Copyright © 2005 J. Nasser
Name: Dj Nasser
*
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visited *loading* times
Introvert-
Think before speak.
They take time to read a paper and think carefully.
**Write a memo and let them think about it before responding.
Extravert-
Think on their feet. Energized by people. They rather talk than write
**Try your idea orally and in an informal setting.
Sensing type-
Like to decide step by step.
Want to know why a proposal is important and are very good at facts.
**Present your reasons step-by-step. Get your facts right.
Intuitive type-
Like solving problems and are creative. Impatient with details.
**Present big picture first. Stress innovative and creative aspects of your proposal.
Thinking type-
decide based on logic and abstract principles. Uncomfortable with emotions.
**Use logic, not emotion. Show you are fair even though it may hurt people’s feelings.
Feeling type-
Very aware of people and their feelings and they’re sympathetic and like harmony.
**Show your proposal meets emotional needs of people and financial needs of organization.
Perceiving type-
Want to be sure they’ve considered all options. They may postpone coming to closure or decision.
**Show you have considered all alternatives. Ask for a decision by a specific date.
Judging type-
Making quick decisions. Like closure so they move to something else.
**Present your request quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------
What type of the above personality you are most?
What type of personality will become successful in China?
What type of personality bothers you?
What personality boss would you prefer to have?
Prepare the same proposal for each specific type.
()Take the humanmetrics.com test at
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
()Bring a summary of your results to class.
Lecture details for difficult class material is posted here so you can access it later for a review.
Situation 1 | Description
An organization allows $500/year per employee for training. One manager refuses to allow their employees to go on training unless it is strictly required for the position.
What would you do?
Speak to the manager=== what would say and how. Why?
Do nothing ===== Why?
Situation 2 | Description
An employee is not aware that the quality of his/her performance is decreasing. The employee's manager is new to the position and has not talked to the employee about this. Instead, the manager keeps telling the employee that s/he is doing well as a means of encouraging the employee and also gives the employee a fully satisfactory appraisal. Six months later, the manager assesses the employee’s performance and the employee is given an unsatisfactory appraisal.
Is this harassment? Why?
Situation 3 | Description
You work in a team with another employee. This employee consistently withholds relevant information or delays communicating it to you.
What would you do?
Speak to the employee==== what would say and how. Why?
Do nothing====== why?
Situation 4 | Description
A female supervisor asks one of her male employees, always the same one, to massage her neck when she feels tense. The request is made in a sweet, cajoling voice.
Is this harassment? ==== Why?
Situation 5 | Description
An employee invites you to a restaurant after work.
What would you do?
Accept the invitation == Why?
Refuse the invitation == Why?
Last week, we discussed some of these questions. Here is a sample answer. Please read, recite and practice this in your free time:
Q1. Tell me about yourself.
A1. My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best _____ I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself . . .
Q2. Why should I hire you?
A2. Because I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other college students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job--my attitude for excellence. Not just giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. In _____ and _____ I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can become by doing the following . . .
Q3. What is your long-range objective? Where do you want to be 10 or 15 years from now?
A3. Although it's certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what direction I want to develop toward. Within five years, I would like to become the very best _____ your company has. In fact, my personal career mission statement is to become a world-class _____ in the _____ industry. I will work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term.
More to come later...
Here is a link to an interesting article on how businesses pick names for their products. Simply copy and past this URL to your web browser:
http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/
The story is about Audion, a product you may not know very well. Read the story and send your comments to this post.
This Assignment is optional.
Here is an extract of the above story, with kind permission of Author: Cabel Sasser. (Note the last name. :)
<< I love stories.
by Cabel Sasser , Panic co-founder
Is it just me? I mean, do you ever wonder about the stories behind everyday products?
What names were Procter & Gamble considering before they finally picked "Swiffer"? (Springle? Sweepolio? Dirtrocker?) What flavors of Pop-Tarts never made it out of the lab, and did any involve lychee, the devil's fruit? What magical prototype Apple products will never be seen, forever relegated to some giant, Wonka-esque industrial design factory that might exist only in my imagination? ("Oompa, loompa, diggity-dack: come take a peek at this dodecahedron-Mac!"). And honestly, what in God's name is a "Graffle"?
OK, sure, it might just be me. But as it turns out, even something as seemingly mundane as a Mac app can have a few marginally interesting, if not truly nerdy, stories of its own.
When we created Audion, our Mac-only, multipurpose MP3 application, Steven Frank and I had one goal: we wanted to listen to our music CDs on our computers while we worked, and we wanted to it be stylish. We had no indication that MP3s would one day turn the music industry upside down and have it running for cover. We certainly had no idea that something like the iPod would pop up and literally change Apple as a company. And even though we weren't really responsible for any revolutions per se — rather, we rode on the revolution-train with many others — everything that happened to Audion just fell into place, magically and unexpectedly, like so many beautiful moments in life.
But now, after many years of work, we've made the difficult decision to "retire" Audion from active development.
(Hey, wait! Don't worry! We're not going out of business, nobody has left, and everyone here at Panic is hard at work on exciting new projects as well as updating our existing projects. Anyway.)
Suffice it to say, this retirement decision wasn't easy.
In trying to work up the nerve to make the decision, I kept thinking back to high-school yearbooks. Remember that last day of school, when the yearbooks arrived, and you'd invariably end up spilling your guts to your secret crush(es) via hastily worded, heart-dumping notes tucked into the corner of the back page? That last day of school really seemed to feel like your last day on earth, your last chance to tell the story that's been percolating for so long, damn the consequences.
(Of course, two weeks later you'd run into your crush at Hot Dog On A Stick and be completely embarrassed — man, why didn't I just write "Have A Nice Summer" and draw a giraffe on a pogo stick — but it felt good to get it off your chest.)
Consider this Audion's last day of high school. He'll still be off chilling at college, now completely free (of charge), probably growing a goatee, but he won't be running around like the crazy wildman he once was, in a state of — um — active development. And with that, my metaphor has strained to the bursting point.
In short, we didn't want Audion, flashy crazy Audion, to go with a whimper. We felt it was time to celebrate this one application — this one tiny tale in a world of millions — that's done so much for us, and whose customers and fans have helped us become what we are today, to whom we owe so much. It's time to inscribe in the great Mac App Yearbook.
It's time to tell Audion's story.
The birth of Audion>>>> To read the complete story, go to http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/
After you read the story, leave your comments on this site, right below:
"Paraphrased from Scarborough & Zimmerer's Essentials of Entreprenurship and Small Business, 6th Edition, Pearson Education press with many thanks."
Following are deadly mistakes entrepreneurs and small business managers make:
Mistake: We got a great product, it will sell itself!
Note: No product can sell itself, it is the manager/marketer who should.
Mistake2: The market is big; If I get a tiny share, I'll be rich & prosper.
Note: Confidence sounds good, but not at expense of unrealism.
Mistake 3:
Strategic plan? We don't need one of those. It is for big corporations!
Note:
The fastest way to failure is without a strategic plan. A plan helps you stay focused.
Mistake 4:
What a great idea! It's cheap and easy to start!
Note :
Just because it is cheap and easy does not mean it is attractive to prospective buyers.
Mistake 5:
We are not sure what we're doing. We will keep experimenting till we hit the jackpot.
Note: A start-up needs twice the time and three times the capital initially planned for a take off to success. Plan accordingly.
Mistake 6:
Our forecast shows we will make profits within the next 3 months.
Note: The above is too optimistic. What if it does not work? Prepare three forecasts: Most pessimistic, pessimistic and optimistic and plan according to each situation. Do not rely on one forecast alone.
Mistake 7:
We have enough money to last till we hit a break even point. By then, we will start making money so we need not worry.
Note: Don't become a victim of fast growth. You not only need start=up capital in order ot take off but also growing funds to keep you successful for sometime in order to avoid financial collapse.
Mistake 8:
We will make it easy for them to pay for it. We will process credit cards and other fast banking methods.
Note: Remember the fraud and slow payer problems and plan accordingly. Credit card are not the last resort!
Mistake 9:
We are having ball: We got a few good deals with a very large corporation and this will help our business grow.
Note: Do not rely on one large corp. spread your options and profits over different areas and sources.
Write your comments below.
Dear Students:
We discussed the following ways of creative process in a business setting:
Re-arrangement
Combination of 2 or more
Convergent thinking
Divergent thinking
Adaptation
Before creating a new plan or a product, think about the following questions:
1. Has this been done before?
2. Can my innovation copied or repeated by others/rivals?
3. If I re-arrange it, does it become a different idea/product?
4. Will the opposite of this idea work too?
These are some of the questions adjusted for your level now. I look forward to reading your creative ideas now!
This week's second round, we discussed Niche Marketing.
Here is a brief definition of NM:
Niche marketing is finding a hidden or undiscovered market
segment and creating a business idea that fills the discovered
demand niche.
Some believe NM covers small market segments. True, Sometimes,
we get used to the idea that what is good for a small business
cannot be applied to an international business setting because
they are two different ideas.
Why can't it be transferred to enhance international business?
A vivid example we discussed in class was the Chinese
"tea-boiled eggs" which cannot be found, say, in Pakistan;
Or conversely, downtown juice-stands, so common in Pakistan
could become popular in southern Chinese cities.
HW:
1. What Chinese products can fill the demand niche in Europe?
Make a market research on the web. Here are some tips to make
your market research a better experience:
http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/guides/business/index.html
http://www.marketresearch.com/
default.asp?SID=25903913-317586460-325500725
http://cibs.commerce.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/WebBase
?page=Country+Surveys
http://cibs.commerce.ubc.ca/launch.html
2. Read other entrepreneurs' ideas and based on their model,
create a new business plan that could become a profitable
business idea in Mainland China. Here is the site with the
ideas. Copy it exactly and paste it in your Internet Explorer
address bar:
http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/cgi-bin/
maincs/dcboard.cgi?forum=BizIdeas&az=list&database=archive
Good luck!
J. Nasser
Dear Students,
Here is the first half of this term's syllabus and progress review:
<><>
Foreign Trade Communication-
Instructor: James Nasser ph: 2491437
1. Types of communication: Verbal, Written and Body Language.
2. Writing and designing effective memos.
3. Making yourself a positive communicator
4. Resumes and Cover letters: How to write and design
5. Job interview questions and how to answer them effectively
6. The Art of negotiation and 6 negotiation strategies
7. Types of Managers and how to deal & communicate with them
8. Communicating against harassment in workplace
9. Discussing branding issues (The Audion story)
10. The power of small business and entrepreneurship
11. The elements of failure and 9 deadly mistakes businessmen make
12. Creativity and its place in today’s business world
In addition:
Students
1. Improved their GENERAL FLUENCY to express their ideas confidently using in-class games.
2. Learned how to WRITE EFFECTIVE E-MAILS by practicing the correct form as homework.
3. Performed two REAL SITUATION plays, one of which involved marketing a new product/idea.
4. Became familiar with the concept of ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS and how to do them.
5. Improved their LISTENING ABILITY from level below normal to above average speed.
6. Became familiar with ONLINE RESOURCES in FOREIGN TRADE, e.g.: www.export911.com, www.alibaba.com, www.busytrade.com, www.globalsources.com and so on.
7. Practiced some common SPOKEN ENGLISH expressions; e.g.: Fancy that!, It’s a deal, Gotta run, I’m telling you, wow, how you doin’?, uh-huh, know zip about, gotcha, dig up! And so on.
Market Research for FTD- a review
Dear Students!
Foreign trade or international business as we call it outside China is increasingly changing the way we live and with this change, new opportunities and threats emerge; It is therefore necessary to measure risk of entering a new market, or simply doing business with a foreign country by doing a market research.
We learned that to conduct basic MR, an I/E manager has to follow the following steps:
1. Define the problem
2. Collect Data
3. Analyze and Interpret Data
4. Draw Conclusions and act.
Step 3: Consider the collected data as "raw". Divide it, mix it with other data, modify it, in short, "cook" the data into meaningful information. This part is called the analysis.
Take, for example, the issue of Imperial Leather soap which is manufactured by Cussons in U.K. In 2000, a few Pakistani firms made international market research and obtained an agreement to produce the same Cussons Imperial Leather in Thailand, costing them much less than the original one from the U.K. The analysis part for this case study included the following collected data:
1. Sales were going down because the U.K Imperial Leather soap was getting expensive as the GBP (English Pound Sterling) kept on becoming strong.
2. The fragrance, quality and packing were still popular in Pakistani markets, despite the higher price.
3. If the trend continues, however, the Imperial Leather soap will soon become too expensive to be sold, leaving very little room to make profit.
4. Thailand was industrially fit to produce this soap.
It is nearer, the labor is cheaper, and the Thai Baht is weaker than Pakistani Rupee. It is relatively stable and safer for investments.
The analysis and interpretation transformed the above data to the following meaningful result:
"An agreement should be sought to manufacture this soap in Thailand, with a lower price and somewhat similar quality."
The analysis procedure involved:
1. Calculating costs
2. Production speed
3. Assessment of final product quality assurance
4. Prediction of political changes in the Thai government
5. Ease of investment and dialogue.
The Interpretation procedure:
1. How much profit could be gained
2. What would the market reaction be to the new soap.
3. Soap sample was produced and compared.
And the last step, of course took them a few months to produce the soap and release it to the markets. As a result of this market research, many other importers started producing Colgate and other expensive English toothpastes in India. Because of those developments, today, you can purchase the same soap in Chinese markets at 3 yuan/pc retail price!
Your assignment regarding the International Market Research:
Go to
www.alibaba.com
www.made-in-china.com
www.chinasources.com
and ask the Chinese companies there for a "virtual internship" to do market research analysis for their products? To do so, ask them to answer these questions for you:
Your Customers:
Who are they?
Where do they live?
How often do they buy? seasonal?
How big in dollar terms is your market potential?
Your Products:
Are they unique, eye appealing?
Better designed, higher quality?
What sizes, any special packaging?
Is there a need for your products?
Must you offer a guarantee?
What will be your return policy?
Must you stock parts for service?
Your Competition:
How big, how old, how strong?
What percentage of the market do they have?
How far away?
What advantages do you have?
What advantages do they have?
Pricing:
Are your prices competitive?
How important is low price?
Is service more important?
Advertising:
How much is normal for your products?
What media? How often? Seasonal?
Do you have a logo or trademark? Is it registered?
Is any free publicity available?
Will you need an advertising agency?
What is your product image?
Write your e-mail like this:
Dear ..(title, name):
I found your address from (this website) and it is with pleasure that I am making a proposal; I study at.... and my instructor recently asked us to do a practical assignment on market research. The purpose of this is to let us apply our acquired knowledge in real situations.
The following is a primary list of questions I'd like you to answer. Based on this and subsequent information guided by my instructor, I will develop a market research report which should be beneficial to you too; After we complete the Chinese company part, Mr. James, my instructor, will give us an extensive list of Canadian importers to cooperate with in a similar way as to what I am asking you now. The end result will be finding new (Canadian) buyers for your products, and perhaps extending our cooperation into a more serious level upon my graduation.
Please feel free to call me anytime after 9 pm, or my cellphone : 1359XXXXX to further discuss this. You are welcome to ask any questions you might have, including information about the course, my instructor and his contact address, as well as my resume for your perusal.
Thank you for an earlier attention,
(your name)
(your university)
(your phone, address and so on)
This week, we discussed:
Importance of internet
Future of future
Creating three types of online presence
A brief Introduction to Strategic management & SWOT analysis:
Loretta Lynn: You either have to be first, best, or different.
(What does this mean to you?)
(Describe a workable strategy for an existing problem at LTU)
(What new opportunities can we see when RMB becomes either cheaper or dearer?)
(How do you plan to develop a relationship with your future INt'l Biz customers?)
So what is SM?
Develop a game to guide company as it goes towards its goal, and to keep it from going to other directions.
What is the goal of an SM?
Is to create a competitive advanage, an aggregation of factors that sets your company different from others and gives you a unique place in the market. To do so, we need first, a SWOT analysis of the firm.
What is the benefit of the result of a SWOT?
Is that if conditions are favorable, the co. can clearly see what assists them in success and fortify it, or what hinders them so they ould remove it.
You can base your SM on the SWOT you get.
In other words, S is what a co. can do and W is what it cannot do.
Strengths are existing positive factors like workers' skill, firm's positive image, what does it do well?
Weaknesses: negative internal fctrs: lack of capital & HR, bad location. What can be improved? What is done poorly? What should be avoided?
Opportunities are positive factors outside the company; are competitors overlooking a niche? What new trends are developing?
Threats are negative external factors like new competitors, government's new rules, economic recession, new technologies and so on.
Strengths help us find out things we could use in advertising so that the customer makes a quick decision.
Weaknesses: Should be considered from customers' point of view and reduced as the co. grows.
The formulae that divides SWOT is the PPCDFA pyramid by Abraham: This is used to analyse three situations:
Product (what are we selling?)
Process (how are we selling it?)
Customer (to whom are we selling it?)
Distribution (how does it reach them?)
Finance (what are the prices, costs and investments?)
Administration (and how do we manage all this?)
This is used to analyse three situations: When there is a problem, when there is an opportunity, and when there are no problems or opportunities or change, yet general improvement is sought for future growth.
Again, O&T part of SWOT is shaped by the following changes:
1: Express your opinion on the CE condition caused by Home Depot. Is this a possibility in China?
2. Discuss why foreign food may or may not enter Chinese market and what SE changes would it bring along?
3. What PLE changes do you expect in the coming years? How do you prepare and gain from the opportunities created then?
4. What causes the IOE changes and how to best avoid them? deal with them?
Two Dogs alcoholic lemonade.... (Source: Adapted from Business Review Weekly, 11 November 1996, p. 61. )
Winner of the South Australia Small Business Awards in 1996, Duncan MacGillivray tends to make business look easy. It is a casual facade. From an Adelaide pub, MacGillivray produced the world’s first alcoholic lemonade, Two Dogs, in 1991. He has built it into a $56 million dollar global business. He says he got into exports because, ‘with a product that is seasonal, it would have been pretty stupid not to. You could not make a lot of money selling such a product to Australia’s small population.’
After New Zealand, MacGillivray chose his target markets by chasing the sun, the northern hemisphere during the Australian winter, then back south for the summer. As MacGillivray says, in the process of going global he has not ‘lumbered’ himself or Two Dogs with large staff numbers. Production, marketing, and distribution is carried out in each of the countries where Two Dogs has issued licences to local business to produce the product.
‘You have to be sensible when you are going to be in a lot of countries,’ he says. ‘There’s not much reason to have the high turnover of doing it all yourself when you also have all the responsibility and 7000 employees to consider, and having to try to manage it all from Australia. Think about it: 7000 people associated with Two Dogs — all these names I haven’t had to learn, by staying away from production.’
MacGillivray’s point is that the profit he enjoys is higher than if he had set up his own operations around the world. ‘You still keep control of quality, the way we do it. You make sure that, when you get into the licensing agreement, you set the standards yourself.’
A licensing arrangement has made it possible for this small company to go global. What makes it work, is that the company controls the licensees, but does not have to get involved in the day-to-day production of the beverage.
MacGillivray also mentions:
Student exercise: Complete a SWOT analysis of this company on the basis of the information given.
|
||
| Opportunities | ||
| Threats |
Managing for productivity and Quality-
Describe the connection?
Productivity measures economic performance: the amount of
goods/services produced against resources used.
Quality is a product's fitness, durability and prestige in use.
THE CONNECTION: Profitable competition is a combination of productivity
and quality under a special method: Managing for P&Q.
Why P&Q?
Let's focus on DELL: (case adapted from "Business" R. Griffin & R Ebert)
2000 last quarter sales whit 6.8 Billion US$
40 Million in daily orders registered through website
number 1. PC retailer with 54% annual growth in the last ten years.
Productivity inside>>
Replacing inventories with updated information: Save time and costs.
Saved costs reduce prices that benefit buyers: Lower price1.
Redesign fewer parts to ensure
a. faster production and delivery P&D1
b. lower cost leading to lower price2
c. purchase fewer parts leading to lower price3 and P&D2
Productivity outside>>
Industrial conglomeration: Component suppliers near and able to supply within 15 minutes of order= P&D3
Does not buy parts unless at least one order is placed (prices changes over night), thus saves "stuck capital" = save lost money= lower price4
Finishes a custom order in 48 hours and collects the money in 24 hours staying one full day ahead than rivals compaq & gateway= P&D4
US worker 100$ worth of goods while Japanese 68$ and Belgian 107$ wog.
Why Productivity?
1. Domestic productivity means more money for everybody: Higher wages for workers,
profits for investors & stable prices for buyers. The U.S is still leader in
productivity as each U.S worker produced 65400 US$ in total value while
Canadian worker 51,100 US$. In a word, it shows economic health.
What kinds?
Industrial, Companywide, Departmental and Individual
Questions:
1. Which one in the above most depends on productivity? Why?
2. What can you do to increase your Individual productivity? China's workers'?
HELP:
Dear Students,
I introduce to you www.factbites.com, a premier web search that is better than google if you are looking for encyclopedic information.
Additionally, some have complained that Xanga. com does not work well. True. Discard it and use www.motime.com for your blogging needs in the future.
You can also try www.blogsome.com .
Or, check google's directory pasted here for your convenience:
Squarespace, Inc. - http://www.squarespace.com/
Focus on writing your blog entries and publishing your files and pictures instead of worrying about how to design and update your website.
Weblogger - http://www.weblogger.com/
Free Weblog hosting for life using Manila. Web based editor. Excellent for collaborative editing.
Free-Conversant - http://www.free-conversant.com/
Conversant is an Internet groupware platform which allow flexible hosting of weblogs and web community sites with browser-based editing, as well as email and NNTP integration.
pitas.com - http://www.pitas.com/
Free hosting for weblogs and news sites. Supports both ftp and web-based editing. Features include templates, multiple editors, and a "yourname.pitas.com" sub-domain.
Blog-City.com - http://www.blog-city.com/
Provides blog sites without requiring HTML or FTP expertise.
20six - http://www.20six.co.uk
Allows you to create an online journal with text and images. Also post via MMS from your camera phone. Free host.
BlogHarbor - http://www.blogharbor.com
Easy-to-use templates and advanced features like RSS creation, moblogging, trackbacks, category support, and 1 GB or more disk space. Free trials are available.
Fotopages - http://www.fotopages.com
Share your photographs in a blog. No programming necessary, uses a simple web interface.
ModBlog - http://www.modblog.com/
Weblog host also offers users a bulletin board, forum, and intrasite messaging.
Motime - http://www.motime.com
Hosted weblog community with integrated instant messaging for real-time update alerts and member-2-member chats.
JournURL - http://www.journurl.com/
Free personal publishing tool that also offers community and forum services. All sites are syndicated.
Journal Space - http://www.journalspace.com/
Free hosting and software for a journal or blog.
eBloggy - http://www.ebloggy.com/
Free service featuring templates, group blogs, signatures, subdomains, and private messaging.
IlohaBlog - http://ilohablog.com/
Create, customize, and maintain your own weblog from the web without having to worry about the nitty gritty technical details.
Upsaid Weblog/ Newslog - http://www.upsaid.com
Blogging tool with features such as posting comments on entries and placing a hitcounter on pages.
BlogOnTheWeb - http://blogontheweb.com
Free full featured blogger. No banners or popups. RSS, trackback, comments, and categories available.
X-Journal - http://www.x-journal.com/
Weblog journal system for expeditions, researchers, adventurers, travelers and others in far-flung and remote places of the planet.
MindSay - http://www.mindsay.com/
Blogging site with ability to update via instant messenger.
Deadjournal - http://www.deadjournal.com
Based on the same open source code as LiveJournal, but with a much darker mood.
Itownblogging - http://www.itown.com/buy/index.html
Provides software for blogging and a directory of towns around the world.
uJournal - http://www.uJournal.org/
Offering free online journals. Based on LiveJournal code.
LiveLogCity.com - http://www.livelogcity.com
A service for creating your personal online web journal/ blog.
Bloghorn - http://bloghorn.com
Intuitive blogging software and a reliable hosting platform with responsive support. Offers free and paid plans.
BlogEasy - http://www.blogeasy.com
Features include photo hosting and multiple authors. Free service.
Blog.com - http://www.blog.com/
Blog host service with free and paid plans available. Features include one-click publishing and photo albums.
Mobynuke.net - http://mobynuke.net
Free blogging, photo galleries, and forums based on the Postnuke content management system.
ImageSquirrel - http://www.imagesquirrel.com/
Content management tool that allows users to remotely update their websites.
Sparkpod - http://www.sparkpod.com
Personal web logging tool and host. Annual fee.
Tabulas - http://www.tabulas.com
Webhosting service featuring weblog and photo album hosting.
Port41 - http://www.port41.com
A free suite of web publishing tools including search, comments and an easy to use WYSIWYG editor.
Zorpia.com - http://www.zorpia.com
A free website to share unlimited photos, post journals and make friends. Customizable look and style.
Kit - http://markpasc.org/code/radio/kit/
Software package for use with Radio Userland, including search, news aggregation, file uploader, and other tools.
Vpad.com - http://www.vpad.com/
Hosted weblog platform. Includes user comments, categories, multiple authors, subscriptions, photo album management, RSS syndication, and compatibility with multiple APIs.
CamBlog - http://www.camblog.com
Photoblog host for posting pictures by cell phone, computer, or other e-mail devices.
Ipadder - http://www.ipadder.com/
Personal publishing service for weblogs, journals, diaries or anything that needs fast and easy publishing on the web.
Life with Christ - http://lifewithchrist.org
A free full featured Christian weblog host.
Emo Blog - http://www.emoblog.com
Free blog community, where you may publish information instantly on your account and customize your weblog templates to fit your personality.
Weblog.co.nz - http://www.weblog.co.nz
Blog hosting for the masses. New Zealand's only dedicated weblog hosting service.
Snap.mobile.be - http://snap.mobile.be
Create your own moblog, with pictures from your camera phone.
Livelog - http://www.livelog.com
Customizable basic weblog hosting with subdomains.
EFx2Blogs - http://www.efx2.com/
Free weblog host. Full featured admin center, complete control over blog posting, your very own shoutbox.
Official Greymatter Hosting - http://www.plugsocket.com/shade_of_grey.html
Providing hassle free journal hosting with Greymatter pre-installed.
Famblog - http://www.famblog.co.uk
The blog site for the whole family.
Blogthing - http://www.blogthing.com/
Free host offers WordPress blogs with subdomains and instant activation.
Electric Diary - http://www.electricdiary.com
Free online diaries and writers community. Supports XML Diary syndication and remote diary updates.
PhotoStreet - http://www.photostreet.com/
Offers photoblog hosting (monthly fee), online photography forums with free gallery space, and a digital camera store.
Blog Depot - http://www.blogdepot.com
Paid service providing hosting for various blog systems.
lightBlog - http://www.lightblog.com
Member-based weblog hosting for writers, photographers, travelers. Customizable, allows remote posting via email or mobile. Annual fee, ad-free.
MetaJournal - http://www.metajournal.net/
Free, open-source weblogging project with a strong focus on community interaction.
BlogSpot - http://new.blogger.com/blogspot-admin/
Free weblog hosting integrated with Blogger.
daa^3 Web Blog - http://www.daadaadaa.com/blog/
Provides free service using Boyel Journal, including friends listing and user profiles.
Hondos Weblog - http://hondos.org/hwl/
Allows custom layouts and image uploads. Post using a WYSIWYG editor. Free.
Web Design India - http://www.webdesign4india.com/
Providing customized blog design and hosting services.
Full Moon Webs - http://www.fullmoonwebs.com/
Free hosting for personal pages, weblogs and email.
ElOwel - http://elowel.blogdns.org/
Free blogging community, with fully customizable templates and replies.
Blog Trotter - http://www.blogtrotter.org
Free blog for travellers.
TheComma - http://www.thecomma.co.uk
Free personal and professional weblogs for the UK.
Interblog - http://blog.interbaseusa.com
Free blog publishing and hosting.
Quick Journal - http://www.quickjournal.com/
A free online blog provider.
MyBlog-Online - http://www.myblog-online.com/
Monthly charge for access to web-based blogware and/or forum management applications plus web hosting.
Bloty Journals - http://www.bloty.com
Free host based on the open source LiveJournal code.
MessageMonster: Blogs - http://blog.messagemonster.com
Create your own blog, online journal, diary, family message board, communicate with co-workers.
Worldlog - http://www.worldlog.com
Simple site providing free and dependable web log capability. Getting your own free web log takes less than 30 seconds.
Jet Set - http://www.jetsetweblog.com
Free blog host with a community aspect.
Rocky's TBlog News Blog - http://rocky.tblog.com/
Rocky's personal news blog contains site updates, new features, and general tBLOG news.
Freeonlineblogs.com - http://www.freeonlineblogs.com/
Blog hosting with templates.
Blogpage.com - http://blogpage.com
Free host's features include comments, counters, photo galleries, and contests. Multilingual site.
nuTang - http://nutang.com
A community. Browse through member weblogs, writings, profiles, guestbooks. Customizable. Plus, features internal messaging and buddy list systems.
BlogMe - http://www.blogme.co.nz
Features include subdomain URL, e-mail, FTP access, and pre-configured Movable Type. Three levels of service available, all paid. New Zealand-focused host.
BlogAlert.Net - http://www.blogalert.net/
Get a free blog with a WYSIWYG editor, photo gallery, and RSS feed.
Total Quality Management (TQM) for International Trade.
We covered:
There is a load of information on TQM, different steps and approaches- including the Six Sigma- but the above, according to my ex-employer ATL's policy works best within the foreign trade realm: CF, INF, WP, COI and PRE.
CF -
INF-
WP-
COI -
PRE-
Related links for further reading:
Dear Students!
Hope you are all doing fine.
To refresh your memory, here is a review of what we did in the second half of spring term 2005; Note that most of the oral test is based on the materials we briefly covered in review 2:
In addition, you:
Jim Qi Meng taking the test...
Sam, an outstanding student.
