However this has not been the same since the 2nd quarter of this year because there has been a prolonged bearish market with many stocks experiencing sharp declines in their price. A bearish market has been defined as a situation when a market undergoes a long period of decline in price of stocks generally, usually 10% or more.

Globally, different markets have been experiencing their own downturn, because research has revealed that in recent times too other markets have suffered the same fate like we are seeing now, for instance a look at the Dow Jones and Nasdaq in the USA,FTSE in London, Hang Seng market in Asia and even other African market such as in Botswana have all lost 10-15% in their all share index. Aside from the factors responsible for the world market dip such as the ever increasing price of crude oil occasioned by short supply of the commodity in the world market, but our own market depression can be linked to a lot of factors such as the recent hike in MPR by CBN to 10.25% ,suspension of margin facility to firms and High Net worth Individuals, primary market and private placement activities coupled with market correction exercise and the recent regulatory policies by SEC and NSE.

No doubt these various factors have affected the market negatively nearly wiping off the shine off the Nigerian capital market recently celebrated as one of the best in terms of high return on investment by investors and capital market operators alike. In fact the current trend has deepened the appetite of investors particularly speculators who are joined the teaming number of sellers thereby resulting to further high selling and diping of the stock prices.

There is no gain denying the fact that some investors have lost a handsome amount of money during this period especially those that have borrowed to trade when the market started to experience this decline but that is not to say it's the best time to cash out rather certain strategies should be adopted to reposition your portfolio in order to mitigate against the effect the declining trend would have had on your current portfolio. Some of those strategies to adopt are what we shall review briefly

Use Your Own Funds

In a declining market, it is not advisable to go borrowing as some investors would do moreso that interest rate is going higher with the hike in MPR by the CBN since this will definitely increase the cost of investing in the secondary market. The sure bet have always been to keep to what you already have in your kitty and review all loan portfolio so as not to record more losses less the market dips further.

Invest in Primary/Private Placements

Investors should take advantage of primary offerings since they will normally come at a discount and private placement considered to have strong fundamentals for growth, even though we now know that due to the recent policy by NSE to list all companies doing private placement on the floor at their private placement price we are unlikely to experience the usual surge in price upon the listing of the stock as it was in the past. In addition current trend have revealed there exist a synmetric relationship between the primary and the secondary market whenever companies are doing their public offering, the secondary market normally slows down due to lot of investors selling to partake in the offers as was experienced last year. Therefore in such period investors should always envisage such decline and sell a part of their holdings to take positions in those offers especially private placements with future prospects to grow because upon listing there likely going to be a pull of activities around the stock since it will continue to attract investor's attention for sometime.

Review Your Portfolio

There is no gain keeping a stock in your portfolio with no tendency to recover back what you have lost in the nearest period, thus during a declining market review your portfolio by selling all non-performing stocks and re investing them in stocks with strong fundamentals that may have lost 25% or more of its original price before the downturn set in because when the market recovers you will benefit greatly from the recovery than if you had kept those non-performing stocks in.

Again, limit yourself to sectors that are likely to be affected positively by the recovery for instance if the market decline was caused by cash crunch in the economy due to non release of budgetary allocation, all you need do is to look at the sector highly favored by the budget and take position because once the recovery begins, there every like hood to experience a jump in prices of stocks in that sector.

Keep an Eye on Regulatory Policies

It is quite important to put your gaze on changes in regulators policies since it has been observed that certain policies or inconsistency in policy can cause a serious drift in the market towards the negative direction, hence investors should be concerned on what the regulators are saying or doing to avoid been caught in between.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that during a declining period most investors become despondent and jittery but it takes a brave heart and a knowledgeable mind to invest during a period like this. In fact this is about the best period to buy more stocks because prices of those stocks with good fundamentals can never be gotten cheaper than this. Besides that limiting once's exposure to risk require quite a handsome level of information about the stock one is about to invest in. And beyond that each investor must shun sentiments in choosing stocks, conduct some basic research and adopt the wait and see approach to see the behavioural pattern of that stock for a week before taking position.

The objective of this report is to provide an understanding of the competition mechanisms between countries which are traditionally exporters - the “Old World” producers represented by European countries - and the so called “New World” countries which today compete for the supremacy of the traditional model of wine growing and production.

World Wine Producers

The distribution of the world wine producers is clearly detailed in the map below.

The Old World producers are located in Europe. France, Italy and Spain are the main producers, followed by Portugal, Balkan states, UK and Germany. The European countries are still detaining a dominant position and they accounted for 70% of world production and consumption in 1999 (by data acquired by Euromonitor).

The New World producers are scattered around the world and are represented mainly by: Australia, Chile, United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Canada.

World Wine Exports

The world wine export are still dominated by the Old World producers (see diagram below), with only three countries (France, Italy and Spain) which account for 60% of the world volumes exports in 2003.

Among the New World producers, the largest exports are coming from Australia, Chile and United States.

Another interesting characteristic is showed by the diagram below where the value of wine in exports market are growing at greater rate than volume.

France Productions, Exports and International Image

France accounts for 20.3% or the world wine production, with one third of domestic production exported to other European countries (UK, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands) and outside Europe (major clients are United States, Canada, Denmark and Japan).

In the most recent years, domestic sales of wine have declined constantly. The wine consumption is becoming more occasional. This is partially due to an aggressive anti-alcohol campaign and driving restrictions set by the local government, but also facilitated by a lack of marketing strategy: the wine market is loosing touch with the youth (the average age of wine drinker is gone up from 35 to 55) and young people are getting keener to beer or alcohol pops.

Lowered domestic sales may result in a greater emphasis on exports, however the recent trend showed how French exports continue to loose market share to the New World (see diagram below).

Global Trade Atlas-Global Trade Information Source 2004

Considering France international reputation and image, it is useful to analyse its strengths and weaknesses, taking into consideration the important differences existing between standard and premium market.

Strengths:

France remain quality leader in the premium market; its international image express Sophistication, Tradition and Charm.

Weaknesses:

There are many weak points to be addressed . The puzzling classification and labeling, the unreliable quality, the rigid “appellation d'origine controlee” which dictates strict rules on methods of production (see more details on par.6.4) . Its international image is often seen as intimidating, boring and old fashioned.

Success of New World over the Old World: Key Factors

The following analysis aims to elucidate the main reasons accounting for the New World success over the Old World. We identified the following key factors:

• Taste of Wine:

  Many people like the sophistication of wine but not so much the taste; Old World provides a wine which taste need to be acquired (more acidic, dry and harsh) and the rigid appellation controlee does not allow manipulations (the only exception is the adding of sugar known aschaptilization) . The New World wine is by contrast easy to drink (less acidic, sweet and fruity), therefore appealing to a wider range of consumers.

• Labels:

  Traditionally the labels of Old World wine are very cryptic. They are in foreign language, denomination of wine is by place of origin (by naming the specific vineyard or “chateau” or the region where the wine has been produced, following the terroir concept as “unique combination of subsoil and amount of days of sun and rain during the growing season”). New World wine labels are by contrast easy to understand. They are in English, with indication of grapes variety (i.e. Chardonnay, Cabernet Savignon, Merlot), and additional information like taste description and meal suggestions. With enticing attractive labels, New World wine is just more accessible and easier to understand than European wines. Recently, some producers from the Old World has responded to the new consumer needs and starting to provide fully descriptive labels in english.

• Image and Brand:

  Old World wine hold a strong image only in the premium market The Old World needs to build a global brand and strengthen its international image for the standard market to compete with the strong image and wine brands created by the New World producers (places associated with sun, youth and fun).

• Wine Quality:

  The unreliable and too often irregular quality of Old World wine is finding difficult to compete with the very regular quality provided by the New World.

• High Fragmentation:

  The archaic structure of production which still in place in the Old World is characterised by small family vineyards or huge cooperatives
  supported by government subsidies (and traditionally more preoccupied with maintaining low price rather than achieving better quality). In both cases their culture is far from the marketing orientation needed in the modern wine market. New World production is offered by few big companies with high capital and strong marketing orientation.

• Expensive Production:

  The high fragmentation and little scale of production does make difficult for Old World producers to be very profitable: often the costs are too high, allowing no margins to spend on promotion, market research and product development. They must compete with the large scale production of New World , always very cost effective and with large margins to invest in research and promotion.

Evaluation of Different Strategies

European old world's producers are meeting on a regular basis to discuss alternative courses of action in order to fight back the ever more pressing competition exercised by new world's producers. Different strategies have been suggested in one of these discussions by the Bordeaux winemakers: we will analyse positive and negative sides of each proposed strategy.

Premium & Standard Wine Market

Strategy No.1:

“Stick to what we have always been doing and build upon our unique terrier. After all the world's wine critics, wine enthusiasts and our local customers remain discerning and are loyal to our wines”.

Evaluation:

It is important to distinct between Standard and Premium wine market.

Old World wines may have struggled to stop the advance of their New World competitors in the mass market - at least in non-producing countries such as the UK - but the premium market has largely remained dominated by French, and to a lesser extent, Spanish and Italian producers.

“In the standard market, France's obsession with tradition and maintaining the status quo will result in the bankruptcy and collapse of many producers who refuse to recognize the competitive nature of the global wine market” (M. Parker, Jr., 2004).

The approach would be successful in the Premium market where increasing demand of fine wine from such countries like Asia, South America, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia will make rise considerably top wine prices. The Premium market will see growing demand and profits. (Faced with declining margins from "standard" wines, New World producers are also shifting their marketing focus to premium products- examples are Chilean drinks group CCU, establishing a joint venture with French wine maker Château D'assault in 2001 for the production of super-premium wines in Chile and America's E&J Gallo with its recent efforts to enhance the equity of the UK's number one Californian brand, Wine Cellars, which has been re-launched under the new name Ernest & Julio Gallo Sierra Valley).

Creation of an accessible French brand

Strategy No.2:

“Adopt Australian methods of wine production and branding for international markets. We must develop an accessible French brand, learning from British Diageo with their “Le Piat d'Or” or American Australian Southcorp with “Vichon”.

Evaluation:

Branding has proved to be a fundamental factor for the success of New World producers. In order for wine producers to develop an international brand for French wine French governmentrecently agreed to double financial support for the industry to € 15m (£9m). Consumer insights are inspiring the creation of accessible French wine brands that avoids the pretensions of the Old World to appeal to real people.

In particular in the UK, one of the major key markets for France wine exports, there has been an effort with the following brands and related advertisement campaigns:

• Burgundy'slogo and “Red Dress” ads

Press campaign: newspapers, food and wine pubs

Budget: £650,000

• Vin de Pays d'Oc : “It's all happening in the Oc”

Transformation campaign: address region's lack of clear identity, used in UK

Budget: £500,000

• Rhône “Think Red. Think Côtes du Rhône.”
• French Connection has become the fastest growing French wine brand; it is now listed as the number three French wine brand, and number 12 in the top 20 list of all wine brands sold in the UK (AC Nielsen).

The Global wine company (acquisitions and mergers)

Strategy No.3:

“Follow the example provided by French LVHM and Pernod Ricard and buy into the new world wines' position and marketing expertise (LVHM own Australian Green Point and Californian Domaine Chandon; Pernod Ricard owns Australian Jacob's Creek and South African Long Mountain)

Evaluation:

This is definitely the quickest way forward for Old World producers in order to acquire the marketing knowledge and strategic strength they so urgently need.

With growing consolidation in the global alcoholic drinks market, and given the highly fragmented nature of the wine market, there is strong possibility for further merger and acquisition activity in the new wine market (as new research from Euromonitor International have confirmed). Industry consolidation is likely to make life harder for the smaller local wineries in the short term. Lack of capital is a major barrier to growth for smaller players, and this factor drive them into acquisition by larger companies.

This trend will lead eventually to a new structure of the wine production model: we are going toward the global wine company of the future.

The new global wine company will have a truly global organizational culture, will develop a series of global brands at different price to meet consumer expectations, and will create extraordinary communication systems to support an enormously complex production and marketing interface.

Appellation d'origine controlee and competitive disadvantage

Strategy No.4:

“Seek the disestablishment of appellation controlee for many of our wine-growing areas so that we can develop the global French brand we need”.

Appelation d'origine controlee is the French system of designating and controlling both the geography and the quality of wines (as well as some food products).

Near the end of the 19th Century, French vineyards (as well as most all vineyards in Europe) suffered the devastation of vine diseases and pests accidentally introduced from America. European viticulture was very nearly destroyed before measures were found to deal with these problems.

In the intervening years, the available quantity of the fine wine was reduced to a trickle and French wine was in the highest demand. Fraud and adulteration were rampant and widespread until a series laws were passed in the beginning of the 20th Century aimed at ending these deceptions. The laws specify and delimit the geography from which a particular wine (or other product) may originate and methods by which it may be made.

The regulations are administered by a powerful quasi-governmental body, Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, or INAO, founded in 1935. Every imaginable facet from producer to consumer has been considered controlled or regulated and the use of AC terms on labels of French wine requires absolute compliance.

Evaluation:

We believe that this strict system of regulations lead to a competitive disadvantage for French and other Old World producers.

Competitive disadvantage deriving from expensive production (the mandatory use of expensive oak barrels to flavour instead of the cheaper oak chips widely used by the New World producers is one of the factor and also the rigid rules regarding the appellation upon which an Old World Chardonnay must be 100% compared to 85% for New World), not allowed manipulations in order to reach a better taste, and confusing labels practice previously mentioned. Furthermore, the historic reasons which lead to its creation are not justified today, at least with regards of its most severe rules and considering the standard wine market.

The Old World should seek the disestablishment of Appellation d'origine controlee at least for the lower category wine. Since in the Premium market the Appellation characterises the product as original and distinctive we would not consider this strategy as successful as in the lower market.

Protectionism versus being marketing oriented

Suggested strategy:

“We must protect our consumers from practices that undermine our European heritage; we need to use our political clout in the EU as well as in our own parliament”.

Evaluation:

We believe protectionism is not the answer.

The new global economy and competitive system should eventually lead to the point of mutual recognition that high quality wine can be made in many different places around the globe allowing the consumers to decide which wine they like best. In today's global community we should be reveling in the diversity of wines available to consumers, and we should be doing everything we can to promote appreciation of the wines that result from different terroir, viticulture, and wine making styles rather than erecting protectionist trade barriers to the free flow of wine around the world.

World wine market: long term predictions

We would like to end this analysis considering a few interesting predictions formulated by Mr. Robert M. Parker, Jr., wine advocate and undeniably the world's most prominent wine critic (recently published in the October 2004 issue Food & Wine magazine).

“The wine Web will go mainstream”: there will be a full range of Web sites tailored to disseminate information about new wines and new producers supported by experts, consultants, specialists and advisors which will assume the role of today's wine publications.

“World bidding wars will begin for top wines”: World's greatest wines will reach a prohibitive price due to the increasing demand coming from new developing countries, i.e. Asia, South America, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. The most limited production wines will become even more expensive and more difficult to obtain.

“France will feel a squeeze”: “France's obsession with tradition and maintaining the status quo will result in the bankruptcy and collapse of many producers who refuse to recognize the competitive nature of the global wine market”.

“Spain will be the star, Southern Italy will ascend”: Both these countries continue to make regional wines as they have for centuries, but they have adopted the New World style to some extent to increase their share of the new wine market.

Spain will rise as a leader both in wine quality and creativity, benefiting from the combination of tradition with a modern winemaking culture.

In Italy the winemaking revolution has commenced and its rewards will become evident over the next ten years.

“Value will be valued”: Due to increased competition in the market, more high-quality and low-priced wines will generally be available.

”Diversity will be the word”: Quality wines will come from unexpected places like Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Mexico, China, Japan, Lebanon, Turkey and perhaps even India.

Conclusion

In the modern wine market the Old world producers are seeing their share of the exports market decreasing rapidly as they start to recognise the urgency to change their mentality in order to challenge new competitors with strong marketing orientation.

In the recent years, New World producers have successfully taken market share from Old World competitors through a combination of successful factors. These are aggressive marketing and effective branding, consistent product quality and reliable supplies.

The Old World future ability to counter the ongoing threat from New World producers will depend on adopting an extensive marketingapproach: size, branding, distribution channels and new mergers in order to benefit from the new global economy will all play a fundamental role in determining its success.

 

But, the root cause of most every significant financial mistake I’ve seen (or made) in my career is based in psychology. The relationship most people have with money is complex, and based in things that are irrational, emotional and deeply felt.

I used to teach a class called “Financial Planning for Women.” In it, there were discussions of fundamental analysis, technical analysis, value investing, momentum investing and modern portfolio theory. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what any of that stuff means. That’s not what we’re talking about here.

In that class, I asked for the participation of author and psychologist Dr. Tessa Warshaw, who wrote “Rich is Better,” a snippet of a quote by Sophie Tucker wherein she noted, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Rich is better.”

Dr. Warshaw theorizes that the deep seeded feelings one has about money determines, to a significant degree, how much one accumulates, how much that accumulated wealth contributes to one’s overall happiness, and how to recognize and change the parts of those feelings that don’t work.

Before embarking on the learning that I believe to be vital to the success of accumulating and investing wealth, it is my opinion that it’s necessary to examine those feelings, just as it is important to think about whether you like boys before you marry one.

If you believe that “money is the root of all evil,” I think you’ll sabotage your investing program. Ditto that, if you’re greedy, miserly or terrified of being poor – a common feeling of women from Barbara Walters to Geraldine Ferraro. So, as weird as it sounds, take a good look at yourself and how you feel about money. If there’s something unhealthy in your psyche, fix it before you decide how you’re going to invest your money. Then, listen to Sophie Tucker. I think she’s right. Rich is better.

Many of us wish we are working from home, in front of our computers in pajamas, spared from traffic congestions, and all other hassles of going to the weekday 9-5 grind outside the comfort of home.

Believing that one of the most affordable ways to start a business can be working from home, my mind quickly streamlined a SOHO startup thought, accordingly, what we should do first.

Planning The Business

Foremost, planning is important. While a home business venture offers some benefits, as in any business, there are a number of issues which need serious, careful consideration. These should be identified in the earliest planning stage.

The Strategic Plan

Even if you are talking small and home business, just like any business, global or small, it is of utmost importance to plan a strategy. Remember, there's no perfect way to do it and different people may vary their steps in the process. What's important is you set the direction of your strategy, in terms of how your goals will be accomplished.

Effective Advertising

An important component of a strategic plan is effective advertising. Talk to a friend in business, a consultant, research online or grab some of those reliable business books, if only to learn ways that teach to get the attention of potential or prospective clients.

Contingency For Financial Crisis

Last but not least, here's something begging me to be included: coping with a financial crisis in case it happens. To do this, you should include a contingency plan for this inevitable event. Well, it's worth a think.

It has often been said, that those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

What does this mean? How can you use this in your business?

We often hear of those who start a business and reach success very quickly...what do they know, how do they do it? Is it really the product?? Why are others in your field doing so much better while you are slowly drowning in bills for products you cannot seem to sell??

Those people are no better than you. They don't necessarily have more friends, look better, or have more knowledge. They more than likely have less education than many other people. They are not pushy, but there is something that makes them succeed, so what is it, luck?

No, it isn't luck, what these people know and have that many people don't are goals. They are acutely aware of what they are, and have them written down. They have reasonable and achievable goals!

When you have a goal, you naturally create a plan to reach it. If you keep your goals forward in your mind, you subconsciously put into motion a plan of how you are going to get what it is you need. It becomes instinct.

These people of great success put into motion the plan that enabled them to reach their goal, regardless of what the goal was. They pass out flyers, business cards, meet people, and step right out of their comfort zone, in order to reach the goal.

We all have our own goals, so my goal will not work for you, and vice versa.

Homework for today, take 4 index cards, and write the things listed below on all of them. (I learned this at a team meeting…it isn't mine, nor do I know where it originated).

1. Write down why you started your business
2. Write down why you love your business
3. Write why your family loves your business
4. Write down three things you want or need (pay off bills, new car, new home, college money, more time with kids, etc)

Then- put these cards up...one in the bathroom on the mirror, one on your car visor, one on the refrigerator, and one on your dayplanner..(you do have one don't you?)

More homework: If you have a day planner, GREAT! If you don't, shame on you!! Go out today, not tomorrow, not next week, but today and get a day planner. The next step is to use it!

Stick to everything your plan, follow through with every assignment you give yourself. Be creative and make up little helpful things as you go along. Fill that day planner!

OK, do you have those things done? Are they written in your day planner? Great!

Here is some more homework for you, to write in your day planner!

Organize your workspace! Get that desk cleaned off, the drawers cleaned out, and file every bit of paper you have. If there isn't a place to file it, create one. If you don't need it, get rid of it. You should have a place for taxes, receipts, bills, mailing material and stamps, labels, etc. Keep the family filing and personal filing in a different filing system, so you know exactly what is in front of you. You simply cannot get any work done if you don't know where anything and everything is. Trust me, I learned this at tax time and it was hell! I now do this weekly and monthly, so I can avoid that last minute effort to get it all together next tax season.

Hopefully you are off to a good start now, so keep everything the way it is, keep the filing system going, and keep your goals in front of you!!

1. Decide your passion first, and pray or meditate once you think you have the perfect idea. This will give added clarity, so you are not just going with a whim.
2. Listen to your environment, and see what the markets say. If your idea is nice to you, but there is not a market, change it. You may not want to be a maverick at the moment.
3. Make sure that the business is not illegal, or prohibited in your area. Check with the local zoning department.
4. Network to see what kind of feedback you receive from the idea before starting. Perhaps, ask people already in the industry. Check with the local chamber of commerce and other events.
5. Take this information and start a 1 page proposal that will be used to gather investors and indicate to you the direction of the business. It is a quick snapshot of the business and some banks prefer it over the business plan for loans. Try reading, The One Page Proposal by Patrick G. Riley for more information.
6. Write the business plan, using some of the information from the proposal. It should be around 10 to 20 pages. Be sure to follow the format. To find more information about the format, read books like Business Plan in a Day by Rhonda Abrams. Remember business plans increase the success rate of new business, and investors look fondly upon them. Think of it as your guide to your home based business success.
7. After writing the business plan, get started with filing to operate by getting the Articles of Incorporation from the State, the EIN number from the IRS, and so on. These both can be done online relatively quickly in most cases.
8. Once all paperwork is completed, start marketing the business with ads and a Web site. The Web site should include a blog that features information about the industry. Use a free one from Microsoft or Google for starters, if something high tech is not required.
9. Use as many free marketing tools as possible, like Craigslist.org and Kijiji.com ads to get noticed.
10. Have fun and remember that it takes an average of 2 years to see profit, so prepare ahead to be financially stable during the beginning

Hopefully, these steps will allow some people to get started with their dream. In difficult economic times, it makes sense to have a home based business part time to create more security. Keep in mind over 100 Billion dollars of revenue came from home based business sector in 2006, according to Inc Magazine. Therefore, this is not a small sector and it is growing everyday. Take yourself to another level once you have strategically planned for it. Good luck with personal prosperity.

A SWOT Analysis is a tool used by business organizations to develop relevant strategies that will enable them to make profitable decisions that will enable them to outperform the competition continuously.

In this acronym S represent Strengths, W pertains to the Weaknesses, O has to do with Opportunities, and T defines the Threats that the company faces as it tries to forge ahead.

The information from these variables are taken together and used to formulate the best approach the company needs to adopt from the know position, to successfully advance and compete.

Leaders should always be cognizant of the fact that the environment the business operates in is dynamic, and as a result the decisions made today may change the next day or week or month, depending on the impact of one or all the variables at any point in time

In recent times a rise in the price of crude oil in OPEC countries had serious effects on the price of gasoline at the pump. This one change affected the share prices of several companies on the stock market. Reduction can in the short term affect the prices of several consumer products including cars, travels, and unemployment in some companies.

A business or organization is defined in the legal framework as a separate living legal entity, and as such can be sued differently from the owner of the business especially if it is a public company.

This generally accepted definition has empowered my thinking that the same way that a business conduct SWOT Analyses, individuals especially leaders and prospective executives should also conduct their own in order to assess their relevance to the organizations and their professions.

Leaders should be constantly aware of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that pertain to them from a positional standpoint.

Knowledge of their positions should enable them to strategically make adjustments that will facilitate mutual success for them and the company itself.

The business may find that it is strong in production, marketing, human resource, and inventory management but weak in organizational capability, collaborative communication, and learning systems implementations.

It may also find out after research that if it can reorganize the sales strategy it can generate millions in revenue from Africa and Asian countries due to the opportunities that existed.

The team may also discover that a new product on the market will cut significantly in their projected sales revenues for the next two quarters if a new marketing strategy is not developed and implemented within the next three weeks.

Finally it may also discover from the human resource manager that it will lose the services of the marketing manager to the competitor.

A good leader will take all these variables to the table and brain storm with his team to find a workable strategy going forward.

Meetings of this nature should then be the norm for any organization and not the exception if they are to remain competitive.

However it is not only the organization that needs to constantly conduct and apply the results of SWOT Analysis, but the leaders at all levels needs to do their own personal ones too as the organization cannot develop separately from their influences.

Appraisals should be so structured to bring out the strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats pertinent to each job function.

Goals and objectives should be mutually set by managers and employees and rewards given where achievements have been realized.

Leaders, who are too autocratic, allows a free for all modes or embrace the country club management philosophy, may need to change their approaches to more progressive styles, which include giving more authority to workers and allowing them to be responsible for outcomes.

When SWOT Analyses are done simultaneously for the company and individuals at all levels, there will be flow of organizational energy outward and the organization may be able to achieve various levels of synergies.

The rewards for performances represent returns for workers that were able to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and made adjustments in a timely manner to ensure goals and objectives were met.

A good leader will ensure proper equilibriums are maintained throughout the life cycles of the organization, as it applies the this powerful SWOT Analysis tool to keep the company relevant and sustainable.

SWOT Analyses are therefore not only good for the organization but are just as vital for the staff within the organization, because both are living entities that interacts constantly to affect the environment externally and internally.

A deficiency in one entity can have inhibiting effects on the other and may manifest on the level of market share gained, the level of productivity, morale, and the future existence of both entities.

Contrarian Trading Strategy

Contrarian traders try to do the opposite of what other people are doing. When everyone is excited about a stock and buying it, they will sell it. And when people are bored by an investment and want nothing to do with it, they will buy it. Often these people will charmingly remind you that sheep get slaughtered.

Trend Trading Strategy

Trend traders take an opposite approach to trading compared to contrarians. They buy on the up swing and sell on the down swing. This strategy requires careful monitoring of the market and frequent buying and selling which can increase trading costs. Trend trading is an easy strategy that requires little research. You just have to know if the asset is going up or down and join the party.

Social Trading Strategy

Social traders buy and sell on news from peers. For instance they act on "hot tips", news, commentary, recommendations. It's possible for social traders to act as contrarian or trend traders depending on who they listen too. They don't necessarily act as one of the two though.

Technical Trading Strategy

Technical traders look for patterns in a stock's price data. They use these patterns to forecast future prices. Technical traders are often interested in break points or price floors. Break points and price floors are significant price levels. If a stock passes a break point it is considered to have entered into a new, higher, trading range and if a stock falls below a price floor it is considered to be in a new, lower, trading range.

Testing Strategies' Performance

If you want to evaluate these different strategies it's useful to use old data and consider what each strategy would have recommended it and then check this result to the actual result. The strategy with the lowest error is the best performer.

Random Traders

It can be useful to include a control strategy such as a Random Trader when testing trading strategies. Random traders buy and sell stocks randomly. They make a good control group and are useful for showing that "experts" do not always perform better than a random trader. If you've ever read a newspaper article where top stock pickers compete against each other they often include a random trader (sometimes called the monkey). The monkey sometimes does better than the experts (who are quite clever but not quite clever enough) and the newspaper can delight in pointing this out.

Final Word

I always like the random traders because they show that it's not possible to tell if an expert is skilled or just lucky. Similarly don't put too much faith in any one strategy or consider any investment in a risky asset a sure thing. When trading anything can happen, that's what makes it exciting!

Make yourself known, especially through a well-known userid you use to post messages to such forums. Popular threads, however old, retain the owner's image and earns respect from viewers.

This would also increase your general-knowledge of the marketing jargon used in the seminar and group talks. This is essential for interaction with people. Dumbness will make your ideas irrelevant.

2. Volunteer to lead:

By volunteering you make a difference to your personality. It also helps make important networking contacts. Arrange meetings with appropriate contacts. During the meeting, demonstrate how your particular skills and experience can serve the business needs and bring added value.

You will learn new skills and your communication would improve. Consider asking your superiors to use his or her contacts to open doors and help obtain assignments.

Meet new people and and build self-esteem and self-confidence needed to bear on your networking. Leading automatically garners respect from peers and superiors, don't bother with your followers.

3. Mix in as many "small" groups as you can:

Take advantage of the opportunity to address yourself easily to smaller groups. Everybody would listen and understand you better.

Start your conversation with a "strange" idea. Onset of a debate is what matters, and you will get enough contacts to build on "your" ideas.

Disagree whenever you can. It adds credibility and attracts attention by raising a few eyebrows.

Feel interested and ask questions nobody would understand. It makes you more visible to the audience and seeks company of few like-minded ones. Staying mute is not an option.

4. Publish a book or article on "Internet marketing" on a popular forum:

Having a good following, especially from a popular forum, adds mouths to your advertising. Memorable quotes in your write-up have the potential of striking an important chord in your network.

Make sure to add your contact info or web-site at the end. Let people call you back if they are interested.

Become as knowledgeable as possible about the area of Internet marketing and be able to effectively demonstrate that your sound knowledge can contribute to business.

5. Become moderator of some community :

A forum or community that deals with that particular seminar & its participants would know you very well and accept your verdict in various subjects.

Again, volunteering makes your reach go farther and thus, more networking. The simplest form of networking could be through free community arenas like orkut. Regularly make comments about certain threads or relevancy of the community.

6. Feel curious enough to say everyone you meet "Hi, what do you know about this seminar":

Talk about your experience and flip in your website or contact info during the conversation.

Talk in numbers and not paragraphs. Expect everyone there at the seminar to be busy. It adds professionalism to your approach.

Never ever reveal complete truth about yourself. Keeping some ambiguity in your achievements makes people wonder if you are extraordinary. It also helps in getting greater credibility for your networks.

7. Keep visiting-cards handy:

Include your contact information and especially your website. Slip it in during the handshake or at the end of your conversation.

Remember as many names and faces as you can remember. This is critically important as it would impress those who call you back and thus enhance your chances of a stronger adhesion in your networks.

8. Cool "geeky" looks:

No matter what level you are at in your marketing career, a geeky look emphatically bestows greater chances of meeting Internet marketing enthusiasts. However, do not render absence of professionalism in your personality.

Stay stylish too, to display your outlays, even if not real. Propagate the belief of earning quick success in Internet marketing. People like quick and easy routes, and thus they would come to you.

9. Be late for the seminar:

You get extra attention and more people remember your face. It is essential for networking that your face be remembered by strangers, only then can you expect people to listen to you.

Also, sit back and enjoy the seminar, while making note of any super-interested people in the middle benches, whom you may want to connect with at the end of the seminar.

10. The Best Never Rest:

Most importantly - follow the principle of hard work. People will love you and appreciate your actions only when they see you as restless.

Keep in touch with those you could connect with through the above strategies. Timely replies and an offer of help will gain you surplus of ideas and associations.

While planning to implement E-commerce strategies, Managers must inherit strong leadership quality, which in turn require making analysis of E-commerce issues and company's pros and cons. Understanding the issues of E- Commerce will help managers to take wise decisions and they can demonstrate their company policy well. Managers must work out the Internet changes that will attract to customer and move company toward positive direction. Strategies must not be planned in such a way that it looses main Internet property.

Fundamental properties of Internet must be used to implement any strategy and according to customer response, Internet changes should be done to increase profitability. Sometimes customers are attracted to traditional Commerce so CEO must not reject traditional system of E-commerce while planning to implement in strategies due to technological advancement. Outright rejection of traditional system may lead to failure.