Business and Investing » Business Guide

South African Airways launches China flight

Jesse Walker — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:12:48 +0000

SAAs plan to introduce a non-stop flight into Beijing is expected to boost economic and trade links between Africa and China.

China is one of the four largest foreign investors in Africa. Its engagement in Africa has been bashed by critics as a new form of colonialism while pro-China commentators contend that no single economy can do without interacting with China.

The introduction of a non-stop flight from Johannesburg to the Beijing will supplement other African carriers like Ethiopian Airlines and Air Zimbabwe which fly into China with stops in other Asian states like Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Happy Statmas and an Online New Year

Jesse Walker — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:05:15 +0000

The clear overall trend of the year has been the falling away of retail sales and the resilience of ecommerce. In what is likely to me my last blog post of the year I thought that I would do a bit of a statistical round up and make some predictions for the New Year.

The first thing to say is that having waited for most of the year for ecommerce to account for more than 10% of retail sales – boof – in one month the figure blasts through the 10% barriers and reaches a dizzy 12.2%. Loyal readers will know that I do have my doubts about the accuracy of the office of National Statistics Retail Sales figures which are subject to a lot of revision, but this is the first time that they have officially broken the magic 10% figure. We can truthfully say that one pound in every eight is now an online pound! <

NIGERIA: Petroleum workers on strike

Jesse Walker — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:36:49 +0000

The association said except the government salvage the situation, it members were directed to shut down all oil and gas exploitation, exploration and production for the period of the strike as from 12 midnight Tuesday.

The oil and gas senior staff association demanded the total implementation of the Minimum Wage law by both the public and private sectors employers, as there is nothing preventing government at all levels from totally implementing the law.

PENGASSAN said the shutting down of all oil and gas installations in the country is necessary to ensure that both the federal and state governments as well as private sector employers implement to law totally.

Speaking on the issue, PENGASSAN President, Comrade Babatunde Ogun, said that unless the law is repealed, there is no alternative to the implementation of the Minimum Wage Act to the letter.

According to Ogun, Government at all levels and the private sector must implement the minimum wage law and pay the wages as provide by the law. Read more…

Top Five Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make While Forming Partnerships

Jesse Walker — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:44:45 +0000

Business partnerships provide a means by which business partners pool in their resources and skills to create a successful business venture. Business partnerships have several benefits. It is considered as a valuable asset. Partnerships can be transferred to heirs and other people. The transference of partnership is usually limited by the terms and conditions of the partnership agreement.

Business owners often tend to commit mistakes while forming partnership. These fatal mistakes can hamper the chances of growth and progress of your small business. Here are few common mistakes made by entrepreneurs while forming business partnership:

Not Signing a Partnership Agreement: Small business owners often tend to form business partnerships with friends, family members and acquaintances without any written agreement. This can lead to problems and stained relationships in future. It is preferable to sign a written agreement before entering into business partnership. T Read more…

House panel votes to subpoena Corzine on MF Global

Jesse Walker — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:36:20 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) – A congressional panel has voted to subpoena former Sen. Jon Corzine to testify next Thursday about his role leading MF Global, a brokerage firm that collapsed this fall after a disastrous bet on European debt.

The hearing will be a rare moment in Washington. Congressional historians had to reach back to 1908, when a former senator from North Carolina was called to testify in connection with a corporate lobbying scandal, to find a similar instance of an ex-member of Congress being summoned by his former peers.

The House Agriculture Committee voted Friday to issue the subpoena after Corzine failed to reply to an informal request to appear at the hearing.

Chairman Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said his testimony is “essential to fulfill our objectives.”

Hours later the head of the Senate Agriculture Committee called for subpoenas to be issued to Corzine and other MF Global executives to appear Dec. 13 before that panel, if they dont come voluntarily.

Sen.

GHANA: 21, 059 switched mobile network July

Jesse Walker — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 07:55:10 +0000

Number portability is a system that allows subscribers to leave their current mobile service provider and join a new provider.

The telecommunication regulating body, in a statement said the number is encouraging and a clear indication that the system is running smoothly. The relatively few difficulties that occurred at inception stemmed from human error or misunderstanding of the processes involved, the NCA noted.

NCAs analysis of data for the month of July shows that of the porting requests completed:

10% were completed in 15 minutes or less
23% were completed between 15 minutes and 1 hour
34% were completed between 1 and 4 hours
31% were completed between 4 and 24 hours
2% were completed in more than 24 hours

The fastest port recorded so far in Ghana took place in a mere 1 minute, 10 seconds. The average port took place in 5 hours, 21 minutes from start to finish, the statement added.

Top Four Tips For Cold Calling

Jesse Walker — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:28:42 +0000

Cold calling is also known as telephone canvassing, canvassing, prospecting and telephone prospecting. It is one of the oldest and most effective marketing techniques. This marketing technique includes making telephone calls to prospective customers without an appointment. A successful cold calling campaign can help you to generate high sales volume. Here are few tips for effective cold calling:

Know the Purpose: Amateur telemarketers often tend to think that this marketing technique is about selling. However, cold calling is not about making sales. It is about getting a chance to make sales. The main objective of cold calling is to set an appointment to deliver the sales pitch.

Know Your Target Audience: It is important to use this marketing technique on the right type of target market. Research about your target markets and prospects. Collect information about their age, income, standard of living, likes, dislikes and buying behaviors. Read more…

Promotional Golf Items

admin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:39:33 +0000

Trying to get the word out about your business can be stressful and challenging, but by locating types of promotional items producing agencies, you can get yourself off to a good start. You can look for those items or gifts that people will really appreciate and use. Not only will they be eager to promote your business, but they’ll consider doing business with you themselves. Locating companies that sell golf items can not only help you purchase an inexpensive gift, but it’ll really be something that your customers can enjoy. There is not one person in the world that does not enjoy a gift, but now they can receive a gift that they will actually get good use out of. Some companies make some beautiful golf accessories, which could be gifted to corporate clients.

For many different businesses creating promotional items, they offer golfing visors for sun support out on the court, and golfing polo to play in style. You Read more…

Fed-up consumers planning for ‘Bank Transfer Day’

Jesse Walker — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:12:20 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) – Its moving day for bank customers.

A grassroots movement that sprang to life last month is urging bank customers to close their accounts in favor of credit unions by Saturday.

The spirit behind “Bank Transfer Day” caught fire with the Occupy Wall Street protests around the country and had more than 79,000 supporters on its Facebook page as of Friday. The movement has already helped beat back Bank of Americas plan to start charging a $5 debit card fee.

Its not clear to what extent the banking industrys about-face on debit card fees will extinguish the anger driving the movement.

Abandon Me: More than Half of Everything That Goes Into The Basket Never Gets Bought

Jesse Walker — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:23:44 +0000

Those guys at IMRG have come up with another in their useful quarterly benchmarking reports and amongst the gems therein there is some data to help the online retailer understand a bit more about the average behaviour of their customers.

People come to me and they say, “My basket abandonment rate is too high”.

I reply, “How do you know?”

Well, they say, “Half of all the people who put products in their basket never actually go on to buy them – that must be a problem with your software.”

What the IMRG data shows is that high abandonments are just the way that customers behave. They pop things in the basket and more often than not they don’t go through with the purchase. Although the data goes up and down a bit, the level of shopping basket abandonment is very high, with, on average, six in every ten things put into the basket never making it through the checkout stage. <