Saturday 27 February 2010

US Fidelis quits paying refunds

US Fidelis, the beleaguered Wentzville-based seller of extended auto service contracts, has stopped paying refunds to consumers who cancel such protection plans, according to executives at two companies that administer the contracts.

The change means tens of thousands of consumers could find it much more difficult to get hundreds of dollars in refunds that are supposed to be guaranteed in Missouri, Illinois and most other states.

US Fidelis spokesman Ken Fields, of the Fleishman-Hillard public relations firm, would not say whether the company has stopped contributing to cancellation refunds. When consumers want to cancel coverage, US Fidelis "will work with the customer and the relevant administration company to address that customer's situation," according to a company statement.

If regulators force those administration companies to cover US Fidelis' portion of the refunds, the consequences would be "unprecedented" and could threaten to bring down some of those firms, said Paul Stratch, chief financial officer of American Auto Shield, a service contract administrator based in the Denver area that did business with US Fidelis.


Extended service contracts are canceled for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, consumers are unhappy with the coverage. Other times, the plans are dropped because the vehicle is about to be sold, gets repossessed or is simply no longer usable.

When that happens, consumers get one check for the unused portion of the coverage. But that payment usually comes from two different companies that had made money on the sale of the contract. Most comes from the contract's marketer — companies like US Fidelis that sell the coverage — and the rest comes from the service contract administrator, which pays out claims.

Stratch said US Fidelis recently told his company that it would no longer contribute to customer refunds and that it would refer canceling customers to administration firms like American Auto Shield, which was formerly known as Warranty America.

Service contract marketers have failed in the past, and when they have, administration firms have often picked up the full cost of cancellation refunds. But US Fidelis' inability to pay refunds is different from those cases, Stratch said, because there never has been a service contract seller as big as US Fidelis. "Nobody else came close to their kind of volume," he said.

In its heyday, US Fidelis employed more than 1,100 people and claimed to be the nation's leading seller of the auto service contracts, which were often marketed as "extended warranties."

But over the last two years, the company has suffered a stunning collapse.

Watchdog groups have said US Fidelis sells coverage that is virtually useless for many of its customers. Automakers accused the company of misusing their trademarks; class-action lawsuits have been filed, claiming deceptive trade practices. And an investigation of the company continues, involving 43 states.

Late last year, US Fidelis laid off several hundred workers before announcing it would no longer sell the contracts. The company said it would keep a skeleton crew at its sprawling call center, at Interstate 70 and Highway 40, to provide customer service to the approximately 300,000 vehicle owners who had bought coverage from the firm.

Those consumers bought service contracts that typically range in price from $2,000 to $4,000 — depending on the age of the vehicle and the level of coverage. The contract's cost usually is financed over 18 to 24 months, but the coverage period often lasts four years or more.

That means many customers canceling a contract are entitled to a pro-rated refund for the unused part of the service contract. Customers who have driven only half the maximum miles over half of the calendar life of the protection, for instance, are entitled to a refund of half the cost of the contract.

Stratch said American Auto Shield will pay both its share of refunds and US Fidelis' portion. He said his firm won't take a big financial hit because US Fidelis sold fewer than 1,000 service contracts from American Auto Shield.

"But this is going to be a huge liability for other companies," Stratch said. "They could try not to pay (US Fidelis' portion), but the states are going to make sure customers get their refunds one way or another."

Tim Schuur, president of Houston-based Tier One Warranty Services, said US Fidelis also told his company it would stop paying into customer refunds.

Schuur said that his company would continue to pay its portion of refunds owed to canceling US Fidelis consumers but that Tier One alone shouldn't have to cover US Fidelis' obligations to canceling customers.

"The lender needs to get involved," he said. "Mepco needs to get involved."

That's Chicago-based Mepco Finance Corp., a subsidiary of Independent Bank, of Ionia, Mich., that financed most of the auto service contracts sold by US Fidelis. It's also the company's biggest creditor, and last month it became US Fidelis' landlord.

Executives at Mepco did not respond to a request for comment.

Travis Ford, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Insurance, said consumers who cancel their service contracts and can't get the pro-rated refund owed to them should file complaints with the agency.


Friday 26 February 2010

WSOP Circuit Tournaments

Event #1 -- No Limit Hold'Em

A total of 303 players helped kick off the first event held at the Council Bluffs casino, helping to create a pool of $88,173. Day 1 of the two day affair saw 292 leave the tables with just 11 to see the next round of play. A little more shaving left 9 for the final table with blinds at $4,000/$8,000. 

First one to bust in 9th place was Chadd Johnson who had the set of Kings he made on the flop, crushed by the Broadway straight made by Joe Shanks. Chuck Tabor went away in 8th after seeing the full house (A's/6's) made by Lee Patitz on the river. Then Wesley Grondhovd picked up the cash in 7th when his all-in with pocket 6's were met with the pocket 10's of Thomas Applegate which held to the river. Then Eric Grave decided to go to the center with pocket 3's and lost when Patitz paired his Ace card on the flop, resulting in a 6th place finish for Grave. In his first WSOP Circuit tournament, Joe Shanks finished in 5th when his opponent made a set of 6's on the turn. Kevin Parmley went to the rail in 4th after seeing the runner-runner straight made by Shaun Barnett. Thomas Applegate had Lady Luck turn her cheek to him and his stack went south. On his last hand he was down to 
exactly one chip that went to Patitz who established a A thru 5 straight. 

When the heads up began, Patitz had a 3 to 1 chip advantage over Barnett and it only lasted one hand. Patitz went to the middle with A 5 and Barnett called with A 2. Everything on the table bricked to Patitz won by a 5 kicker.

  1. Lee Patitz -- $27,332
  2. Shaun Barnett -- $14,209
  3. Thomas Applegate -- UNK
  4. Kevin Parmely -- UNK
  5. Joe Shanks -- $5,290
  6. Eric Grave -- $4,409
  7. Wesley Grondhovd -- UNK
  8. Chuck Tabor -- $3,645
  9. Chadd Johnson -- $1,763

Event #2 -- Limit Hold'Em
Buy in for this event was $235 for the 66 players who sat down to play. Cash pool reached $12,804 and went to the 9 that made the final table.

  1. Tom Wentzel -- $4,611
  2. Michael Vangenderen -- $2,561
  3. Dale Hanke -- $1,408
  4. Daniel Povondra -- $1,024
  5. Robert Cox -- $896
  6. Adam Clayman -- $768
  7. Randy Belmont -- $640
  8. Marc Schubbe -- $512
  9. Ryan Gerdes -- $384

Event #3 -- No Limit Hold'Em
There were 166 enrants that paid $555 each which helped to create a $80,150 prize pool. Cash went to the top 18 in the event.

  1. Elton Nolde -- $26,086
  2. Jonathan Chovanec -- $13,687
  3. Nicholad Stille -- $8,051
  4. Frederic Winter -- $6,441
  5. Ronald Lacina -- $4,831
  6. Gerald McVeigh -- $4,026
  7. Jesse Starke -- $3,220
  8. Bryan Testin -- $2,415
  9. Nicholas Frost -- $1,610

Event #4 -- Limit Omaha 8 or Better
A more intimate gathering of 77 players paid $345 that created a pool of $22,407. Money went to the 9 players who made the final table.

  1. John Sozio -- $8,068
  2. Brent Carter -- $4,481
  3. Curtis Timperley -- $2,465
  4. Richard Walter -- $1,793
  5. Larry Christiansen -- $1,568
  6. Timothy Vanburen -- $1,344
  7. Walter Lustgraaf -- $1,120
  8. Luke Burgher -- $896
  9. Gerald Rau -- $672

Event #5 -- No Limit Hold'Em
All 423 entrants paid $345 each for a seat at the tables. Pool size reached $123,093 for the top 45 finishers.

  1. Patrick Olsen -- $36,935
  2. David Yee -- $19,818
  3. Kevin Parmely -- $9,847
  4. Charles Gran -- $8,617
  5. Jordan Phillip Blair -- $7,386
  6. Evan Brockman -- $6,155
  7. Vincent Leonardo -- $4,924
  8. Paul Eichfeld -- $3,693
  9. Graham Beynon -- $2,462


Thursday 25 February 2010

IrinaMitrovici-Viral Marketing Campaigns Drive Targeted Traffic

Viral marketing is a great way to use the power and nature of the Internet to reach a large number of people quickly and drive a continually growing flood of targeted web traffic to your website. With a successful viral marketing campaign, your website traffic could go from almost nothing to thousands of hits or even hundreds of thousands of hits per day almost overnight.

Viral marketing is a term used for marketing campaigns that grow and spread like a human or computer virus. In a successful viral campaign, people pass the marketing material on socially so that the marketing campaign grows like a snowball rolling down hill.

The basic idea of viral marketing is that you can increase your sales by increasing your targeted website traffic and you can increase your targeted web traffic by giving away or spreading something for free that people will pass on to their friends, family, or business associates like a virus.

Viral campaigns may spread through emails or eBooks that people pass on or through articles or viral videos that people pass on.

Microsoft's Hotmail service was probably one of the biggest early successes of viral marketing. Free web-based email is common today, but it was a new concept in 1996 when Microsoft first promoted Hotmail by adding a short advertising teaser at the end of its users' email messages. Who would have ever expected how big the results of this marketing campaign could be?

But as huge as the success of Microsoft's viral marketing campaign was for Hotmail, it only set the stage for what was to come during the 2004 American presidential campaign. Who can forget JibJab's flash animation political parody of George Bush and John Kerry singing, "This Land Is Your Land?"

By marrying the concept of flash video on the Web to viral marketing, JibJab took the Internet by storm. According to Internet statistician ComScore Media Metrix, the viral video received over 10.4 million unique hits in July 2004 - more than three times as many visitors as the official campaign websites of the two presidential candidates!

Now you may never experience the phenomenal success that JibJab did with one of your viral marketing campaigns, but the concept is simple and easily implemented. It works on the idea that if people like something or can profit from something, they will pass it on to their friends, family, and associates.

Viral marketing can be as simple as writing an article and having it published in article directories where newsletter publishers and webmasters may pick it up and republish it. Be sure to include an author bio or resource box at the bottom of every article that includes your name, your website link, and a call to action that entices people to click on your link. Webmasters and publishers are always looking for great content, so be sure to provide value.

Alternatively, you could send a funny, informative, or controversial newsletter to your subscriber list. Be sure to encourage people to pass your newsletter on with a short note at the bottom of your newsletter.

When people click through to your website, you would like to capture their email address and get their permission to contact them. Otherwise, they will often surf away, never to be seen again on your website.

Squeeze pages (pages primarily designed to get subscribers) are one proven way to do this, and offering people a free eBook or free report is a great way to get people to subscribe to your newsletter.

Want to kick your viral marketing campaign into even higher gear? Grant people the rights to give away the free eBook or report to their own customers or contacts. Be sure to brand the eBook or report with links to your website, so that anyone who receives it from others will find their way back to your website. Also, if you let your customers rebrand some of the links with their affiliate links or other links, they will really be motivated to pass the eBook or report on!

The Internet is perfect for viral marketing. This is one of the most powerful marketing techniques you can use on the Internet. Because many distribution channels are free (e.g., email and article directories) or relatively low cost (web hosting), viral marketing can be an incredibly cost-effective marketing technique. Once you have launched your marketing campaign, it can potentially grow and spread for years all by itself, making viral marketing possibly the most effective Internet marketing technique of all.

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Fetiţa lui Mostenescu, operată la inimă, la cinci luni


Fetiţa lui Moştenescu, operată la inimă, la cinci luni
Familia cunoscutului actor Dragoş Moştenescu a trecut, la sfârşitul anului trecut, printr-o adevărată dramă, care a avut însă un final fericit. Elena, una dintre gemenele acestuia, în vârstă de cinci luni, a fost operată pe inimă în Germania, fetiţa scăpând ca prin minune.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Iată cât cer solistele să facă play-back!
Cântăreţele se încăpăţânează să ţină la preţ şi cer chiar şi peste 2.000 de euro pentru un spectacol. Culmea, pretind banii aceştia pentru dat din fund, căci o cântare live costă cu 50% mai mult decât un concert play-back.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
«Unchiul Ilie Năstase m-a făcut celebră!»
Lucrează de un an la Antena 1, însă a devenit celebră abia după ce a ieşit în club în compania lui Ilie Năstase, ruda sa bogată. După acea noapte de pomină, Alice Martinov a fost bombardată cu oferte de la designeri. Ea a povestit, în exclusivitate pentru Click!, cum s-a schimbat viaţa ei în doar...           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Ţîrdea, despre fosta soţie: «Pentru mine e ca şi moartă»
Ultima declaraţie făcută de Alexandra, fosta soţie a lui Andrei Ţîrdea, cum că acesta ar vrea să se întoarcă la ea, l-a scos din minţi pe cel care s-a iubit aproape un an cu iepuraşul playboy Andreea Mantea.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Uite cum arăta Bianca fără operaţii estetice!
Şoc, ieri, la Observatorul Antenei 1! La rubrica "Poveşti de tabloid" a fost prezentată Bianca Drăguşanu la prima ei apariţie pe sticlă, la 20 de ani, când avea mai mult cu 10 kilograme şi nici nu trecuse pe la cabinetul vreunui chirurg estetician.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
«Mi-au pus 60 litri de apă în loc de motorină!»
Eustaţiu Chiru, a avut, ieri, o surpriză de proporţii. La prima oră a dimineţii şi-a alimentat maşina, de 40.000 de euro, la un peco din Capitală, cu aproape 60 de litri de motorină Euro 5, dar de la pompă a primit mai mult apă.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Fetele de la Antene, mereu aproape de fotbalişti!
Rivalitate mare între fotbalişti şi în afara terenului. De ceva timp, jucătorii români duc o adevărată bătălie pentru a le cuceri pe frumoasele vedete ale posturilor TV.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Lupta dintre piticaniile lumii are loc în Italia - FOTO
Khagendra Thapa Magar este un nepalez care vrea să câştige premiul Guiness World Reccord pentru cel mai mic om din lume, deţinut acum de chinezul He Pingping.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Tot ce trebuie să ştii despre «Prima Casă»
Ce garanţie îţi oferă statul în programul "Prima Casă"? Care este venitul necesar pentru a beneficia de creditul maxim? Ce bani poţi să obţii şi ce preţuri au locuinţele? Sunt doar câteva întrebări la care îţi va răspunde azi specialistul Click!, analistul financiar, Alexandra Popa.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Şos. Fabrica de Glucoză, nr.21
Bucuresti, Sector 2, Romania
Tel: +40 21.407.76.32


Monday 22 February 2010

Dependenţa de sex şi lenea sunt explicate ştiinţific


Dependenţa de sex şi lenea sunt explicate ştiinţific

Cauzele leneviei dar şi cele ale hiperactivităţii sexuale au fost pe larg explicate într-un nou manual de psihiatrie, considerat noua "Biblie" din acest domeniu, informează mediafax.ro Deşi aţi uitat unde...          

Citeste tot articolul.
Şos. Fabrica de Glucoză, nr.21
Bucuresti, Sector 2, Romania
Tel: +40 21.407.76.32


A Motorcyclist's Mid-Winter Frustration

One Christmas in the early 70's, I received a dazzling Huffy bicycle that continues to rank as one of my favorite presents of all time. This speed demon had a purple metallic-flake frame with shiny chrome fenders, ape hanger handle bars, and a special edition banana seat.  I couldn't wait to get outside to ride that beast!

Only one problem; that Christmas day there was so much snow and ice covering the landscape that it was impossible to ride.  For seven straight days I woke up, looked out the window and wondered if this would be the day, and for seven straight days the answer was NO!  I was so freakin' frustrated!

Fast forward some 30 years…

Today I find myself dealing with that same frustration all over again.
I have been unable to use any of my nifty stuff.  For seven days I have awakened, looked out the window and wondered if today would be the day, and for seven straight days the answer has been NO!  My frustration is accumulating like the 3 foot snow drift outside my window.

So what's a guy to do?  How should I deal with all of this pent up frustration?

Perhaps I should…

  • double up my meds.
  • lay in the snow while wearing my gear and make a snow angel.
  • sing happy songs.
  • ride the motorcycle carousel at Chuck E. Cheese

My wife suggested I gear up, go to the garage and close all the doors, then start my bike and pretend I am riding for a half hour or how ever long it takes! :)  Any other ideas?



Sunday 21 February 2010

Most Popular Toys For Boys Ever

G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe, the popular action figures are unarguably one of the bestselling toys for boys. They had a good start as they took the toys market by storm on their arrival. They are basically simple action figures with heads, legs and hands designed for movement. They can be set up to take different action poses complete with different weapons. The G.I. Joe action figures include a lot of options like cobra commander, the Baroness, Snake eyes and many more. The G.I. Joe proved to be revolutionary and paved the way for a number of other popular action figures like Spiderman, Batman and Indiana Jones.

Laser Tag Guns

The laser tag guns are the perfect big boys toys.  They are designed for fun filled shoot-outs and gun combats. The players have to strap on the chest plates that come with the guns and then try to hit the opponents' chest plates with the laser. When a player is hit he/she experiences a shock through the gun's handle.

Lego

Lego is certainly one of the toys that will always be popular. It is a simple combination of 'bricks' which are used to build things like planes, cars and buildings. Also available are little Lego men and women to live in the building, drive the cards and fly the planes.

Rubik's Cube

Rubik's Cube, launched in 1980s was a favorite with every kid and all the kids used to sit together trying to solve them. A lot of successors came in the market but none could repeat its success. It is still one of the bestselling items in the toy market. In fact, it is actually one of the only few educational toys that have achieved the dizzying heights of popularity.

Hot Wheels

One of the most popular toys from 'Mattel', the 'Hot Wheels' cars have a name which defines their popularity. These cars actually have been the hottest toys for a long time. Since 1968, when it was launched, Hot Wheels have been really up on the sales charts. The cars can be played with on the floor or can be driven on the various race tracks made by 'Mattel'.

All of these big boys toys are still very popular and are still among the bestselling toys for boys.

2010 Worldwide Office Equipment Wholesales Industry Report

The Office Equipment Wholesales Industry report, published annually by Barnes Reports, contains timely and accurate industry statistics, forecasts and demographics. The report features 2010 current and 2011 forecast estimates on the size of the industry (sales, establishments, employment) for the 47 largest world countries, such as Japan, China, India, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, UK, France, Germany, Italy and U.S.. The report also includes industry definition, 5-year historical trends on industry sales, establishments and employment and estimates on up to 10 sub-industries, including cash registers, calculators, duplicators and copiers

Paypal is best for online payment

The Office Equipment Wholesales Industry report, published annually by Barnes Reports, contains timely and accurate industry statistics, forecasts and demographics. The report features 2010 current and 2011 forecast estimates on the size of the industry (sales, establishments, employment) for the 47 largest world countries, such as Japan, China, India, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, UK, France, Germany, Italy and U.S.. The report also includes industry definition, 5-year historical trends on industry sales, establishments and employment and estimates on up to 10 sub-industries, including cash registers, calculators, duplicators and copiers

HTML clipboard

Table of Contents :
1-Argentina
2-Australia
3-Austria
4-Belgium
5-Brazil
6-Canada
7-Chile
8-China
9-Colombia
10-Czech Rep
11-Denmark
12-Egypt
13-Finland
14-France
15-Germany
16-Greece
17-Hungary
18-India
19-Indonesia
20-Iran
21-Ireland
22-Israel
23-Italy
24-Japan
25-Malaysia
26-Mexico
27-Netherlands
28-New Zealand
29-Norway
30-Pakistan
31-Phillipines
32-Poland
33-Portugal
34-Russia
35-Saudi Arabia
36-Singapore
37-South Africa
38-South Korea
39-Spain
40-Sweden
41-Switzerland
42-Taiwan
43-Thailand
44-Turkey
45-United Kingdom
46-United States
47-Venezuela
48-Appendix: Definitions & Terms


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E-commerce has made a profound impact on society

 People can now shop online in the privacy of their own homes without ever having to leave. This can force larger brick and mortar retailers to open an online division. In some cases, it can also force smaller businesses to shut their doors, or change to being completely online. It also changes the way people look at making purchases and spending money. E-commerce has changed the face of retail, services, and other things that make our economy work. Undoubtedly, it will continue to influence how companies sell and market their products, as well as how people choose to make purchases for many years to come. The following are the impact of e-commerce on the global economy.

Impacts on Direct Marketing

Product promotion E-commerce enhances promotion of products and services through direct, information-rich, and interactive contact with customers.

New sales channel E-commerce creates a new distribution channel for existing products. It facilitates direct reach of customers and the bi-directional nature of communication.

Direct savings The cost of delivering information to customers over the Internet results in substantial savings to senders when compared with non ­electronic delivery. Major savings are also realized in delivering digitized products versus physical delivery.

Reduced cycle time The delivery of digitized products and services can be reduced to seconds. Also, the administrative work related to physical delivery, especially across international borders, can be reduced significantly, cutting the cycle time by more than 90 percent.

Customer service Customer service can be greatly enhanced by enabling customers to find detailed information online. Also, intelligent agents can answer standard e-mail questions in seconds and human experts' services can be expedited using help-desk software.

Corporate image On the Web, newcomers can establish corporate images very quickly. Corporate image means trust, which is necessary for direct sales. Traditional companies such as Intel, Disney, Dell, and Cisco use their Web activities to affirm their corporate identity and brand image.

Other marketing Impacts

Customization E-commerce provides for customization of products and services, in contrast to buying in a store or ordering from a television, which is usually limited to standard products. Dell Computers Inc. is a success story of customization. Today, we can configure not only computers but also cars, jewelry, gifts, and hundreds of other products and services. If properly done, one can achieve mass customization. It provides a competitive advantage as well as increases the overall demand for certain products and services.

Advertisement With direct marketing and customization comes as one-to-one or direct advertisement, which is much more effective than mass advertisement. This creates a fundamental change in the manner in which advertisement is conducted not only for online trades but also for products and services that are ordered in traditional ways.

Ordering System Taking orders from customers can drastically be improved if it is done online. When taken electronically, orders can be quickly routed to the appropriate order-processing site. This saves time and reduces expenses. So sales -people have more time to sell. Also, customers can compute the cost of their orders, saving time for all parties involved.

Markets The physical market disappears as does the need to deliver the goods to the marketplace. In a market space, which is an electronic market, goods are delivered directly to buyers when purchasing is completed making markets much more efficient. For those products that are digitally based-software, music and information-the changes will be dramatic. Already, small but powerful software packages are delivered over the Internet. This fundamentally affects packaging and greatly reduces the need for historical distribution.

New selling models such as shareware, free emerging to maximize the potential of the Internet. New forms of marketing will also emerge, such as Web-based advertising, linked advertising, direct e-mail, and an increased emphasis on relationship marketing. Customer's convenience is greatly enhanced, availability of products and services is much greater, and cheaper products are offered. All these provide EC with a competitive advantage over the traditional direct sales methods. Some people predict the "fall of the shopping malls," and many retail stores and brokers of services are labeled by some as "soon to be endangered species."

Impacts on organizations

Technology and Organizational Learning Rapid progress in E-Commerce will force companies to adapt quickly to the new technology and offer them an opportunity to experiment with new products, services, and processes. New technologies require new organizational approaches. For instance, the structure of the organizational unit dealing with E-Commerce might have to be different from the conventional sales and marketing departments. To be more flexible and responsive to the market, new processes must be put in place. This type of corporate change must be planned and managed.

Changing Nature of Work The nature of work and employment will be transformed in the Digital Age; it is already happening before our eyes. Driven by increased competition in the global marketplace, firms are reducing the number of employees down to a core of essential staff and outsourcing whatever work they can to countries where wages are significantly less expensive. The upheaval brought on by these changes is creating new opportunities and new risks and forcing us into new ways of thinking about jobs, careers, and salaries.

The Digital Age workers will have to become very flexible. Few of them will have truly secure jobs in the traditional sense, and all of them will have to be willing and able to constantly learn, adapt, make decisions, and stand by them.

New product capabilities E-commerce allows for new products to be created and existing products to be customized in innovative ways. Such changes may redefine organizations' missions and the manner in which they operate. E-Commerce also allows suppliers to gather personalized data on customers. Building customer profiles as well as collecting data on certain groups of customers, can be used as a source of information for improving products or designing new ones.

Mass customization, as described earlier, enables manufacturers to create specific products for each customer, based on his or her exact needs. For example, Motorola gathers customer needs for a pager or a cellular phone, transmits them electronically to the manufacturing plant where they are manufactured, along with the customer's specifications and then sends the product to the customer within a day.

Impacts on Manufacturing

E-Commerce is changing manufacturing systems from mass production to demand-driven and possibly customized, just-in-time manufacturing. Furthermore, the production systems are integrated with finance, marketing, and other functional systems, as well as with business partners and customers. Using Web-based ERP systems, orders that are taken from customers can be directed to designers and to the production floor, within seconds. Production cycle time is cut by 50 percent or more in many cases, especially when production is done in a different country from where the designers and engineers are located.

Companies like IBM, General Motors, are assembling products for which the components are manufactured in many locations. Sub-assemblers gather materials and parts from their vendors, and they may use one or more tiers of manufacturers. Communication, collaboration, and coordination become critical in such multi tier systems. Using electronic bidding, assemblers get sub-assemblies 15 percent to 20 percent cheaper than before and 80 percent faster.

Impacts on Finance

E-commerce requires special finance and accounting systems. Traditional payment systems are ineffective or inefficient for electronic trade. The use of the new payment systems such as electronic cash is complicated because it involves legal issues and agreements on international standards. Nevertheless, electronic cash is certain to come soon and it will change the manner in which payments are being made. In many ways, electronic cash, which can be backed by currency or other assets, represents the biggest revolution in currency since gold replaced cow ry shells. Its diversity and pluralism is perfectly suited to the Internet. It could change consumers' financial lives and shake the foundations of financial systems and even governments.


Friday 19 February 2010

Oana Zăvoranu: «Mi-am stropit maşina cu urină ca să scap de blestem!»


Oana Zăvoranu: «Mi-am stropit maşina cu urină ca să scap de blestem!»
Oana Zăvoranu s-a speriat atât de tare când a găsit, joi noaptea, un pui congelat pe maşina sa, încât a fost ferm convinsă că e vorba despre magie neagră. Pentru a scăpa de blesteme, Zăvo a stropit maşina cu propria urină.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Cătălin Crişan, noapte fierbinte acasă la iubită!
Loviţi rău de Cupidon, Cătălin Crişan şi iubita sa sunt nedespărţiţi. Joi seara, cei doi au bifat încă o întâlnire romantică, ce s-a încheiat inevitabil în „cuibuşorul de nebunii" din Iancului, acolo unde locuieşte tânăra doctoriţă. Click! a fost pe urmele lor.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Crima din Siret: viaţa Ralucăi a costat 5.000 €
În cazul crimelor înfiorătoare din oraşul sucevean Siret, anchetatorii sunt siguri de un singur lucru: execuţia mamei şi fiicei ei a fost comisă de profesionişti. Bănuiţi sunt asasini din Ucraina sau Republica Moldova, care au fost plătiţi cu cel puţin 5.000 €.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Daniela Györfi îşi repară faţa cu 1.000 de euro
Nemulţumită de aspectul obosit al tenului, Daniela Györfi s-a hotărât să intre în „reparaţii" capitale. Solista va apela la injecţiile cu acid hialuronic contra ridurilor şi la colagen pentru mărirea buzelor. Tratamentele o costă o mie de euro.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
El este iubitul Monicăi Anghel!
Solista Monica Anghel este în culmea fericirii! Vestea că va fi mămică a luat-o prin surprindere, nu de alta, dar Monica susţine că este pentru prima dată când rămâne însărcinată. Tatăl bebeluşului este angajat la Ministerul Afacerilor Interne.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Am purtat rochia de mireasă de un miliard! FOTO
Cine nu visează la o apariţie de milioane în ziua nunţii? Dorinţa poate deveni realitate dacă eşti dispusă să scoţi din buzunar 30.000 de euro. Dar şi să cari 12 kg!           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Laurette: «Pulhac nu m-a scăpat din ochi»
Focoasa Laurette a făcut victime la o şedinţă foto pentru "Happy Hour"! unde i-a avut ca parteneri pe dinamoviştii Cristi Pulhac şi Gabi Torje.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Victoria Silvstedt e oficial cea mai sexy suedeză - FOTO
Conform unui sondaj realizat în Marea Britanie, cea mai sexy suedeză a tuturor timpurilor este nimeni alta decât vedeta Playboy Victoria Silvstedt.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Cele mai bune poziţii de sex pentru gravide
Destul de multe femei îşi doresc şi mai mult să întreţină relaţii sexuale în timpul sarcinii, datorită hormonilor. Pentru ele, revista spaniolă "Nosotras" a realizat o listă cu cele mai reconfortante poziţii.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Şos. Fabrica de Glucoză, nr.21
Bucuresti, Sector 2, Romania
Tel: +40 21.407.76.32


Iulia Albu vrea să fie din nou piele şi os. Află cum slabeste !


Iulia Albu vrea să fie din nou piele şi os. Află cum slăbeşte!

Soţia designerului de încălţăminte Mihai Albu speră ca în curând să arate la fel de bine ca atunci când a pozat aproape goală pentru a-i promova site-ul de pantofi. Vedeta, care în timpul...          

Citeste tot articolul.
Şos. Fabrica de Glucoză, nr.21
Bucuresti, Sector 2, Romania
Tel: +40 21.407.76.32


Monica Anghel va fi mămică!


Anunţ şoc în direct, la radio! Monica Anghel va fi mămică!

Vedeta a dezvăluit, în direct la radio, că va deveni mămică în luna septembrie, fiind primul copil al său. Monica Anghel prezintă alături de Bogdan Miu matinalul de la EuropaFM, în cadrul emisiunii...          

Citeste tot articolul.
Şos. Fabrica de Glucoză, nr.21
Bucuresti, Sector 2, Romania
Tel: +40 21.407.76.32


Thursday 18 February 2010

Mihai Morar, terorizat şi el de «femeia cu faţă de hipopotam»!


Mihai Morar, terorizat şi el de femeia obsedată de Pintea!
Adriana Musteaţă, femeia de 30 de ani, care a făcut o obsesie pentru regretatul actor Adrian Pintea şi care o terorizează de luni de zile pe văduva acestuia cu mesaje, are şi alte antecedente! Mihai Morar susţine că şi el a fost o victimă a hărţuitoarei de vedete, care îl aştepta în parcare şi se urca peste el...           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Daniela Crudu, interzis de la şefi să defileze în chiloţi
Daniela, o prezenţă obişnuită a show-rilor de modă din cluburi, a fost somată de şefi să mai defileze în lenjerie intimă. Vestea vine ca un trăsnet, în condiţiile în care salariul brunetei în calitate de asistentă la „'Neaţa cu Răzvan şi Dani" (Antena 1) este de doar 1.000 de lei.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Adio, pensii de lux!
Asta da lovitură! Începând de anul viitor, pensionarii de lux vor trăi cu aproximativ 1.600 de lei pe lună. Veniturile lor vor fi tăiate chiar şi cu 7.500 de lei. Vizaţi sunt magistraţii, judecătorii, diplomaţii, aviatorii, dar şi parlamentarii.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Adi Mutu are avion-taxi de 3 milioane €
Pus la zid în lumea fotbalului internaţional, Adrian Mutu a semnat un contract avantajos de imagine în România. Fotbalistul va avea la dispoziţie, pentru deplasările sale, un avion luxos, de dimensiuni mici, cu patru locuri şi mobilier rabatabil din piele.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Catinca Roman, la agăţat cu silicoanele la vedere
Cine a spus că doar puştoaicele se mândresc cu decolteul siliconat? Dame bine, de 40 de ani, îi ispitesc pe bărbaţi cu sânii din dotare. Click! vă invită să trageţi cu ochiul.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Mamă şi fiică executate pentru datoriile tatălui?
Locuitorii din oraşul sucevean Siret trăiesc de 36 de ore clipe de groază. O mamă şi fiica ei de şase ani au fost executate cu sânge rece, ca în filmele cu mafioţi.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Amanta lui N'Doye «joacă» la Dinamo
În timp ce nevasta şi copilul locuiesc la New Zork, senegalezul lui Dinamo, Ousmane N'Doye, îşi face de cap cu o frumoasă conaţională pe nume Erika.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Vedetele porno, în sapă de lemn
Internetul a omorât cinematografia pentru adulţi. Aşa crede regizorul Zoltan Nagy, care a analizat pentru Click! situaţia de criză din industria XXX. Cele mai afectate sunt actriţele, care au ajuns să fie plătite pentru sex cu 40 la sută mai puţin.           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Sexul dăunează grav sănătăţii...uneori
De cele mai multe ori, se vorbeşte despre avantajele sexului. Însă, există momente când acesta nu este chiar benefic pentru organism. Iată câteva adevăruri şi mituri legate de subiect!           Citeste tot articolul.
 
Şos. Fabrica de Glucoză, nr.21
Bucuresti, Sector 2, Romania
Tel: +40 21.407.76.32