productivity, morale and trust had since deteriorated A survey across 1742 companies in the USA and Europe found that 85% found little or no gain from their effort in re-engineering processes.
Alternative Approach

So if this problem exists you may wonder if there is an answer to it. The answer is yes and it hides in plain sight.

The third dimension is the organization itself and its culture. The reason it hides in plain sight is that people are generally aware of it but it is difficult to really define, let alone do anything about it. We now have instruments and methodologies that bring culture into focus and allow organizations to do something about it.

An organization's effectiveness will impact on its operational capability and consequently its financial performance. In bringing in the organization dimension it adds a multitude of options and can provide a shot in the arm to the minor loop challenge described above.

The organization is generally the origin of the business performance but is often overlooked as the area where true transformation can take place. The Major Loop described on the diagram link below shows how it can take place. It even provides benefits against the external issues that can plague operations and finance.

Major Loop Evidence

If you are still not convinced a ten year study by Kotter and Heskett found that organizations who actively managed their culture significantly outperformed those who did not. We would ask you to look at the main findings below and consider what those findings might mean for your organization.

Revenue growth of 682% versus 166% Net income growth of 756% versus 1% Stock price increase of 901% versus 74% Job growth of 282% versus 36% Companies listed on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For significantly outperform the S&P 500

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Peter Hendley-Hall is the CEO of DCI an organization that specializes in helping firm improve bottom line performance through corporate culture management. To find out more visit http://www.dudleyconsulting-inc.com or e-mail info@dudleyconsulting-inc.com

Major Loop /Minor Loop Diagram link
http://www.dudleyconsulting-inc.com/CultureinBusinessEnvironment.jpg

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Risks in International Business

Just as there are reasons to get into global markets, and benefits from global markets, there are also risks involved in locating companies in certain countries. Each country may have its potentials; it also has its woes that are associated with doing business with major companies. Some of the rogue countries may have all the natural minerals but the risks involved in doing business in those countries exceed the benefits. Some of the risks in international business are:

(1) Strategic Risk
(2) Operational Risk
(3) Political Risk
(4) Country Risk
(5) Technological Risk
(6) Environmental Risk
(7) Economic Risk
(8) Financial Risk
(9) Terrorism Risk

Strategic Risk: The ability of a firm to make a strategic decision in order to respond to the forces that are a source of risk. These forces also impact the competitiveness of a firm. Porter defines them as: threat of new entrants in the industry, threat of substitute goods and services, intensity of competition within the industry, bargaining power of suppliers, and bargaining power of consumers.

Risks in International Business

Operational Risk: This is caused by the assets and financial capital that aid in the day-to-day business operations. The breakdown of machineries, supply and demand of the resources and products, shortfall of the goods and services, lack of perfect logistic and inventory will lead to inefficiency of production. By controlling costs, unnecessary waste will be reduced, and the process improvement may enhance the lead-time, reduce variance and contribute to efficiency in globalization.

Political Risk: The political actions and instability may make it difficult for companies to operate efficiently in these countries due to negative publicity and impact created by individuals in the top government. A firm cannot effectively operate to its full capacity in order to maximize profit in such an unstable country's political turbulence. A new and hostile government may replace the friendly one, and hence expropriate foreign assets.

Country Risk: The culture or the instability of a country may create risks that may make it difficult for multinational companies to operate safely, effectively, and efficiently. Some of the country risks come from the governments' policies, economic conditions, security factors, and political conditions. Solving one of these problems without all of the problems (aggregate) together will not be enough in mitigating the country risk.

Technological Risk: Lack of security in electronic transactions, the cost of developing new technology, and the fact that these new technology may fail, and when all of these are coupled with the outdated existing technology, the result may create a dangerous effect in doing business in the international arena.

Environmental Risk: Air, water, and environmental pollution may affect the health of the citizens, and lead to public outcry of the citizens. These problems may also lead to damaging the reputation of the companies that do business in that area.

Economic Risk: This comes from the inability of a country to meet its financial obligations. The changing of foreign-investment or/and domestic fiscal or monetary policies. The effect of exchange-rate and interest rate make it difficult to conduct international business.

Financial Risk: This area is affected by the currency exchange rate, government flexibility in allowing the firms to repatriate profits or funds outside the country. The devaluation and inflation will also impact the firm's ability to operate at an efficient capacity and still be stable. Most countries make it difficult for foreign firms to repatriate funds thus forcing these firms to invest its funds at a less optimal level. Sometimes, firms' assets are confiscated and that contributes to financial losses.

Terrorism Risk: These are attacks that may stem from lack of hope; confidence; differences in culture and religious philosophy, and/or merely hate of companies by citizens of host countries. It leads to potential hostile attitudes, sabotage of foreign companies and/or kidnapping of the employers and employees. Such frustrating situations make it difficult to operate in these countries.

Although the benefits in international business exceed the risks, firms should take a risk assessment of each country and to also include intellectual property, red tape and corruption, human resource restrictions, and ownership restrictions in the analysis, in order to consider all risks involved before venturing into any of the countries.

Risks in International Business
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Dr. Sidney Okolo is a professor, consultant, strategist, and Africa expert. He is affiliated to several universities, the Managing Director of International Business Associates, a management consulting firm, and also the CEO of Global Education Support, an education assistance program.

Among other things, he engages in all aspects of learning, knowledge, organization and human change. His focus is on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, profit engineering, human potential, excellence, achievement, business strategy, research and development. Product management, change management, conflict management, athlete management, marketing, business development and operations. He works with clients to adapt to change due to change in factors of production, technology, goods and services. He engages clients in training, retraining, development, skills enhancement, association, behavior modification, ways of thinking, and attitude adjustment. In addition to his work in the United States, his focus is also on developing countries in the continent of Africa, their leadership, culture, economic and market structure, community planning and development, and his created four letter word, "PIES", which stands for: poverty, instability, ethnicity, and sectarianism.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Small Business Ideas - Profitable Small Business Concepts in 2009

Are you leaning towards starting your very own small business? Then, consider these business ideas:

1. Online jobs. If you want to make money at the comforts of your own home, I recommend that you find business that you can operate online. Depending on your skills and expertise, you can offer SEO, ghostwriting, link building, and website creation services. You really don't need much to get started in this endeavor. All you need aside from the required know-how is a reliable computer and internet connection.

2. Specialty store. You may also opt to set up your own specialty store. When deciding on the items to sell, I recommend that you consider the things that you do best or your hobbies. If you are into water sports, you can sell snorkeling gears, scuba diving tools and equipments, and swimming lessons. It's important that your business is aligned to your areas of interest so you will wake up each morning excited to go to work.

Small Business Ideas - Profitable Small Business Concepts in 2009

3. Franchising opportunities. If you don't want to spend time and energy on thinking about products that will sell like hotcakes and if you don't want to struggle building customer base, franchising is perfect for you.

4. Massage parlor and spa. More and more people are now rewarding themselves with spa and massage after a long day at work. You can take advantage of this demand by setting up your own massage parlor and spa. Just make sure that you offer something different to easily get ahead of your competitors like home service or week day promos.

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