Antioxidant Apps

About Vibeink.com

2012-05-26T15:18:00.000+08:00

Its been awhile since I posted on here, wonder if anybody misses me. Life has been good to me in so many ways. I have had downs but am just grateful for life itself and I hope you are too cause its only right. There is so much going on with the world right now its like a big movie scene. If you are a music lover like me who ends their day falling asleep to good music then this post should interest you. To cut it short, I want you all to check out this new music streaming platform called Vibeink. Its a free music streaming and download website that allows you to listen to music anywhere using only a standard web browser. I find it too simple at the moment but I have a strong feeling it would grow to become an important music portal in the near future. I am fully in support for this platform as I like the idea of sustaining a free market environment. I have bookmarked Vibeink and will be visiting from time to time. I want you to do the same.

You can either sign up as a musician or as a listener. I like that I did not nee to go to my yahoo mail to verify my address when I signed up. Musicians can upload other musicians songs they like but are advised not to allow downloads for such music. Downloads should be approved by the song owner i.e, for a musician to allow download for a song; he or she has to be the owner of that song or have authority to upload the song. Listeners, who might also be other musicians can comment on your music, share it on Facebook, Twitter and on G+. Vibeink encourages positive comments and criticism on the platform, if you like a song and do not have much to say you can just write "Endorsed".

Vibeink also helps to promote musicians that are members of the platform. I personally do not like the current layout of the site but I do hope they improve on that soonest. The biggest catch for me is the name and the simplicity. I am curiously looking forward to what is to come in the near future. It is not a major platform at the moment by my instinct tells me it will get bigger and better in no time and I take pride in being among the first group of people to sign up. You can send Vibeink a message on areas you think need improvement through this email: info@vibeink.com

The website is still under development and would start running for good by the end of June, 2012. Do sign up now.

On Joseph Kony and the LRA

2012-03-08T09:37:00.000+08:00

For the last 24 hours, the hottest topic on twitter and Facebook has been on Joseph Kony and the LRA. Video presentation created by an NGO going by the name Invisible Children has gone viral and people are hyped up about getting help for the children of Uganda. Below is the video carried by the NGO just in case you have not yet seen it.

I do support any cause that has to do with freedom and liberation for mankind. That has to do with creating awareness about the plight of the infamous that suffer all around the globe. I commend the creators on this piece for the awareness they have brought about. Even though the world have known Joseph Kony for more than 2 decades now for his crimes, a lot of people did not know about him. However, I would advice any one that will watch the above video or that has seen it to embark on more research before you speak on such matters. Awareness is good, but it is useless without education.

On the other hand, I do not agree that Joseph Kony should be fully blamed for all the child soldiers and rape atrocities that has been committed in Uganda or The Congo over the years. This video takes a one sided look at the subject matter which is not ethical when it comes to good reporting. Partly why I find it fishy in a way. I have so many questions for the Invincible Children's group. The video paints a very unclear picture to the happenings in the region. Peace talks have been going on for some months now with Kony almost inactive. Stirring this up now might derail achieving the needed peace in the region. And I do not believe that getting outside help to stop which would most likely mean to kill Kony is the best solution to the problem at hand.
According to StrategyWorld.com, as at December 31, 2011, the government of Uganda estimated that the LRA had about 250 active fighters. If correct, these number are not as high as the report in the video makes it seem. If the government of Uganda is committed to getting rid of the LRA, they can. The issue has been on for more than two decades with no results.

Furthermore, sometime last year, Oil was discovered in Uganda a nation that already has gold, iron ore, tin and so many other natural resources. It would be unrealistic to say that Joseph Kony had no particular cause for fighting all these years as pointed out in the video, if at all he is still even relevant as you read this. There has been cases in the past where a not so relevant rebel leader's name is used for political propaganda. It is nothing new. I could name a few, but would leave that for the future.

On a final note, justice can not be achieved by getting rid of Kony. The problems will continue if corruption continues to prevail in the region. A man like Kony has to be made to testify as he knows a lot that could help bring other corrupt leaders in the region to book. But I do not see that happening. They would rather kill him than take him to court. The current president of Uganda was among the first people to use child soldiers and even bragged about it in the video below.

Why not arrest him too on crimes against humanity? Why the one sided judgement?. They are in the same boat with different maps. It is well known that the Invisible Children's group are in good relations with the government. Is there an invisible motive behind recent developments? This is like a criminal getting rid of an opposition who is also a criminal to allow him keep all the loot to himself. I have questions. I need answers and I wont stop asking questions until I get answers.
Africa does not need the outside world to help correct its past or foreign aid. What nations of Africa need is good leadership coming from its own people. There are people but they do not have a chance because the same old warlords are power mad. Yes, good governance is lacking. If outside countries want to help, their intentions have to be from the heart and not about material gains. There is more to gain if its from the heart as Africans do not forget easily. If we are to make this world a better place, it has to start from home. Every nation and every continent has to clean up their own dirt before thinking about going across boarders to help others even though they might have some kind of interest at stake. What happened to "living by example".

And The Most Cursed President Award goes to?

2012-01-09T02:33:00.002+08:00

The President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan is number one among the most cursed presidents in 2012. This is as a result of his cancellation of fuel subsidies in Nigeria on the first day of the year 2012. Most of his fans on Facebook have turned against him over the cancellation of subsidies claiming that the timing was wrong and the removal has lead to an immediate increase in prices of various goods and services creating more hardship.

Here is a link to the president's Facebook page to see for yourself. https://www.facebook.com/jonathangoodluck

A lot of Nigerians see it as a bad new year gift to a nation where majority of its people are struggling to make ends meet. Nigeria is a very rich country but decades of corruption and bad governance has made it difficult for majority of its population to enjoy the benefits of the country's wealth.

There is a saying that if you keep taking out money from your savings account, you would have nothing to take out in the long run. So is the case of this great country Nigeria. Many of the leaders that have come in the past lack a sense of direction and a vision to carry the nation forward. This has resulted in policies that seem to benefit a few. The nation has the man power and capacity to become a strong and self dependent nation like the likes of China and the UAE if proper action plans are put in place but its politics is more of a get rich scheme making growth and development very unlikely. We hope the leader is wise enough to listen to his people and fight corruption head strong. If not, It is our hope that someday there would be real leadership in Nigeria and things would be better for a brilliant but stagnant nation. Praying for World Peace.

Subject: How Many Of These Did You Know?

2011-11-04T16:32:00.000+08:00

A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a

knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.

(hmm...)

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Use empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

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For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put

Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't

refreeze. (I wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)

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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for

a few hours Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The

wax will fall out.

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Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped

in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).

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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen

peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works

every time! (Now, where to put the body?) LOL

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Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal

for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.

Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows

on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.

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Spray a bit of perfume on the l ight bulb in any room to create a lovely

light scent in each room when the light is turned on

.======================================

Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will

smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels

and linen.

John's Note: I also use a half sheet in my shoes to keep the odor out

=====================================

Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3

hours prior to burning.

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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the

flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt

and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

======================================

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or

two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to

a boil on stove top.

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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring

in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will

keep for weeks. Also, place a paper towel in a zip lock baggie with the

mushrooms, onions, lettuce, etc. The towel will absorb the moisture.

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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the

corn's natural sweetness. Or you can cook it in a microwave--3 min. each ear.======================================

Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your

forehead. The throbbing will go away.

======================================

To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area

and you will experience instant relief.

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Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk

line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants

tend to march. See for yourself.

======================================

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors.! It does a good job and better still,

leaves a lovely smell to the shine

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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to

tweezers or a needle. Simply put the Scotch tape over the splinter, and

then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily

======================================

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer........

Clean a toilet.

Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets; wait twenty minutes; brush and flush.

The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China .

======================================

Clean a vase.

To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water

and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

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Polish jewelry.

Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the

jewelry for two minutes.

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Clean a thermos bottle.

Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak

for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

======================================

Unclog a drain.

Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the

drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes,

and then run the hot water.

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Do your friends a favor. Pass this timely (and some not-so-timely)

information on to a friend! I just did.

Some Famous Theories on Employee Motivation

2011-11-03T18:27:00.000+08:00

For productivity to be achieved by organizations factors like employee motivation, job satisfaction, commitment and skills have to be taking into consideration. When employees are satisfied with their jobs, they are motivated to give their level best to attain organizational goals. This job satisfaction can come from different factors that link to motivation at work. The need to increase productivity which will lead to increase in profitability makes it necessary for managers to understand various motivational theories. Organizations have different strategies they use to motivate their employees. They understand that if the staff is not motivated, he or she will not be satisfied, the staff would not put out the best job. Overall the company’s level of productivity can be affected.

Strategies to Motivate Employees

Some strategies used to motivate employees are :-

o Performance Pay and Rewards

o Flexitime

o Job Empowerment

o Job Enrichment

o Job Rotation

We will take about performance pay and rewards system and how effective they are in motivating employees. Performance related pay is generally used where employee performance cannot be appropriately measured in terms of output produced or sales achieved. Like piece-rates and commissions, performance related pay is a form of incentive pay. A reward is a work outcome of positive value to the individual. Some argue that this kind of system can cause dispute about how performance is measured and whether an employee has done enough to be rewarded, it may also create rivalry between employees or managers.

Motivational theories on Employee Motivation

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856 – 1917) brought forward the notion that workers are motivated primarily by pay. His Theory of Scientific Management argued that worker do not normally enjoy work so they must be controlled and supervised. Managers should break down production into small parts, workers should get training and tools to help them work better on their job. He notes that workers are then paid for the number of items the make in a period of time, as a result workers are encouraged to work hard and maximise their productivity. His approach is closely related to autocratic management style where employees do as they are told with minimum contributions of ideas. But is approach can be boring as workers do the same things all the time. In the end workers are not so motivated.

Abraham Maslow

Abraham Maslow (1908 – 1970) along with Frederick Herzberg (1923-) introduced the Neo-Human Relations School in the 1950’s, which focused on the psychological needs of employees. Maslow’s theory states that there are five levels of human needs which employees need to have fulfilled at work to be fully satisfied. Below are the list of needs in hierarchy. He says that only once a lower level of need has been fully met, would a worker be motivated by the opportunity of having the next need up in the hierarchy satisfied. For example a person who is dying of hunger will be motivated to achieve a basic wage in order to buy food before worrying about having a secure job contract.

He says that managers have to give their workers incentives to workers in order to help them fulfill each need in turn and progress up the hierarchy. Managers need to see that workers have different things that motivate them and do not all move up the hierarchy at the same pace. They may therefore have to offer a slightly different set of incentives from worker to worker.

Frederick Herzberg

Frederick Herzberg believed in a two-factor theory of motivation. This theory states that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are driven by different factors - motivation and hygiene factors, respectively. Motivators are more concerned with the actual job itself. For example, how exciting is the work? How much opportunity it gives for more responsibility, recognition and promotion. For example a worker will only turn up to work if a business has provided a reasonable level of pay and safe working conditions but these factors will not make him work harder at his job once he is there. Importantly Herzberg viewed pay as a hygiene factor which is in direct contrast to Taylor who viewed pay as piece-rate in particular.

Herzberg notes that managers can motivate employees by creating a democratic setting in the work place and by improving the nature and content of the job they do. Some of the methods managers could use to achieve this are:

Job enlargement – workers being given a greater variety of tasks to perform (not necessarily more challenging) which should make the work more interesting.

Job enrichment - involves workers being given a wider range of more complex, interesting and challenging tasks surrounding a complete unit of work. This should give a greater sense of achievement.

Empowerment - means delegating more power to employees to make their own decisions over areas of their working life.

In conclusion, both Maslow and Herzberg, suggest that satisfied employees tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their organizations. If an employee is not satisfied with work the person might not be motivated to go to work, this can affect production in the case of a manufacturing company whereby the production process needs every one to be at work all the time. Furthermore, unsatisfied employees can decide to quit the company all of a sudden causing general productivity to reduce. Good ways to motivate employees would be through methods like promotions, job enrichment, job rotation and communications. Employees that feel like their needs are taken care of by their company tend to be more satisfied.

Introduction to Social Media as an Effective Strategy for Growth.

2011-10-31T23:58:00.001+08:00

There has been much buzz about Social CRM recently with many companies looking to new ways to embrace SCRM as part of their strategies. Some like Dell computers and Air Asia are among companies that have been leveraging the power of social media over the years. Others are still slow to better understand and utilize social networks to improve their business. Today social media consumers are educated and influential people whose opinions can shape and break even the biggest organization. To understand Social Customer Relationship Management it is important that customer relationship management is understood already. Customer relationship management is a process used by both small and large organizations for over 20years now in staying abreast with their customers. Social CRM still represents Customer Relationship Management (CRM) but evolved with a back-end process and system for managing customer relationships and data in an efficient and process-centric way. The growth in technology has resulted in rapid advancements in the way business is carried out today. A few years back organizations relied heavily on mass media advertising to get their message out to their target market.

Times are changing now with customer behavior not lacking behind either. Today, consumers are in the forefront and are driving force to any organizations success. Organizations that take lightly embracing social CRM as part of their strategy would be left behind in the long run. According to Paul Greenberg, an expert in SCRM pointed out that Social CRM is designed to engage the customer in a two-way conversation in order to provide a mutually beneficial value in a trusted and transparent business environment. This report will be discussing the difference between traditional customer relationship management and social customer relationship management. We will also briefly understand some social CRM trends, and take recommendations on how organizations can embrace social CRM strategies into their business.

The difference between Traditional CRM and Social CRM

While the traditional CRM has been around for a very long time, social CRM is a fresh area in marketing with many organizations still looking for ways to better understand and implement it as a part of their business strategies. Traditional CRM is about identifying, attracting and relating with clients in a way that keeps them coming back to the company using technology as a means. CRM focuses on securing and maintain large amounts of customer data which might sometimes become complex and difficult to understand by users who are not experts in the field. If CRM is implemented properly it can help organizations reduce cost, attract more customers and make more quality decisions. Social CRM on the other hand is much simpler compared to traditional CRM. Technology has made it possible for businesses to have access to low cost but very effective tools that make social media marketing more effective.

Social CRM strategies and technology offerings should complement, but not replace Traditional CRM software, a platform organizations conventionally used to keep and analyze customer data. Social CRM can play a vital role in enhancing traditional CRM efforts adding more value by augmenting traditional systems. While many Traditional CRM solutions are highly regarded and excellent at automating processes, managing the customer data and provide management reports to track sales, Social CRM focuses on the relevant conversations taking place online and offline.

Social CRM not only addresses how you will respond to new kind of customers and the demands that they put on your company, but also how to can engage social media influencers like bloggers, independent analysts and customers who are passionate about brands (Panesar, 2010). Today’s consumers are smarter and more involved in the production process more than ever before making Social CRM important. Traditional CRM as seen in the diagram below, fig 1.0 obtained from a chess media group research in 2010, shows how traditional CRM work. Sales, marketing, services and support are all organized by the company and tailored to attract new customers while retaining existing customers.

Fig 1.0 The Traditional CRM Process. Source:Jacob Morgan.

CRM strategy, enabled by procedures and technologies, is architected to deal with customer relationships as a way for extracting the best value from customers over the lifetime of the relationship. These strategies typically focus on the operational responses required to manage the customer. CRM tools are applied to help secure and maintain customer data, sometimes these tools can be complicated and different to learn making training users costly. Customer Relationship Management laid more emphasis on obtaining and tracking large amounts of data about customers to help organizations find ways to get customers to patronize them more frequently. Some common CRM tools are Salesforce, Zoho, and Microsoft Dynamics. All of them are normally supported by a CRM strategy with technology simply an enabler. The issue with the traditional CRM is that not much is done when it comes to customer support. The firm’s interaction with its customers is more of a one way interaction. Collaboration and customer involvement is lacking.

Michael Fauschette defined Social CRM as the tools and procedures that encourage effective customer interactions leveraging the collective intelligence of a much larger customer community with a goal of increasing intimacy between a company and its prospect customers. With social media, though, companies are no longer in control of the relationship. Instead, customers (and their highly influential virtual networks) are now driving the conversation, which can trump a company’s marketing, sales and service efforts with unprecedented immediacy and reach (IBM Report, 2011). Companies are engaged in a two way communication process with customers with Social CRM. According to Global World Tech (2011) the major difference between traditional CRM and Social CRM is that Social CRM is based on a strategy for customer engagement and not customer databases management. A lot has been written on social customer relationship management and its rapidly growing importance in engaging customers. Social media makes it easier for companies to relate with customers more than ever before.

Fig 1.1 Social CRM. Source:Jacob Morgan.

According to Woodcock & Green 2010, customers would trust friends and colleagues more compared to TV advertising or corporate communications. They talk to one another like never before about products they are associated with or like using social media networks. These conversation are a times grim, for amusement, short, angry, happy and intense. Opinions, ideas and thoughts are shared through blogs, videos, photos or just be leaving status as it is called on Facebook or tweets as it is on Twitter. Social CRM creates a shift of brand control from the organization to customers as customers opinions can be amplified very quickly affecting brand performance.

Marketing brands is becoming less about the push messages approach rather about the brands being part of the dynamic conversation actively listening in on customers, serving them with relevant content and experience to earn their trust. Trust earned can be very effective in enhance profit growth in the mid and long term as customers that trust a venture remain loyal to that venture even giving out good ‘word of mouth’ which boost leads and sales. Businesses rely on customers to keep them in business. Without customers, a company cannot achieve profitable set out goals. Social CRM Technologies help to bring these needed customers closer.

With Effective Teamwork You Can Succeed.

2011-10-31T22:46:00.001+08:00

Teamwork according to Gibson et al (1980) is the process whereby a group of individuals actively work together in a bid to achieve a common goal. Teamwork carried out effective can help boost productivity and efficiency.

Teams are increasingly more popular as a typical operating method for organizing and managing work. More organizations continue to embrace teamwork as they come to understand that productivity can be derived from effective teamwork. Effective teamwork is very important for the network industry besides having products and services that stand out. The synergy created from working together rather than individually should not be underestimated. However, managing a team to succeed can be challenging as certain factors have to be attended to if one is to ensure that all individuals in the team work effectively towards achieving set out goals. This paper will analyze the benefits of teamwork in network marketing, the issues faced by managers with regards to facilitating teams and various factors that can help networkers to be more effective in facilitating team members for productive and efficiency.

The benefit of Teamwork

Every single individual in your network has his or her personal contributions to the achievement of organizational goals. Whenever individuals come together to perfom a given task, they combine their individual skills creating snergies that help boost the attainment of organizational goals. When individuals combine to carry out task, they put in their personal talents generating a special energy to deliver tangible performance results. There are a number of contributions working effectively together can make to your organization. With teamwork the generation of diverse ideas is highly possible which allows for better decision making. The time spent of carrying out a task which in the case of network marketing, expanding your network is cut short. Teamwork enhances participation and involvement. Workload is share making one’s task less stressfull to embark on. According to Weaver, (2008) when individuals come together to perform a given task, they combine individual skills creating synergies that help boost the attainment of organizational goals. Teams provide members with a social identity that reduces stress & uncertainty motivating members to be more productive (Levi, 2010).

The ant colony is a good example of teamwork and how synergy is gained when individuals work together for a common purpose, in this case the good of the colony (Maxwell, 2006). Ants are small and frigle but that does not stop them from doing great things in their capacity.

Another good example is the game of soccer. Every player has an individual role to play but for the collective good of the entire team, which is winning matches.

Food for Thought.

Why Teams Fail

ú No vision or goals.

ú Personal irresponsibility.

ú Conflict between partners.

ú Power struggle. The “I must out perform him/her syndrome".

ú Dishonest partners

ú No clear identity.

ú Lack of training.

Clear mission and goals

The mission of every network marketer if you ask me is to be successful financially and otherwise. To reach the level of success you dream of, you need a vision, mission, goals, you need people, you need a team. A number of studies have noted that having clear understanding of where they are headed as one of the important conditions necessary for effective teamwork. According to Brodie (2007) for teams to be effective in their respective task, they have to understand the purpose for which they are carrying out the task. Each player in the team should be able to identify his/her purpose and responsibility. By identifying purpose for and role of each and every individual in the team; the tendency of achieving desired results is highly likely. This is in line with one of the oldest models of team effectiveness Rubin, Plovnick, and Fry (1977) which pointed out that goal setting should always be the first thing to take on when putting a team togther, followed by defining roles and responsibilities. When the goals are clear, the team is able to concentrate on the the right things to deliver the best results. One very successful marketer points out in his book titled “ While you’re in a Traffic Jam, I’m Playing Golf!”, that some folks think they can build a business without having a dream. According to Thompson, (2008) you need a vision and set out goals to keep you inspired and motivated during the toughest of times. When one loses heart without a vision, he or she passes on such demoralization unto others in the network.

Honesty and Collaboration

Some network marketers face a lot of negativity as a result of experiences potential prospects have had in the past with other networkers. The attitude of an individual will reflect on his team and that of the team on the organization. True some companies are started with hidden agendas to cheat people however, genuie organizations are being blacklisted in the minds of the public because someone got cheated at some point. I have personally come across cheats in the course of looking for a good home networking business and I must say the experience can be very demoralizing. If one is outspoken he or she would definitely give bad world of mouth. Some people would even go at any length to bad mouth an organization when scammed. You can not really blame them, you on your part has to work hand in hand with your team in the most honest way possible to attaining your goals.

Having competent team members is an integral part of overall effectiveness. Unfortunately, we often have no control over who we work with; (Larson & Lafasto, 1989)

You have to protray your team as the right team to be a part of. Prospects need to have enough reason and conviction to trust your team, they have to see potentials. Some might say that being honest in business does not pay well, but imagine if every marketer carried out their business ethically? No doubt, much more people would be drawn to network marketing than we have today. It starts with one. When marketers are honest with themselves and their prospects more would be achieved. That brings us to the issue of colaboration. Elton Mayo’s of productivity and work conditions between 1927 -1932 called Hawthorne Studies has been adopted by businesspeople for decades The Hawthorne Experiments showed that an individual's work performance, position, and status in an organization are determined not only by the individual, but by group members, too (Merrett, 2006). The individuals that founded teams in the course of the experiement where more productive than those who did not. According to Robert Kiyosaki, people working as a TEAM means Together Everyone Achieves More. It is through cooperation that people and organizations truly win because it is a win - win. De Meus (2009) notes that Psychologists have been contending that mutual trust and open communication are the foundation for any successful relationship. It also is logical that how one resolves conflicts, makes decisions, and deals with resource issues would be highly related to team effectiveness.

Tuckman (1965) notes that team members do not immediately build strong interpersonal relationships.

He proposed 4 stages that teams go through before they can be said to be effectively working together and committed to the same goal.

Forming: learning to deal with people
Storming: conflicts are brought to the surface and must be resolved.
Norming: team members settle into their roles and a team feeling begins to develop.
Performing: the team is united and working on the task at hand.

Some people get into the network business thinking they will easily build relationships with their team whether upline or downline, but get disappointed when things do not go as planned. Network marketing depends a lot on building relationships with people whether online or offline. The way you relate to people internally or externally does play a huge role in determining your success. The way you relate with your team determines whereby there would be long time progress or not. Tuckman’s model has to be taken with atmost importance. Do not expect relations with other networkers you work with will be all rosy in the beginning because it will not. It takes a lot of commitment, dedication and openness to be able to build relationships that amount to success. Thompson (2008) advices networkers not to waste time on prospects when they turn you down but rather move on to develop new relationships. In the course of building new relationsips never forget to maintain that which has already being built with other networkers and clients. In conclusion, the best people to work with are those that fully well understand and are aligned to your goals.

Principled leadership

Leadership is one of the most critical factors for effective teamwork.According to Larson & Lafasto notes that effective leadership is principled leadership and Highsmith describes it as collaborative leadership. It does not matter how good a team is on thrust, trust, talent, teaming skills, and task skills, it must have the support from the organization and the leadership fit to be effective (Lombardo & Eichinger, 1995)

This makes the establishment of the Monavie University make a lot of sense. In that it was created to act as a support base for the learning and development of its independent distributors, teams and leaders. Principled leaders inspire and influence people rather than give orders, they believe in their followers to get goals fulfilled using power only sparingly

Teamwork can be a very good strategy for individual and organizational growth but its success is dependent on leadership, clear cut goals, collaboration etc.

It should be noted that no single condition is sufficient for teamwork effectiveness, rather Davis & Scase, (2000) a combination of all conditions will allow for an effective team in turn resulting in high performance.

Monavie Acai Berry Juice is the Truth.

2011-10-28T13:35:00.000+08:00

Monavie is involved in the processing of one of the world's best superfoods, the acai berry as a beverage. The acai berry is rich in antioxidants which aides in the safety of bad free radicals against our bodies. The acai berry is creating buzz around the world. Everyone from celebrities, athletes, talk show hosts have been raving about the redeeming effects of the acai berry. Monavie’s premium acai berry juices are among the top choices of acai berry enthusiasts. Monavie is one of the top companies in the direct marketing industry. They are also the fastest mounting company ever to arrive at $1 billion in sales. Monavie has taken the health and wellness and web marketing industries by storm.

antioxidantapps

MonaVie is a delicious blend of the Brazilian acai berry pronounced, “Ah-Sigh-EE”, one of nature’s top superfoods-and 18 additional body-beneficial fruits. This combination to nourishment delivers influential antioxidants and phytonutrients to help spat free radicals and perpetuate your body’s overall health.

Monavie Key Benefits:

Offers potent antioxidant safety against free radicals.

Contains antioxidant polyphenols, which studies promise may play an portentous role in long-term health.

Features a form of key nutrients for optimal health.

Delivers the antioxidant power of approximately 13 servings of fruits and vegetables in just four ounces.

Provides nutritional benefits for all ages.

Essential Facts:

In excess, free radicals ware´s bad oxidation that can pull cell membranes and accelerate the aging process.

MonaVie’s freeze-dried acai has a higher ORAC score than any additional fruit or vegetable tested to date, boasting an antioxidant power more than 15 age higher than blueberries and more than 20 age higher than raspberries (J Agric Food Chem. 2006, 54(22):8604-10).

Health experts agree that a diet rich in a form of antioxidants helps spat the cryptogram of aging and is temperamental to maintaining good health.

For many centuries the race of the Amazon have considered the acai berry a award-winning fruit. They have cherished it as a source of health and vitality. The health benefits of the acai berry are soundless mammal researched and documented. Acai is considered one of the world’s top superfoods because of it’s high antioxidant contents.

WHY MONAVIE? It would make more sense if you watch the video below...

Designed for easy use in the body, just 2-4 ounces of MonaVie's acai berry juice per day provides you with the antioxidants and phytonutrients found in many of the world’s most nutritious fruits-including acai. Monavie’s exclusive freeze drying process enables them to capture the ultimate nutrients of the acai berry. Monavie’s freeze dried acai powder contains an ORAC score (a plumb of antioxidant content) higher than any additional vegetable and fruit tested to date.

Monavie is one of the top companies in the web marketing industry. Monavie allows distributors an opportunity of marketing on a global scale to take advantage of what is considered to be the next trillion dollar industry-The Health and Wellness Industry. Monavie distributors have the possible to form portentous long term remaining takings possible with Monavie’s lucrative redress plans. They offer 8 ways to earn takings with 50% of sales volume paid out to distributors in commissions.

Monavie is steadfast to the success of their distributors. Monavie is plumb one of the highest companies in the the health and wellness and web marketing industries. Entrepreneurs now have the best of both world’s. Monavie gives aspiring entrepreneurs the possible to have a solid financial proposed with their partnership opportunity, as well as the health benefits of drinking one of the highest health and wellness juices on the bazaar today.

Watch and Listen carefully to what Mark Blumenthal of the American Botanical Council speak about the Acai Berry.

For more information about Monavie, the health benefits of the acai berry do your research and do not be decieved by blogs, emails etc, trying to prove monavie acai berry is a scam. Most of them are just to try redirect you to some other product of site which might not be as helpful and i would say, unethical. To succeed you need the right people in your team, any business can fail or be successful, it takes a lot more than just trying to make a sale. It is only right that you try Monavie's juices today.

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If you have any questions whatsoever, regarding monavie please email: ajayimba.ak@gmail.com

God bless you richly.

Who Needs Fruits?

2011-10-27T13:02:00.000+08:00

Basically everyone needs fruits, kids, teenagers, adults, it is not just about ageing or anti-ageing. Different variety of fruits have been discovered to have great health benefits. From apples to the acai berry, bananas, the list goes on.

For example, Apples possess fiber, flavonoids, and fructose. One apple provides up to 5 grams of fiber, more than many cereals. This can help prevent heart disease and constipation.

Another outstanding fruit 'Prune' which contains potassium and iron that are essential for healthy blood. Fibre and natural chemicals to keep you regular! Vitamin A and C to help maintain healthy hair and skin. Chromium which maintains healthy blood sugar levels making it a fruit for you if you are thinking 'less sugar'. Lutein to prevent eyesight failure and slow-release sugars to keep energy levels up during the day.

Pears are actually higher in pectin than apples. They are effective in helping to lower cholesterol levels and in toning the intestines. They are often recommended by health care practitioners as a hypoallergenic fruit that is high in fiber. They are less likely to produce an adverse response than other fruits. Pears are often recommended as a safe fruit to introduce to infants.

What about Acerola?. Not until recently, I personally had very little knowledge about this fruit. Acerola is grown in tropical climates as a large, fast growing bushy shrub or small tree. Acerola Cherries are an excellent source of powerful antioxidants, they are rich in protein and mineral salts especially, iron, phosphorus calcium and also have marked anti-fungal activity. The free radical scavenging benefits of Acerola are also useful for preventing abnormal growths and fighting cellular aging. The best uses are direct eating, jams and jellies, syrups, and juice additives. The fruit is used for baby food, and as a supplement source for Vitamin C in a variety of products.

Acai berry has been popular off-late with different health companies looking to way to incorporate the acai berry into their blends as more research show the goodness of the berry. Many call it 'the fruit for berry goodness' grown in the Amazon rain-forest. Acai berry is rich in essential fatty acids such as omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acid (linoleic acid and oleic acid) and is believed to be able to lower bad LDL cholesterol levels maintaining the healthy HDL cholesterol levels. It has been widely promoted as a fruit that can aid weight loss however from my experience as a distributor of Monavie's acai berry juice, there are fluctuations in the way the drink works with different people. For some, it has showed to be very healthful in losing weight while some users say they ate more after drinking the juice. That said, it cannot be denied that most people who drink the acai berry juice are feeling much healthier and happier.

In my opinion, for the juice to work well for you in losing weight you have to include exercising and maintain diets with less fats and oil. The juice already has the potential to boost your energy levels to greater heights. It is also rich in dietary fiber and healthy monounsaturated fats, it is can enhance the cardio vascular system and digestive tract. Acai berry is rich in carbohydrates and organic vegetable protein which is more easily digested than animal protein. Therefore, it is also said to be able to increase your energy levels. The beta-sitosterol, a type of plant sterols found in this fruit is said to be useful in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia and help controlling cholesterol.

Monavie uses the freeze dry method in processing its acai berry. It combines the acai berry with 18 other antioxidant rich fruits including the ones briefly described above, with each and everyone having essential roles to play in the body. It is only right that we give credit to the organizations founders for its products. No one can have 19 fruits in a day but Monavie has made that possible. Juicing Made Easy and Better.

A New Approach to Customer Relationship Management

2011-10-27T12:46:00.000+08:00

Analysis of some major Social Customer Relationship Management platforms
The emergence and use of social media and other Web 2.0 tools has drastically altered how organizations connect with their customers. There are so many social networking sites and applications today with some more popular than others.

Twitter is one of the best examples of a fast growing social media that is changing the face of marketing today. According to Solis (2010), Twitter is more of a series of interconnected social nicheworks and less of a social network. It brings together different social networks, communities of like minded individuals and professionals. Twitter offers an interest Graph which allows individuals access to indexable, organized and searchable streams where they can freely express sentiments, directly and indirectly communicate with one another and share thoughts and information on various brands or general trends. The company recently acquired Tweetdeck. TweetDeck is an Adobe AIR application that allows uses to access various social networking sites at the same time. Some of the networks one can connect to using tweetdeck are, twitter, facebook, google, Buzz, MySpace, LinkedIn and Foursquare. The application is compatible with several operating systems including Mac, Linux, OSX and Windows. An Android version was added recently (Wikipedia 2011).

Twitter purchased TweetDeck on May 25, 2011 for almost $50million which included both cash and stock. According to Empson, (2011), A deal was on the way between TweetDeck and Bill Gross’ UberMedia for a sale between $25 & $30million. Twitter made a counteroffer of almost $50million which Tweetdeck could not refuse. Tweetdeck makes social networking more interesting for users. The program allows for multiple interfaces to be shown all that the same time. It also allows users to split the people they follow into groups, a very useful feature to many users. The client supports URL shortening which can be done on-the-fly. It is obvious that the management of twitter see the need to expand their business through acquisition to prepare for the continued growth that is to come in the social CRM industry. Twitter is yet to go public however, investors value twitter to be worth about $4.1 billion. (Yin, 2011)

Twitter represents much more than real time focus groups and connectivity. Information contained in certain tweets published by notable individuals possessing the capacity to influence agendas and resulting activities. And even in aggregate, everyday users define the direction of the stream and ultimately impact the subjects of their conversations. Monitoring and analysis activities of individuals and potential customers on a platform like twitter can help sharpen an organizations strategy

A recent study by ExactTarget and CoTweet which surveryed about 1500 respondents reveals an important part of the social ecosystem that demonstrates why businesses need to consider not just a 360 approach, but a socialized approach. Of the consumers surveyed, 72% publish blog posts at least monthly, 70% comment on blogs, and 61% write at least one product review monthly. The social consumer is vocal and they’re connected. Considering now that audiences are shifting from content consumers to curators and creators, our market is now defined by audiences with audiences with audiences. Individuals maintain active and expanding social graphs and as they grow, the network effect only escalates (Solis, 2010).

Linkedin is a good example of a social networking site for business. LinkedIn according to CrunchBase, is the world’s largest online networking site for professionals. It has over 100million users representing more than 200 countries globally. It is the fastest growing networking site for professionals. It is free and allows people that join to create business contacts, search for jobs, and find potential clients. Individuals have the ability to create their own expert profiles that can be viewed by others in their network, and also view the profiles of their own contacts.

68% of LinkedIn users are 35 or older, 74% have a college degree or better and 39% make more than $100,000 a year. As those stats illustrate, although LinkedIn may not have the buzz of Facebook or Twitter right now, it has an enviable demographic base (Wasserman 2011).

According to LiveWire, Business Smiths claims to have used linkedin to achieve their set out gaol to drive traffic and build brand awareness without spending. The company’s management notes that with linkedIn they hit a record of over 500 hits in a day after just an hour’s time spent.

Facebook is also a big name in the industry for social networks. Facebook made between $280 million and $300 million, according to many reports by the end of 2008 even when there was an economic crisis in that year. The company’s revenues likely reached between $600 million and $700 million for 2009, according to reports.

50% of mobile internet traffic in the UK is for Face-Book. One can only imagine what this could mean for a bad customer experience. The network is big in the area of brand advertising too making huge amounts in cash through advertising brands on pages. A Ford Explorer Lanuch on Facebook recently generated more traffic than expected that the company decided they were going all out on the social networking site.

Dell as an example of an Organization utilizing SCRM

Dell used a similar strategy when it got into the computer market; it organized a program whereby the firm listens to its employees to get feedback on products and new product ideas. This is almost what social customer relationship management is all about. These networks allows dell to listen not just to staff but also to customers on a much larger scale. Dell runs an active facebook and twitter page that allows the company

Dell computers have been on Twitter for years as part of their business strategy. Dell uses Twitter to quickly share information with people interested in our products and services, gather real-time feedback, and build relationships with customers, partners and other influential people. The company is so into the network that it has almost all departments represented on the network from sales to corporate to support and more. The company claims to have make about $3 million through twitter since 2007.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Before social media companies would spend heavily on mass media advertising and promotions, investing in costly research to better understand their customer base and sometimes these expensive researches might not yield results and many still do. There was one occasion when I placed an order with McDonalds for some burgers after placing the order I decided I didn’t want what I ordered anymore. There was a need to call them up for a change of order as soon as possible. I tried many times to get the operator but could not. The line was busy every single time I tried. Come to think of it, if that particular McDonalds outlet that I called had a functioning Twitter account or Face-book, I could have immediately sent a tweet or instant message to the outlet stating that my order should be changed. Software like TweetDeck would make it possible for a staff of the outlet to read messages from anyone following them instantly. Spending heavily on advertising and promotions with less in the area of after sales could be detrimental to the reputation of any business venture.

Erik Qualman stated that “We do not have a choice on whether we do social media; the question is how well we do it.” A McDonald’s outlet might have a running twitter or Face-book page but if their social CRM strategy is not properly aligned to the overall business strategy, the SCRM strategies might fail in the long run. There are companies with presence online but hardly update their sites. This might be because they feel much stronger in the offline arena however such companies imagine will be affected. Consumers see them as non productive and non-proactive even if they were. If online perception of customers on social networks affect brand image now wait a couple years from now. The influence is bound to grow to higher heights that companies that fail to embrace social customer relationship management get left behind. The diagram below obtained from a recent Chess Group research shows how companies can align social CRM as a part of their business strategy. From just looking at the diagram one can already envision the influence medias like blogger, facebook, twitter, linkedin, and many more is having on various industry right now and what it could be like in the near future.

The diagram below fig 1.0 is a good outline of how an organization can better embrace social CRM in its activites. Facebook, twitter, blogger and more are all utilized to reach out to a much broader network of potential clients. They serve here as listening tools which the company uses to evaluate market trends and customers behavior. All information derived can be stored for future reference and analysis using the organizations CRM software or platform. Based on information drawn using these networks, the organization is able to better reach and react to its customers immediate needs and even use analysis derived to come up with future market strategies. Social networking sites should not just be used for promoting brand awareness and discounts. There is a lot more to it that those, it should can be used as a form of KPI to measure performance based on feedback got from people who use these media

Fig 1.0 Diagram of an overall Social CRM Process. Source: Jmorganmarketing

With Social CRM product information, purchase advice and technical help is disseminated from consumers to other consumers and sometimes it is even without the involvement of the product of service provider. Such a shift could result in opportunities and might be risky for some organizations to implement. For any organization to derive better value from social communication channels, they have to be able to properly adopt a “social CRM” strategy. Such a strategy could help with customers all though the buying process and any other point at a much lower cost compared to traditional marketing and advertising channels.

In conclusion, organizations need to take social CRM more seriously has the sector is bound to grow at a much faster rate in the years to come. Companies must remember that social media and Web 2.0 will not work for all customer needs and segments, even though they can significantly alter the role played by more traditional contact channels. However, Social CRM presents many opportunities to build a distinctive capability that can serve as a building block of high performance: a method to potentially connect more tightly with customers at lower cost and in a way that provides a real differentiation from competitors.