EL BLOG DE PAPI

Cómo iniciar su negocio

2009-09-03T21:51:00.001-04:00

Agencia Federal para el Desarrollo de la Pequeña Empresa

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

Plan afianzaría nuevo Santiago

2009-08-27T16:58:00.002-04:00

Consejo para el Desarrollo Estratégico busca que con visión de metrópolis hacer el tránsito hacia economía de servicios.

clipped from www.elnacional.com.do

27 Agosto 2009, 11:31 AM

Bienvenido Alvarez Vega, Reynaldo Peguero, Radhamés Gómez Pepín, Carlos Alfredo Fondeur, Rafael Molina Morillo y Juan Alfonso Mera, posan ayer durante el almuerzo. Foto Reynaldo Brito

Escrito por:
EMILIO ORTIZ (economía@elnacional.com.do)

El Consejo para el Desarrollo Estratégico de Santiago decidió modificar varias de las metas relacionadas con los planes de desarrollo de ese municipio, tomando en consideración la nueva realidad que se verifica en cuanto al quehacer económico de la zona.

El nuevo plan estratégico de Santiago, cuya ejecusión sería del año 2010 al 2020, busca hacer una transformación de una economía cuya base fundametal han sido la agricultura y la industria, a una basada en la oferta de servicios.

La nueva visión del Consejo se basa en hechos reales, como el ocurrido con las zonas francas industriales dirigidas a la producción de textiles que durante años permitieron una amplia generación de empleos, pero que cayeron primero en el estancamiento y posteriormente en caída libre.

La preocupación del consejo es buscar opciones que le permitan a Santiago generar una actividad económica que condujzca a la recuperación de los empleos perdidos y generar los nuevos que demanda esa comunidad.

Los lineamientos generales del nuevo plan estratégico, así como la evaluación del que se ejecutó en el período 2002 al 2010, fueron poderados por tres de los principales directivos del Consejo.

Carlos Alfredo Fondeur Victoria, presidente; Juan Alfonso Mera Montero, tesorero, y Reynaldo Peguero Gómez, director ejecutivo, participaron ayer como invitados al almuerzo semanal de los medios de comunicación del Grupo Corripio.

Fondeur Victoria explicó que el Consejo, en el plan 2002-2010, sólo pudo impulsar la concretización de cerca del 50 por ciento de los planes trazados.

Citó que al momento de su elaboración, tenía en la generación de empleos por parte de las zonas francas una referencia que ahora no existe.

Dijo que Santiago, como centro económico de 14 provincias, estuvo orientado más a la oferta de bienes y servicios con vocación agrícola e industrial, con una visión provinciana y en algunos casos aldeana de la relaciones sociales, que la realidad ha cambiado.

Citó que Santiago ronda los 900 mil habitantes y para el 2020 se prevé que llegue al millón 350 mil, por lo que la visión provinciana de desarrollo debe cambiar a una vocación de metrópolis.

El Yaque y el tránsito

Además del fortalecimiento de las instituciones locales, en particular el Ayuntamiento, que en gran medida ya se ha logrado, el Consejo para el Desarrollo Estratégico de Santiago ha esbozado diversas prioridades, pero entre ellas se destacan el ordenamiento del tránsito y el saneamieto del río Yaque del Norte. El proceso de saneamiento del Yaque tiene una importancia capital, debido a que puede potenciar el reordenamiento territorial y convertirse en un eje de oferta de servicios en la ciudad.

La posible solución al problema del tránsito tiene a la avenida avenida Mirador Norte y una vía de 33 kilómetros entre Canabacoa y Quinigua, entre las soluciones más viables.

Ambas obras, así como el Parque Central, que ocuparía terrenos del antiguo aeropuerto, están paralizadas por falta de recursos. Son las grandes obras pendientes del plan que concluye en el 2010.

Mera Montero explicó que quedó también como tarea pendiente “el proyecto marca-ciudad”, que busca conservar las tradiciones de una ciudad que giró en torno a la agricultura y la industria, para atraer nuevas inversiones en el sector servicios y, particularmente en el turismo hacia Santiago.

“La idea es vender a esta ciudad como un eje de salud, porque sus ofertas son competitivas en términos de calidad. También queremos vender a Santiago como un municipio alegre, por sus salas para conciertos, y el Estadio Cibao, y en materia gourmet contamos con restaurantes de gran calidad”, expresó como algunas de las metas que cambiarían la fisonomía económica y social de Santiago.

Metrópolis
Con casi 900 mil habitantes , al municipio de Santiago pertenecen 26 secciones rurales y 4 distritos municipales: Pedro García, Baitoa, Sabana Iglesia y La Canela. La provincia tiene 6 municipios: San José de Las Matas, Jánico, Tamboril, Licey, Villa Bisonó y Villa González

The Top Things To Do When You Can't Get A Job

2009-04-29T21:51:00.002-04:00

Figure out what you might be doing wrong, and fix it. Here's how.

clipped from www.forbes.com

Business Basics

Tara Weiss,
04.29.09, 10:16 AM EDT

If you've been out of work for several months and aren't getting any interviews, or you're going on interviews but not getting any offers, maybe it's time to adjust your approach to job hunting.

There's no particular length of time after which the alarm bells should sound, but the general rule is, if you've sent out dozens of résumés and aren't getting any bites, or you've gone on a dozen interviews but haven't received any job offers--do something.

If you're not getting any interviews, it's time to reconsider your résumé. First, examine it to make sure it contains no spelling or grammar errors. Then have a friend or colleague check it. "You cannot succeed in this competitive market if your résumé isn't 100% accurate," says Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, an expert at the career Web site Vault.com and former chief operating officer for Merrill Lynch Campus Recruiting.
Thanasoulis-Cerrachio recommends including a personal interest section at the bottom. Most hiring managers aren't comfortable interviewing prospective job candidates, and they're not good at it. Adding a section on your personal interests gives them a conversation starter.
"Most interviewers are just as uncomfortable as the job candidate, so they gravitate toward something they're comfortable with, like personal interests," Thanasoulis-Cerrachio says.
Include a section up top detailing your skills. It should include hard skills like knowing certain computer programs and soft skills like being a strong communicator or team player. Try to match the language used in the job ad.
Most important, though, emphasize the results you achieved in each position you held, instead of just listing job responsibilities. You become a much more compelling candidate if instead of saying you managed a team of three you say, "Managed a team of three employees who interacted with clients and had a 100% client retention rate over two years." Prospective employers also want to hear about money you saved, or new clients you brought in.
As for your cover letters, they should never be a regurgitation of your résumé. Instead, make a compelling case for why you should be hired. The introductory paragraph should state the position you're applying for. The middle few paragraphs should highlight the critical three elements of the job description, explaining why you will fit the job well. Use the hirer's language. If the job ad says the candidate needs 10 years of experience using communication skills, describe how your communication skills saved the day at a previous job.
Don't blast your résumé around like spam. Instead, conduct a focused job search, applying only for positions that you're truly qualified for. Make a list of all the companies you'd most like to work for, and use your personal network and sites like LinkedIn to find connections you have at each one. If you've got a Twitter account that you use professionally, great. If not, start one. Many human-resources professionals are on Twitter. If you can find one at a company you're interested in, start following him or her.
Retweet (Twitter lingo for forwarding) what that person has written, and comment on any interesting posts. "After a few weeks of following them, direct-message them, saying, 'I'd love to talk about your company. It's a place I've always wanted to work, and I'd love to hear about your experience there,'" says Dan Schawbel, author Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success.
Don't blast your résumé around like spam. Instead, conduct a focused job search, applying only for positions that you're truly qualified for. Make a list of all the companies you'd most like to work for, and use your personal network and sites like LinkedIn to find connections you have at each one. If you've got a Twitter account that you use professionally, great. If not, start one. Many human-resources professionals are on Twitter. If you can find one at a company you're interested in, start following him or her.
Retweet (Twitter lingo for forwarding) what that person has written, and comment on any interesting posts. "After a few weeks of following them, direct-message them, saying, 'I'd love to talk about your company. It's a place I've always wanted to work, and I'd love to hear about your experience there,'" says Dan Schawbel, author Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success.

Television buying guide

2009-04-02T20:21:00.000-04:00

Revista Gestión y Competitividad

2009-03-25T20:21:00.002-04:00

clipped from www.mediosrd.com

Medios Especializados

¿Como combinar los colores al momento de vestir?

2009-03-24T22:23:00.002-04:00

clipped from mx.answers.yahoo.com

Pregunta resuelta

¿Como combinar los colores al momento de vestir?

Soy moreno, entonces, quiero enseñarme bien bien a combinar los colores en cuanto a ropa interior, camiseta, camisa y pantalón... y claro zapatos y cinto...

¿Me explicas por favor?

by Fernando H

Combinar colores. Que colores combinan entre si. Combinar prendas y sus colores.

El secreto de la elegancia está concentrado en dos factores fundamentales: combinar y disimular (los posibles defectos). No es fácil muchas veces combinar prendas de nuestro vestuario, por lo que siempre es aconsejable, a la hora de comprar, revisar nuestro "armario" para darnos una idea de los tejidos, colores y estampados con los que contamos.

Hay que procurar comprar prendas que nos gusten, pero también que se puedan aprovechar para combinar con otras prendas de nuestro ropero, para sacarles más provecho y poder jugar con más combinaciones distintas, partiendo de la base de las mismas prendas. Vamos a ver algunos consejos que nos pueden ayudar, tanto a los caballeros como a las señoras.

1. Blanco. El color blanco, teóricamente combina con el resto de colores, aunque no es conveniente tratar de combinarlo con colores claros del resto de la gama (un amarillo muy claro o verde muy claro, por ejemplo). Para un vestido o traje solo suele ser apropiado para mujeres, o caballeros en ambientes tropicales. Como color claro que es, hace más grueso.

2. Negro. El negro es otro color que combina fácilmente con la mayoría de colores salvo con colores muy oscuros como el marrón oscuro o azul noche, o tratar de llevar distintos tonos de negro. Es el color de la elegancia (frac, esmoquin, traje de noche ...) y del luto. No es habitual, debido a su seriedad, vestir de negro de forma habitual. Este color hace más delgado.

3. Marrón. Este color, es uno de los más difíciles de combinar, y al contrario que otros colores, combina muy bien con otros tonos de su propio color (beiges, tierras, arenas, etc.). Aunque sea difícil de combinar es un color fundamental en los vestuarios femeninos. En cambio en el masculino ha sido desplazado por los grises y los azules. Es un color que en función del tono puede hacer más grueso o más delgado, o simplemente neutro.

4. Gris. Es uno de los colores que dominan el vestuario masculino (los trajes). Combina bastante bien con casi todos los colores, como el negro, azul y tonos de rojo (burdeos, granate, etc). También combina con tonos de verdes y algunos marrones. Y combina muy bien con distintos tonos de su propio color, el gris. Es serio, discreto y elegante. En función del tono puede hacernos más delgado (gris marengo, por ejemplo) o ser bastante neutro un gris claro.

5. Azul. Otro de los colores estrella, con el gris, en el vestuario masculino. Combina perfectamente con muchos otros colores, como el blanco, los derivados del rojo (burdeos, granate, etc.) con algunos tonos de gris y crema (beige). Por norma general es más utilizado en colores oscuros (como el azul noche o el azul marino). Por regla general nos hace más estilizado (debido a que se utiliza el oscuro mayormente).

6 consejos básicos para el buen vestir masculino

Todo hombre alguna vez se ha preguntado como combinar sus calcetines con sus pantalones o se ha hecho algún otro cuestionamiento de este tipo en algún momento de su vida. Aquí hay 6 puntos importantes que te pueden aclarar un poco la confusión que puede surgir en el momento de combinar algunas prendas.

1. Siempre combina el cinturón con los zapatos. Esta es una muy buena regla y fácil de llevar a cabo. Es mejor quedarse con los colores tradicionales como el negro, el castaño oscuro o canela. Otros colores serán difíciles de combinar, por lo tanto, es mejor evitarlos. Si usas zapatillas, seguramente uses vaqueros, en ese caso sería mejor llevar un cinturón de tejido o algún cinturón casual, pero es mejor evitar los cinturones de vestir si se usan vaqueros y zapatillas. Si usas tirantes, mejor no uses cinturón.

2. Como combinar las corbatas con las camisas. La corbata del mismo color que la camisa o un tono mas claro ya se ha visto demasiado. Trata de mezclar un poco mas los colores y diseños de las corbatas y experimenta un poco. Las corbatas son una buena manera de expresarte. Nunca te irá mal si pruebas con las rayas en diagonal, modernos puntos, patrones escoceses o modelos sutiles. Trata de cerciorarte de que tu corbata combina con tu camisa, suéter, saco, o lo que sea que estés usando. Es mejor evitar las corbatas con diseños novedosos, ya que suelen tener una corta vida dentro del mundo de la moda. Las corbatas se pueden anudar de muchas maneras. Elige tu estilo, puedes experimentar. Cada nudo diferente expresará algo diferente. Es preferible que no uses clips en las corbatas, se ven mejor sin ellos.

3. Pliegues versus frente liso en los pantalones. En la mayoría de los casos los pantalones con el frente liso se ven mejor que los que tienen pliegues (los que son plisados en la cintura). Los pliegues te hacen ver menos delgado. Algunos hombres dicen que usan pantalones con pliegues porque es mas cómodo o porque los pantalones planos al frente son para cuerpos atléticos. Y la verdad es que todos los hombres pueden usar los pantalones sin pliegue

Cómo combinar colores: nivel I

2009-03-24T21:54:00.002-04:00

clipped from www.mensencia.com

Mosky 28 de diciembre de 2008

Uno de los principales problemas de muchos hombres nace de algo en apariencia bastante sencillo: los colores. Ignoro las posibles causas de este desajuste cromático (no, no les hablo de daltonismo), pero por lo menos tiene que tratarse de un trauma generacional. De un trauma generacional que abarca los últimos cincuenta años y que imposibilita a muchos hombres a combinar colores.

Es triste, sí, pero uno no puede saber lo que nunca le han enseñado. Continuando con la tradición de esta página de explicarlo todo con listas, aquí tienen una serie de instrucciones básicas a la hora de aprender a combinar colores.

Las avanzadas, para año nuevo.
Apuesta sobre seguro: blanco y negro. Por lo general, son dos colores que combinan con casi todo. Ojo: casi. Jamás en todos los días de nuestra vida deberemos mezclar negro y azul. Es cierto que algún diseñador se ha liado la manta a la cabeza y ha propuesto un traje mezclando un azul tornasolado con una camisa negra, pero chicos, si no queremos ser la sensación de la fies creo que lo mejor es no arriesgarnos tanto. Al fin y al cabo, si estás leyendo esto es porque aún no sabes mezclar colores. No te vayas ya al nivel avanzado…

Separa por calores. Sí, has leído bien, calores y no colores. Y no, aún no me he vuelto loca. Los colores se pueden clasificar, a grandes rasgos, en fríos y cálidos. Los fríos abarcarían toda la gama de azules y verdes, mientras los cálidos serían rojos y amarillos. Antes de que podamos clasificar nuestro armario por conjuntos hechos, yo optaría por hacerlo por calildez de los colores, sobre todo si en este punto tenemos dificultad.

Huye de las familias: y no, no me refiero a tu suegra. Si bien hemos visto que una apuesta segura es mezclar colores según su calor (azul con gris, por ejemplo), también tenemos que grabarnos a fuego en la memoria que debemos evitar mezclar dos colores de una misma familia cromática, es decir, dos tipos de azul. Es cierto que, para usuarios avanzados, esto no es un problema, sin embargo el inexperto corre el riesgo de mezclar turquesa y azulina y quedarse más feliz que nadie.

La excepción confirma la regla: alguno se habrá echado las manos a la cabeza al leer lo de separar por colores y relacionar, automáticamente, el rojo y el naranja, dos colores que nunca deberían ir juntos si tu apellido no es Ruiz de la Prada.
Y el azul con el verde depende. En próximas entradas profundizaremos en estos primeros trucos sencillos y matizaremos esos aparentes cabos sueltos, que demasiada información de golpe nunca se asimila bien.

Television buying guide

2009-03-08T19:58:00.002-04:00

clipped from reviews.cnet.com

Key television features and connectivity options

Updated February 13, 2009

Inputs and outputs

Perhaps the single most confusing item on a TV spec sheet is the forest of inputs and outputs used to hook up the set to other equipment. The following trail of breadcrumbs, arranged in order of video quality, should help put you on the right connectivity path...
Jack Cable Name Typical use Level of video quality

RF

aka radio frequency; antenna; cable; screw type; F-pin Antennae, VCRs, cable and satellite boxes Lowest, Highest (digital) for HDTV tuners

Composite Video

aka yellow video; video; A/V (when combined with audio jacks) Cable and satellite boxes, VCRs, DVD players, game consoles Low

S-Video

aka DIN 4 Cable and satellite boxes, S-VHS VCRs, DVD players, game consoles Medium

Component-video

aka component; Y, Pb, Pr; Y, Cb, Cr; broadband component; 1080i; 720p; HDTV HD cable and satellite boxes, DVD players, HDTV tuners, Blu-ray and HD DVD players, game consoles, other HD sources High
RGB

Connections can also be made through RCA or BNC-type connectors, and adapters are available between all of them
aka PC, computer, VGA; 15-pin D-sub; RGB-HV Computers, video processors High

FireWire

aka IEEE 1394; iLink some HDTV tuners, D-VHS VCRs Highest (digital)

DVI-D with HDCP

aka DVI-D; Digital Visual Interface; High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection Computers; older HD cable and satellite boxes, HDTV tuners and DVD players Highest (digital

HDMI

FAQ

Antennae, VCRs, cable and satellite boxes

aka High-Definition Multimedia Interface HD cable and satellite boxes, DVD players, HDTV tuners, Blu-ray and HD DVD players, game consoles, computers, other HD sources Highest (digital)

Hey eBay, Say Hello to Bonanzle

2009-03-04T21:38:00.002-04:00

Rankled by eBay, small online sellers are hanging out their shingles at new marketplace sites like Bonanzle

clipped from www.businessweek.com

By
Douglas MacMillan

The idea for "Hey eBay, Say Hello to Bonanzle" came from BusinessWeek.com reader Beverly Gonzalez, who buys vintage collectibles in and around her hometown of Torrance, Calif., and sells them online.

The first Saturday morning of each month, licensed auctioneer Walt Kolenda holds live auctions on the Web. Buyers usually show up early to inspect the goods and ask "Auction Wally" questions through a live chat window. From the comfort of his home in Barre, Mass., Kolenda calls the action over a real-time podcast, taking bidders, offering bundle deals, and calling attention to the rarity of a set of antique postcards or the craftsmanship of a piece of ornate glassware.
Like many thrift stores and estate sellers, Kolenda has benefited from strapped consumers, many of whom have cleaned out their attics in search of valuables that might help pay the bills. "I can't keep up with what I'm doing because so many people are coming to me looking for advice on how to sell their items," Kolenda says.

The first advice he gives most sellers: Leave eBay (EBAY). Since 1999, Kolenda relied on the popular site that pioneered online auctions. But he says changes eBay made to its platform in recent years have hampered the ability of smaller sellers like him to compete with larger wholesalers who use the site as a clearinghouse to sell large amounts of goods at fixed prices. "Now, they want to be a big box [store]," Kolenda says. The changes that turned him away include higher fees for listing each item, the removal of a feature that allowed sellers to negatively rate buyers, and the elimination of all transaction methods other than PayPal, a payment service eBay owns.

Built-In Chat Feature

In September, Kolenda set up shop at Bonanzle, one of several niche online marketplaces that have sprung up to serve the growing number of online merchants who are leaving eBay out of frustration. Bonanzle was launched in June 2008 by Seattle computer programmer Bill Harding, who wanted to re-create the social dealmaking experience of a garage sale online. Anyone can sign up for a free Bonanzle "booth," a page where a seller displays items and interacts with visitors using a built-in chat feature. Sellers can easily reward good customers with markdowns, or hold regular "bonanzas"—events where all of their products are on sale.

Relying just on word-of-mouth buzz, the site has attracted some 35,000 registered users, a number Harding says has grown about 50% each month. Bonanzle collects small fees from each item that's sold—the company takes $1 for items that sell at an average price of $28.50, for example—and the site has facilitated tens of thousands of transactions so far. In February, Bonanzle says it turned its first profit, although it won't reveal how much.
By comparison, eBay posted its first-ever quarterly sales decline in January, when CEO John Donahoe admitted that he was "frustrated" with the performance of the business despite making several major changes to the site. Its fourth-quarter earnings report cited a 4% gain in active users over the previous year, to 86.3 million. But reader comments to a Jan. 22 BusinessWeek article, "eBay Sales: Going, Going…" told a different story. More than 200 current and former eBay sellers stated that they were abandoning the site because of the changes Donahoe has made.

Flight to Niche Players

Usher Lieberman, an eBay spokesman, says the company works to incorporate feedback from its members into the site, but admits that the changes of the past year were geared toward larger sellers. When asked about Bonanzle, Lieberman says that "while there will always be niche marketplaces, ultimately our volume and velocity keep sellers turning to eBay while our value and selection continue to attract buyers in a virtuous cycle."

According to Scot Wingo, CEO of e-commerce consultant ChannelAdvisor, the flight of eBay sellers to smaller marketplace sites like Bonanzle, niche players like handmade-goods site Etsy, and sellers' own personal Web sites could pose a threat to eBay's dominance. "If eBay doesn't change course, certain categories like collectibles, autos, handmade items, can definitely be dominated by niche sites," says Wingo.

Harding confirms that a large chunk of Bonanzle vendors came to his site because they were unhappy with eBay. "The biggest complaint is that they're not listening to their sellers," Harding says of the competitor. He and his co-founder, Mark Dorsey, spend much of their time reading and commenting on Bonanzle's forums, helping address user concerns, and reaching out to sellers directly whenever problems arise. The site also has a tool that allows new sellers to quickly import their product listings from eBay. So far, that tool accounts for half of all inventory listed on Bonanzle.

Charged for Sales, Not Listings

"The money it costs me to sell on Bonanzle is about a third of what eBay costs," says auctioneer Kolenda. That's mainly because Bonanzle only charges its sellers a percentage of what they sell, rather than for every item they list, as eBay does. Kolenda says Bonanzle also makes it easier to list a large number of items, saving him valuable time. Lieberman, the eBay spokesman, says the company opens "access to a global market for sellers who otherwise would have difficulty addressing a broader audience."

Of course, while profit margins and convenience are high, the slow trickle of shoppers to Bonanzle booths leaves much to be desired. "The traffic isn't there yet," says Chris Nelson, an Albany (N.Y.) online seller of jewelry, cosmetics, and New Age gifts such as tarot cards. Since December, Nelson has listed items on both Bonanzle and eBay. So far, she's sold only two items on Bonanzle vs. more than 200 on eBay during the same period. "It's not costing me anything to list [on Bonanzle]," Nelson says. "It's worth it to be there as that site starts to grow, and hopefully they will."

In January, Bonanzle received 185,000 unique visitors, according to data from comScore (SCOR)—peanuts compared to the 72 million that visited eBay. But since November, Bonanzle's traffic has grown 214%, while eBay inched up by less than 1%. One way Harding intends to increase traffic is by working with other product listing sites, such as Google (GOOG) Base. The search engine's classified listing service allows Bonanzle—and eBay—sellers to co-list their items on its pages, dramatically increasing the number of potential buyers. The Google site is a relatively easy process, but still not simple for everyone, and Bonanzle co-founder Dorsey has offered to personally set up some users with Google Base listings. Harding says about half of all traffic to Bonanzle comes through Google Base.

Loyal Band of Users

But perhaps Bonanzle's greatest growth potential lies in the evangelism of its small community of dedicated users. "The sellers have adopted [Bonanzle] as their own Web site, as if they created it themselves," says Harding. "In a sense, they have." That could be a line straight out of the pitch of an e-commerce startup from the 1990s: eBay.
Douglas MacMillan is a staff writer for BusinessWeek in New York

AEIH llama a empresas a adecuarse a la nueva ley de sociedades comerciales

2009-03-03T21:28:00.002-04:00

El presidente del gremio, Manuel Cabrera, recordó que ya no será necesario contar con siete personas para constituir una compañía

clipped from www.clavedigital.com

3
de Marzo
de 2009

NEGOCIOS

SANTO DOMINGO, República Dominicana.- La Asociación de Empresas Industriales de Herrera (AEIH) llamó a las empresas dominicanas a adecuarse a la nueva Ley de Sociedades Comerciales y Empresas Individuales de Responsabilidad Limitada, a fin de evitar dificultades en sus operaciones comerciales y las penalidades que trae consigo esta disposición.

Esta legislación -que entrará en vigencia a partir del 19 de junio- establece la posibilidad de crear una empresa con un número mínimo de socios y sociedades de un solo dueño.

Entre las penalidades que se les impondrán a las entidades comerciales están la clausura temporal de los establecimientos de negocios, la inhabilidad temporal o definitiva y multas que pueden llegar hasta los 120 salarios mínimos del sector público vigente.
Según el presidente de la AEIH, Manuel Cabrera, “esta ley es un paso de avance porque supera a la anterior, que restaba competitividad a las empresas, no regulaba procesos, como las fusiones y adquisiciones, y los tipos de compañías que reglamentaba no se correspondía con las necesidades propias de una economía abierta”.

De su lado, el director del Consejo Nacional de Competitividad, Andrés Van Der Horst, destacó que “ya no será necesario buscar siete firmas para crear un negocio pequeño, ya que con la ley de sociedades comerciales un comerciante podrá formalizar su negocio con la posibilidad de dividir su patrimonio personal del patrimonio de la empresa”.

En el marco de la tertulia organizada por la AEIH, Van Der Horst informó que las empresas tienen el resto del presente año como plazo para adecuarse a este nuevo estatuto, el cual, a su juicio, dará más transparencia a las entidades comerciales, principalmente a la hora de emitir instrumentos financieros.

Esto se debe a que el artículo 166 de este reglamento establece que los fundadores de la empresa deben redactar un programa de constitución que se someterá a la aprobación de la Superintendencia de Valores (SIV), el cual debe contener, entre otros requisitos, un informe técnico sobre la viabilidad de la sociedad proyectada preparado por una firma consultora con una experiencia mínima de cinco años en este tipo de estudios, que deberá contener el monto mínimo del capital que integrará las suscripciones y/o aportaciones.

Esta documentación deberá depositarse en la SIV, quien dispondrá de un plazo de quince días para aprobar la promoción del programa de constitución.

Objetivos de la ley

Asimismo, el redactor de la ley de sociedades comerciales, José Luis Taveras, informó que esta nueva disposición tiene como objetivos fundamentales el ampliar y facilitar el portafolio de instrumentos corporativos, proteger la responsabilidad y transparencias de las empresas corporativas, actualizar una legislación societaria anacrónica, entre otros.

Según Taveras, estos objetivos se sustentan en que “nuestro Código de Comercio corresponde al francés de 1807 y que adoptamos en 1884 con la primera ley francesa de sociedades del 24 de julio de 1867 y también, que la obsolescencia de nuestra regulación societaria no sustrae competitividad”.

Carrera de obstáculos

2009-02-26T21:01:00.002-04:00

Midomi

2009-02-26T20:02:00.000-04:00

http://www.midomi.com/

Lo último en búsqueda de música.

Musipedia

2009-02-26T20:01:00.001-04:00

clipped from www.musipedia.org

The Open Music Encyclopedia

Welcome to Musipedia! Inspired by, but not affiliated with Wikipedia, we are building a searchable, editable, and expandable collection of tunes, melodies, and musical themes.

Every entry can be edited by anybody. An entry can contain a bit of sheet music, a MIDI file, textual information about the work and the composer, and last but not least the Parsons Code, a rough description of the melodic contour.

“Averigua el título y el autor de casi cualquier melodía”

2009-02-25T20:21:00.002-04:00

clipped from tunatic.softonic.com

Nota Softonic:
Mejorable:4/10

Licencia:Gratis

Idioma: Ingles

En Softonic desde: 05 de marzo del 2007

Autor: Wildbits

Tamaño: 530 KB

DescargarGratis

Por David Navarro

Tunatic está dispuesto a resolverte esa duda metafísica que te persigue durante toda la mañana impidiéndote rendir en la oficina como siempre has deseado. Nos referimos a la eterna pregunta: "¿Cómo se titula la canción que escuchas por la radio cada mañana a la misma hora?", interrogante que siempre va unido a otro: "¿Quién demonios la interpreta?"

Para conseguir la solución al acertijo acerca el micrófono de tu PC a la fuente que irradia esos sones desconocidos o configura el apartado de grabación desde el control de volumen de modo que el dispositivo de entrada sea "Mezcla estéreo". Luego, espera unos segundos y tal vez obtengas la respuesta.
Si Tunatic te ofrece el resultado, luego siempre puedes hacer clic en la flecha junto a los datos y entrar en una página desde la que adquirir la música. Pero eso ya es otra historia.

Para utilizar Tunatic necesitas:

Sistema operativo: Win2000/XP

Lecturas de la liturgia

2009-02-24T22:21:00.000-04:00

Primera Lectura: Eclesiástico 2,1-13
"Prepárate para las pruebas"

Hijo mío, cuando te acerques al temor de Dios, prepárate para las pruebas; mantén el corazón firme, sé valiente, no te asustes en el momento de la prueba; pégate a él, no lo abandones, y al final serás enaltecido. Acepta cuanto te suceda, aguanta enfermedad y pobreza, porque el oro se acrisola en el fuego, y el hombre que Dios ama, en el horno de la pobreza. Confía en Dios, que él te ayudará; espera en él, y te allanará el camino. Los que teméis al Señor, esperad en su misericordia, y no os apartéis, para no caer; los que teméis al Señor, confiad en él, que no retendrá vuestro salario hasta mañana; los que teméis al Señor, esperad bienes, gozo perpetuo y salvación; los que teméis al Señor, amadlo, y él iluminará vuestros corazones. Fijaos en las generaciones pretéritas: ¿quién confió en el Señor y quedó defraudado?; ¿quién esperó en él y quedó abandonado?; ¿quién gritó a él y no fue escuchado? Porque el Señor es clemente y misericordioso, perdona el pecado y salva del peligro.
Salmo Responsorial: 36
"Encomienda tu camino al Señor, y él actuará"

Confía en el Señor y haz el bien, / habita tu tierra y practica la lealtad; / sea el Señor tu delicia, / y él te dará lo que pide tu corazón. R.
El Señor vela por los días de los buenos, / y su herencia durará siempre; / no se agostarán en tiempo de sequía, / en tiempo de hambre se saciarán. R.
Apártate del mal y haz el bien, / y siempre tendrás una casa; / porque el Señor ama la justicia / y no abandona a sus fieles. / Los inicuos son exterminados, / la estirpe de los malvados se extinguirá. R.
El Señor es quien salva a los justos, / él es su alcázar en el peligro; / el Señor los protege y los libra, / los libra de los malvados y los salva / porque se acogen a él. R.
Evangelio: Marcos 9,30-37
"El Hijo del hombre va a ser entregado. Quien quiera ser el primero, que sea el último de todos"

En aquel tiempo, Jesús y sus discípulos se marcharon de la montaña y atravesaron Galilea; no quería que nadie se enterase, porque iba instruyendo a sus discípulos. Les decía: "El Hijo del hombre va a ser entregado en manos de los hombres, y lo matarán; y, después de muerto, a los tres días resucitará." Pero no entendían aquello, y les daba miedo preguntarle.
Llegaron a Cafarnaún, y, una vez en casa, les preguntó: "¿De qué discutíais por el camino?" Ellos no contestaron, pues por el camino habían discutido quién era el más importante. Jesús se sentó, llamó a los Doce y les dijo: "Quien quiera ser el primero, que sea el último de todos y el servidor de todos." Y, acercando a un niño, lo puso en medio de ellos, lo abrazó y les dijo: "El que acoge a un niño como éste en mi nombre me acoge a mí; y el que me acoge a mí no me acoge a mí, sino al que me ha enviado."

Elegir el tamaño de pantalla

2009-02-24T20:31:00.004-04:00

clipped from espanol.bestbuy.com

Entonces usted desea una pantalla de televisión de 60". ¿Pero que sea más grande es realmente mejor? Todo depende del tamaño de su habitación y de dónde se va a sentar para ver televisión.

Para la mejor experiencia visual, su televisor debería ofrecerle la imágen del tamaño correcto de acuerdo a donde se va a sentar en relación con la pantalla. En general, mientras más lejos planee sentarse del televisor, más grande deberá ser el tamaño de la pantalla. Si se sienta demasiado cerca, la calidad de la imágen será mala. Si se sienta demasiado lejos, perderá esa sensación inmersiva, similar a la del cine.

Tenga en cuenta dónde usará el televisor y el tamaño de su habitación. Luego observe los cuadros aquí abajo con las distancias recomendadas para sentarse para televisores estándar y TV HD. Note que con TV HD, se puede sentar más cerca de la pantalla y aún ver una imágen de alta calidad. (Recuerde que necesita una fuente HD para ver programas en HD verdaderos.)

Nota: La mayoría de los HDTV tienen pantalla ancha con un formato de pantalla 16:9. La mayoría de los televisores estándar no tienen pantalla ancha y tienen un formato de pantalla 4:3.

Distancias de visión para televisores estándar

4:3 Tamaños de pantalla en diagonal de TV Distancia de visión recomendada

13" 2.6 - 5.2 pies

19" 3.8 - 7.6 pies

20" 4 - 8 pies

24" 4.8 - 9.6 pies

27" 5.4 - 10.8 pies

32" 6.4 - 12.8 pies

36" 7.2 - 14.8 pies

40" 8 - 16 pies

Distancias de visión para HDTV
(cuando está conectado a una fuente HD)

16:9 Tamaños de pantalla en diagonal de TV Distancia de visión recomendada

26" 3.3 - 6.5 pies

30" 3.8 - 7.6 pies

34" 4.3 - 8.5 pies

42" 5.3 - 10.5 pies

46" 5.8 - 11.5 pies

50" 6.3 - 12.5 pies

55" 6.9 - 12.8 pies

60" 7.5 - 15 pies

65" 8.1 - 16.3 pies

Cepal: plan de estímulo de Obama puede afectar AL

2009-02-24T18:38:00.002-04:00

El 'Buy América' (Compre en América), medida proteccionista, perjudica a América Latina

clipped from www.hoy.com.do

23 Febrero 2009, 9:41 PM

Santiago de Chile. EFE. El paquete de estímulo fiscal del presidente estadounidense, Barack Obama, “va a tener impactos en América Latina, algunos preocupantes, como el 'Buy América'”, advirtió ayer la secretaria ejecutiva de la La Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), la mexicana Alicia Bárcena.

La inclusión de esta cláusula, que incentiva la compra de acero estadounidense, es uno de los aspectos más controvertidos del programa económico por valor de US$787.000 millones, ya que los principales socios comerciales de Estados Unidos lo consideran una medida proteccionista.
En un encuentro que sostuvo con la prensa, la secretaria afirmó que el paquete de estímulo económico de Barack Obama afectará a América Latina, ya que busca reducir la dependencia energética de Estados Unidos y fortalecer la productividad en el sector manufacturero local, entre otras metas. La crisis económica mundial “está tocando fondo” en el plano financiero gracias a las medidas para un “control rápido y eficaz” de la situación adoptadas por Estados Unidos y los principales países europeos, destacó Bárcena.

Sin embargo, “la recuperación social no será tan rápida como la económica”, sobre todo por la caída de la demanda y el aumento del desempleo, advirtió la responsable de la CEPAL. El indicador más preocupante es el empleo, porque Latinoamérica pasará de un 7,6% de desocupación en 2008 a un 11% este año. La región está mejor preparada que en el pasado para enfrentar la crisis económica y financiera mundial; los gobiernos están poniendo en marcha políticas contracíclicas.

La bonanza de los últimos años trajo consigo un aumento de los precios y un crecimiento de la demanda, y también aportó nuevos elementos, como la acumulación de reservas y la precaución por la reducción del endeudamiento público.

Pero las exportaciones de América Latina han caído y los términos de intercambio han empeorado, además de que las condiciones para acceder a la financiación son más exigentes y hay un deterioro generalizado del mercado de trabajo, el consumo y la inversión, advierten los expertos de la CEPAL.

La cifra

7,6 por ciento a 11%. El indicador más preocupante es el empleo, porque Latinoamérica pasará de un 7,6% de desocupación en 2008 a un 11% este año. La región está mejor preparada que en el pasado para enfrentar la crisis económica y financiera mundial; según revela la CEPAL.

Reducir el déficit

El presidente estadounidense Barack Obama prometió ayer reducir el déficit presupuestario a la mitad, en la apertura de la "Cumbre sobre Responsabilidad Fiscal", celebrada en la Casa Blanca.

"Me comprometo a reducir a la mitad el déficit que heredamos, hacia el final de mi primer mandato", dijo el presidente.

Obama inició el segundo mes de su mandato abordando el colosal déficit presupuestario estadounidense, una semana después de haber promulgado un gigantesco plan de relanzamiento de la economía por 787.000 millones de dólares, crucial para el futuro de su gestión.

Su predecesor, George W. Bush, legó un déficit abrumador y desconocido desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La Oficina del Presupuesto del Congreso prevé una deuda para el ejercicio 2008-2009 de 1,2 billones de dólares, lo que representa un 8,3% del Producto Interior Bruto del país.

Pero estas cifras eran válidas antes de que Obama lograra la semana pasada la aprobación de un plan por valor de 787.000 millones de dólares para grandes obras públicas, reducciones de impuestos y medidas de protección social.

Obama anunció además el nombramiento de Earl Devaney, inspector general del departamento del Interior, para controlar el buen uso de los fondos del plan, cuya puesta en práctica estará a cargo del vicepresidente Joe Biden.

Business school rankings

2009-02-23T19:03:00.002-04:00

clipped from rankings.ft.com

BUSINESS EDUCATION

Los casinos de Donald Trump se acogen a la protección de la Ley de Quiebras

2009-02-17T20:02:00.003-04:00

El grupo de casinos Trump Entertainment Resorts, fundado por el magnate estadounidense Donald Trump, que se mantiene como principal accionista de la compañía con alrededor del 28% del capital social, presentó hoy la solicitud junto a varias de sus filiales para acogerse a la protección del Capítulo 11 de la Ley de Quiebras.

clipped from www.cincodias.com

CincoDias.com
Empresas

Quiebra

Los casinos también están en crisis . El grupo de casinos de Donald Trump se ha acogido a la Ley de Quiebras de EE UU por tercera vez en su historia. -

Ep - Atlantic City - 17/02/2009

La solicitud, presentada ante el Tribunal de Quiebras del distrito de Nueva Jersey en Camden apenas unos días después de que Donald Trump dimitiera como presidente del consejo de la compañía, supone la tercera ocasión en que el grupo busca el amparo legal para reestructurarse, después de que el pasado mes de diciembre no pudiera hacer frente a las obligaciones de pago del cupón de su deuda, lo que abría la puerta a una solicitud de quiebra involuntaria por parte de los acreedores.

"Estamos centrados en nuestro objetivo de reestructurar exitosamente la empresa para reducir el endeudamiento y fortalecer nuestro balance durante este periodo de dificultades económicas", señaló el consejero delegado de la compañía, Mark Juliano.
En este sentido, el máximo ejecutivo de Trump Entertainment Resorts precisó que esta solicitud de protección no provocará cambios inmediatos en la operativa diaria del grupo, por lo que los clientes de la compañía no se verán afectados.

El grupo indicó que contaba a 31 de diciembre de 2008 con activos valorados en unos 2.100 millones de dólares (1.671 millones de euros), mientras que su endeudamiento rondaba los 1.740 millones de dólares (1.384 millones de euros).

Trump Entertainment Resorts posee los casinos Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino y el Trump Marina Hotel Casino, situados en el área de Atlantic City.

¿Que son los Acuerdos de Recompra?

2009-02-17T18:01:00.002-04:00

clipped from www.revistamercado.com.do

Finanzas

5 de Noviembre del 2008, 8:42 AM

En los mercados financieros del mundo es común escuchar la palabra Acuerdo de Recompra o Repurchase Agreement (REPO). Qué son los REPOS? Como pueden beneficiar al inversionista? En que se parece a un Certificado Financiero de un Banco? Todas las respuestas a estas preguntas las tendrá al final de este artículo, el cual tiene como fin orientar, educar y promover el uso de este tipo de instrumento de inversión en nuestro mercado de valores.
Un Acuerdo de Recompra o REPO, es un instrumento de inversión transable en los mercados de capitales cual consiste en un contrato celebrado entre dos partes, una compradora o prestamista y otra vendedora o prestataria de un valor de deuda, en el cual esta última se compromete a volver a comprar en cierto plazo (bajo las condiciones que se acordadas) el valor transado. Necesariamente, en el contrato figura que la posterior recompra del valor será a un valor superior al que se vendió. La diferencia entre estos dos valores, es tasa de acuerdo de recompra o rendimento.

Un REPO es una inversión garantizada, donde el inversionista, recibe un instrumento de inversión como garantía. Prácticamente cualquier instrumento transable en bolsa puede ser utilizado como garantía frente a un REPO. Por ejemplo, Bonos del Gobierno, Certificados del Banco Central, Bonos Corporativos, Papeles Comerciales, Acciones, entre otros. Por el plazo que se haga este acuerdo, el título pertenece al inversionista.

Los REPOS pueden tener plazos entre 1 día hasta 2 años. Los más comunes son: Overnight o de un día de duración. Estos son utilizados por instituciones con disponibilidad de efectivo por muy corto plazo. Term o a Término. Estos tienen una fecha específica de vencimiento. Open o Abiertos. Estos no tienen fecha de vencimiento definida.

Notemos que invertir en un REPO conlleva un proceso muy simple, similar a invertir Certificados Financieros. La gran ventaja que ofrece este esquema es que usted se quedaría con un instrumento de inversión aprobado por la Superintendencia de Valores, como garantía de su depósito, brindándole más seguridad al inversionista ya que este tipo de instrumento está calificado como libre de riesgo en el caso de instrumentos del Gobierno y puede ser transado libremente en la Bolsa de Valores y/o en el Mercado Secundario. Además, cuenta con plazos que se adaptan a sus necesidades de liquidez. Lo más importante es que cuenta con una tasa de interés mayor a la que paga el mercado tradicional con un menor nivel de riesgo.

Al final del día, si usted está buscando opciones diferentes para invertir, considere la opción de REPOS que ofrece JMMB BDI América Puesto de Bolsa y compruebe usted mismo que existen instrumentos que ofrecen Rentabilidad, Seguridad y Liquidez en un solo lugar.

Dudas, preguntas o comentarios, por favor escríbanos a carlos_suarez@jmmb.com , o llame al 809.566.JMMB (5662) que con gusto atenderemos sus solicitudes.

Microsoft logra acuerdo con LG

2009-02-17T17:46:00.002-04:00

Los equipos de la firma coreana podrán utilizar el software de Windows para tratar de ganar mercado

clipped from www.revistamercado.com.do

Economía y Negocios

16 de Febrero del 2009, 7:23 PM

Ambas empresas intensificarán la competencia con equipos como el iPhone y la Blackberry

La tecnológica estadounidense Microsoft dijo ayer que firmó un acuerdo con LG para que la mayoría de los teléfonos de tercera generación de la firma surcoreana utilicen software Windows, en un intento por impulsar su unidad móvil.

El sistema operativo móvil de Windows solía ser el segundo más popular para los teléfonos de tercera generación detrás del Symbian de Nokia, pero en los últimos años se vio superado por el de Apple y el de Research in Motion, creador de la Blackberry.

"Una mayoría de sus 'smartphones' (de LG) utilizará Windows", dijo Andy Lees, director de la unidad inalámbrica de Windows.

Samsung, Motorola y Sony Ericsson tienen teléfonos con Windows en el mercado, pero sólo suponen una pequeña parte de sus ofertas.
Microsoft también se unió a un grupo de compañías del sector que están lanzando o modernizando sus tiendas en Internet para que los consumidores descarguen programas directamente en sus teléfonos.

La empresa también ha cambiado el nombre de su oferta inalámbrica de Windows Mobile a simplemente Windows, y lanzó un servicio de soporte para datos, como contactos y fotos, que se almacenan en los teléfonos con Windows.

Shortening Your Laptop's Boot Time

2009-02-12T19:22:00.002-04:00

HyperSpace lets you get to work right away—a precious time savings when you're on the run

clipped from www.businessweek.com

Tech & You

February 12, 2009, 12:01AM EST

By
Stephen H. Wildstrom

How often has this happened to you? You're at the airport between flights and have just a few minutes to retrieve some important online information. You pull out your computer, power up—and wait. By the time you've booted up and logged onto the airport's wireless network, it's time to board the plane.

Slow startup has been a serious annoyance since the dawn of the laptop. It afflicts all systems, though Windows is the worst. Happily, a couple of software companies are selling technologies that let you do some critical work almost as soon as you hit the power switch on your laptop. And there are also some tricks you can learn to improve the situation on your own.
Phoenix Technologies (PTEC) offers instant-on for Windows with software called HyperSpace. It boots a version of Linux very quickly to give you a desktop you can use to connect to a network—wired, Wi-Fi, or fast cellular access such as AT&T's (T) Broadband Connect. You can then run a full Firefox browser, though you cannot use Windows programs such as Outlook.

HyperSpace comes in two versions, HyperSpace Hybrid ($60 annual subscription) for standard laptops and HyperSpace Dual ($40) for netbooks. Hybrid lets you run both Windows and HyperSpace at the same time. That means you can keep Windows running in "sleep mode" while working in HyperSpace. Dual requires you to boot one environment or the other.

I tried Dual on a Lenovo S10 netbook and Hybrid on a Lenovo ThinkPad T400, both supplied by Phoenix. If you want to install either yourself, I strongly recommend downloading and using it on a trial basis before you pay. The system requirements are strict, and the product works on a limited range of notebook computers. (ASUS and Acer plan to preload HyperSpace onto new notebooks; Lenovo will offer the S10 with a comparable rival product, Splashtop from DeviceVM.)

Both versions of HyperSpace worked well, although I found Hybrid more convenient. It connected quickly to a variety of networks, and I was able to watch videos from Hulu.com—a task that requires the ability to run Adobe's demanding Flash software—without problems.

The big issue for business users is what sort of access you will have to corporate e-mail and other assets, such as databases. You can't use a virtual private network (VPN) with HyperSpace, so you'll be able to get to your mail only if it is accessible through a Web browser. The current version of Microsoft's (MSFT) Exchange corporate mail system makes this possible, but many companies haven't implemented the feature.

If HyperSpace isn't the answer for you, there are a few other options to speed Windows' startup. Technically, boot-up time runs only from when you hit the power switch until you get a login screen. You can't do much about this part. But you can speed up the real slog that comes after the login, while you wait for the operating system to load a bunch of startup programs—many of which you don't really need. Microsoft does not make it easy to turn these off, but you can accomplish that with a little effort.

Open the Start menu. In Windows XP, click Run and enter "msconfig" in the window that appears. In Vista, type "msconfig" in the search box. Click the Startup tab in the configuration program, and you'll see a list of program names—which, in XP, are fairly cryptic. In most cases, a Google (GOOG) search for the names will clarify just what these startup programs do, and you can turn off any that don't sound necessary by clicking the check box next to them. Odds are you won't miss them, and if you do, you can always turn them back on.

I think we will eventually see software such as HyperSpace become standard on all laptops. It's a long-overdue step to making on-the-fly computing easy.

Wildstrom is Technology & You columnist for BusinessWeek. You can contact him at techandyou@businessweek.com or follow his posts on Twitter @swildstrom.

Centronics es el suplidor de las telecomunicaciones

2009-02-11T20:08:00.002-04:00

ENTREVISTA

clipped from www.listindiario.com

Miércoles 11 de Febrero del 2009, actualizado 7:16 PM

Carlos Arturo Guisarre - 2/11/2009

SANTO DOMINGO.- El sector de las telecomunicaciones creció 15.7% entre enero y septiembre de 2008, en comparación con el mismo período de 2007. La empresa Centronics, que suple de aparatos telefónicos a compañías de servicios del sector, aprovecha este aumento en los negocios de telefonía que reportó el Banco Central para asegurar su participación en el mercado.

Miguel Ramírez, vicepresidente de Ventas y Mercadeo de Centronics, dijo que la compañía es la única suplidora de equipos de telefonía y modems a Codetel, Orange, Tricom, Onemax, Viva y Wind Telecom. El secreto estratégico de esta compañía de 42 empleados, según su vicepresidente, consiste en ofrecer una garantía eficiente con respaldo de los fabricantes, además de contar con un taller de reparación donde trabajan 19 profesionales en electrónica.
Ramírez ofreció una entrevista a LISTÍN DIARIO en donde explica los factores determinantes en el éxito económico de la empresa que dirige, los elementos éticos que rigen las gestiones de negocios y la influencia de un clima favorable de inversión que genera el empuje de las telecomunicaciones como el sector que más creció del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) dominicano.
¿QUÉ HA HECHO CENTRONICS PARA SUPLIR A EMPRESAS QUE COMPITEN ENTRE SÍ?
Nuestro secreto consiste en que somos el único proveedor organizado que ofrece garantías de varios meses en los equipos que vende a las empresas de telecomunicaciones. Por eso, aunque estas empresas compitan entre sí para ganar mercado entre los clientes dominicanos, confían en un sólo suplidor de aparatos telefónicos. Además, contamos con un taller de 19 técnicos para asistir a nuestros clientes corprativos, de modo que las empresas sienten respaldo en nuestra cartera y esas mismas garantías pueden ofrecerlas a los clientes finales.
¿USTEDES CRECEN EN LA MISMA PROPROCIÓN QUE EL SECTOR DE TELECOMUNICACIONES?
Entre enero y septiembre de 2008 el Banco Central registró un incremento en el inventario nacional de líneas telefónicas de 1.4 millones de unidades, a causa de que el total ascendía a 7.4 millones el año pasado y en 2007 se registraron seis millones durante el mismo período. Las cifras oficiales que indican un crecimiento de 19% en el negocio de instalar servicios de telefonía en residencias y negocios que creó el ambiente para que Centronics despachara más de 350,000 unidades sólo de teléfonos y obtuviera ganancias brutas que superan los US$2.5 millones en 2008. Nuestro negocio, como cualquier otro, depende de la estabilidad economica que pueda mostrar el sector de las telecomunicaciones, de modo que un crecimiento en este renglón se convierte de inmediato en un incremento de nuestras ventas.
¿QUÉ OTRAS ESTRATEGIAS APLICA CENTRONICS EN EL PAÍS?
Con fines de prepararnos para la contracción economica que el mundo vive en estos momentos, hace cinco años llevamos a cabo una diversificación de clientes que incluye a las tiendas por departamentos y comercios en general. De esta forma, los clientes tienen la posibilidad de adquirir nuestros productos sin la intermediación de las empresas de telecomunicaciones. Casi 900 comercios despachan al detalle los equipos de Centronics y esto nos genera posiciones aún más sólidas en el mercado dominicano.
¿CENTRONICS VENDE OTROS PRODUCTOS IMPORTADOS?
Sí. Vendemos baterías o pilas. Centronics importa pilas o baterías para cargar los aparatos telefónicos que comercializa, pero también las introduce con el propósito de que otros usuarios aprovechen su calidad. El negocio de las baterías produce en el país RD$300 millones al año, de ese total tenemos una participación importante. No sólo las ventajas estratégicas son suficientes para sostener a una empresa en el liderato de un sector tan competitivo como las telecomunicaciones. Pero además, nosotros somos una especie de hub en República Dominciana, porque importamos aparatos telefónicos que le suplinos a otras naciones del área del Caribe, con lo cual invertimos en dólares, pero también generamos divisas como exportadores de una parte de los productos que importamos.
¿QUÉ OTROS VALORES AGREGADOS CENTRONICS PROVÉ A SUS CLIENTES?
Buen servicio y eficiencia. En este mundo competitivo y más en un sector tan dinámico como las telecomunicaciones, los actores de negocios deben moverse rápido y con suma eficiencia, de modo que no seamos priedra de tropiezo para las empresas y comercios que confían en nosotros, sino que seamos aliados de ellos en el crecimiento de cada uno y de todo el espectro comercial.
EL PAÍS SIRVE DE HUB PARA OTROS MERCADOS
IMPORTA Y EXPORTA
Miguel Ramírez, vicepresidente de Ventas y Mercado de Centronics, destacó que la empresa que gerencia no sólo importa para comeicializar los teléfonos en el ámbito local, sino que exporta parte de lo importado a otros territorios del área del Caribe.

República Dominicana sirve de hub o enlace para que firmas de fabricantes de equipos telefónicos y de Internet lleven sus productos a zonas aledañas al país y la empresa Centronics participa en esas operaciones, dijo Ramírez

Why Doing Things Half Right Gives You the Best Results

2009-02-11T18:07:00.002-04:00

clipped from blogs.harvardbusiness.org

Harvard Business Publishing

2:50 PM Monday February 2, 2009
by Peter Bregman

There are times in life when I expect something to be perfect. When I open the box of my new Macbook Air, for example. Or when I take money out of the ATM.

In most cases though, I expect imperfect. And in organizations, I think that's a good thing -- but not in the if-I-expect-imperfect-I-won't-be-disappointed sense.

I'm not suggesting you settle for imperfect. I'm telling you to shoot for it.

Several years ago, a large financial services company asked me to help them roll out a new performance management process for 2,000 people.

"Why me? Why not do it yourselves?" I asked my prospective client. This might seem strange coming from a consultant, but I always think companies are better off doing things themselves if they can.
"We tried!" she responded, with exasperation. "We identified the standards we expect from people. We created the technology system to write the reviews. We sent out lots of communication. We practically wrote the reviews for them. But they're not doing it. After two years of training people, we still have only a 50% rate of completion. Now we're looking into whether we can give people a bonus for doing reviews . . ."

"Wait," I interrupted her, "you're going to pay managers extra to talk to their employees?"

She looked a little embarrassed.

"Give me six months," I said.

When I reviewed the materials I was impressed, even intimidated. They had paid meticulous attention to detail. Not only in what they gave their employees (the materials looked beautiful) but also in how they tried to get people to use the system.

They followed all the rules of traditional change management. They had Sponsors (senior level people who spoke about the importance of performance management). They had Change Agents (people whose job it was to make sure that everyone was committed to the change). They had timelines, communication plans, and training programs.

Still, only half the managers were doing reviews.

I quickly assembled my team: 50 people spread out across three continents. I redesigned the materials, the training, the messages. Then I began the roll-out, right on schedule.

It was a complete and utter failure. People resisted. They complained. My own team dissented.

So I pushed harder. After all, I'd designed this myself. It was perfect.

And that's when it hit me. Of course I thought the performance review process was perfect. I'd created it. I would be more than happy to use it. But I wasn't the person who needed to use it. Here's what I realized:

My perfect is not their perfect.
They don't have a perfect. In fact, there is no they. There are 2000 individuals, each of whom wants something a little different.
The more perfect I think it is, the less willing I'll be to let anyone change it.
The only way to make it useful to everyone is to allow each person to change it to suit him or herself.
The only way people will use it is if they do change it in some way.
The only way I will encourage them to change it and make it their own is if I make it imperfect.

So I stopped the roll-out immediately. And I changed everything to make it half right, half finished. It wasn't pretty, but it was usable.

Even the trainings were half-designed. Halfway through each training, after describing the process, I always asked the same question:

Why won't this work for you?
There are too many standards on this form. I don't have that much to say about my employees and it will take too much time.

I responded to every answer with the same response:

That's a good point. So how can you change it to make it work?
I guess I could just fill out the standards that apply to that employee. Great.
These three people are asking me to review them but they don't report to me and I have nothing to say about them.
That's a good point. So how can you change it to make it work?
I can redirect the review to the appropriate manager. Great.
There's no standard here that relates directly to the issue my employee is having.
That's a good point. So how can you change it to make it work?
I'll just write in the standard I think is appropriate. Great.

One by one we dealt with all the issues people saw as obstacles. One by one they made their own changes. One by one they took ownership for the system and became accountable for using it.

Is this only a large-scale change effort idea? Not at all. It's useful whenever you need someone else to take ownership for something. Just get it half right.

Hiring someone new? Get the job description half right and then ask her: Why won't this work for you? Then, when she answers, you respond: That's a good point. So how can you change it to make it work? She'll look at you a little funny because, after all, you're the boss and you should be telling her what to do. Then you'll just smile and wait for her to answer and the two of you will redesign the job right there right then. No better time or place to send the message that she is accountable for her own success.

Delegating work to someone? Give him the task and then ask: Why won't this work for you? Then, when he answers, you respond: That's a good point. So how can you change it to make it work?

Here's the hard part: When someone changes your plan, you might think the new approach will be less effective. Resist the temptation to explain why your way is better. Just smile and say Great. The drive, motivation, and accountability that person will gain from running with her own idea will be well worth it.

This doesn't just work internally. It's also a great way to make a sale. Get the pitch half right and then say . . . you guessed it . . . Why won't this work for you? Then, go ahead and redesign the offer in collaboration with your potential client. You'll turn a potential client into a collaborative partner who ends up buying his own idea and then working with you to make it successful.

During economic downturns, when it is critical to get more done with fewer resources, getting things half right will take you half as long and give you better results.

How did this work in the performance review roll-out? One year later, the numbers came in. Ninety-five percent of managers had done their reviews.

Imperfectly, I expect.
Peter Bregman is CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., a global leadership development and change management firm. He advises leaders in many of the world's premier organizations throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He is the author of Point B: A Short Guide To Leading a Big Change.

Need to Find a Job? Stop Looking So Hard

2009-02-09T23:00:00.002-04:00

clipped from blogs.harvardbusiness.org

Harvard Business Publishing

1:59 PM Friday February 6, 2009
by Peter Bregman

Do you know anyone who tried for years to have a baby but couldn't? Then, after giving up, maybe after adopting, suddenly, surprisingly, got pregnant?

Or someone who was dying to be in a relationship? Dated all the time, but never met the right person. Then, after accepting he would be alone, started focusing on other things and, lo and behold, met someone and got married?

How about someone who lost her job? Maybe she spent the next year working on her resumé, perusing job sites, devoting all her energy to getting work. All to no avail. Then, after deciding to stop looking so hard, out of the blue, came a great job offer?

What is that? A karmic journey? A miracle? Statistical aberration? Pure random chance? Perhaps it never really happens; perhaps we remember those stories precisely because they are so unusual?

Or, perhaps, it's a really great strategy.
I just heard a story from a friend of mine. She knows a guy who's been out of a job for over a year. He spent the year working on his resumé and sending it out. He's on Internet job sites every day. He tries to meet with people when there's the opportunity but there aren't a lot of opportunities these days. And he's getting more and more depressed. It's hard to get out of bed but he does. He puts on a suit and tie, sits at his computer, and looks. Eventually, he figures, he'll find a job. I'm sure he's right.

But probably no time soon. The sad truth is that there aren't many jobs out there. And, just last week in the U.S., 200,000 more people started looking for them. Call me a pessimist. But I don't know a single company who is hiring. (I'm in New York, where things are particularly bad.) If you're the kind of person who likes to play the odds, then you'll admit that, chances are, you'll be out of a job for a while.

The same applies to companies who have lost clients, whose revenues are down, who are scrambling for business. It's a scary economic environment out there.

I was talking about this with a close friend of mine who holds a senior position at a large consulting firm. He sounded down--not depressed--but uninspired. We were commiserating about the environment when he said, "We're going after anything that's out there. This is not the time to be choosy. It's not fun."

But I do think there's another way to go through these times with less pain and more success. A way to increase your chances of getting that job. Of winning a new client. And maybe even enjoying it.

Give up.

Not completely. But mostly. Stop trying so hard. At most, spend 1-2 hours a day on it. Here are a few rules:
Write your resume quickly and efficiently. Get the basic point across and then let it go. Same with a cover letter. Your resumé is not going to get you a job. If you're a company, the same holds true for your marketing materials. I'm sure they're already good enough.

Don't spend time on job sites. It's highly unlikely, with all the people who are looking, that someone will hire someone they don't already know (or someone they know doesn't already know). Same goes for companies: don't respond to RFPs unless you already have the relationship.

Spend all your hunting time with people: at lunch, on the phone, going for walks. Finding a job or new clients is all about human relationships.

If you're only going to spend 1-2 hours a day on this, what should you do with your other 12 hours? If you aren't going to spend your days looking for work, how will you find it?

Here's my recipe:
Make a list of all the things you love doing or things that intrigue you that you'd like to try doing. This is brainstorming so don't limit the list or judge it; write down everything you can think of.

Separate the activities you do with people from the activities you do alone. For example, gardening, reading, meditating, and writing are alone activities. Volunteering to run a fundraiser is with people.

Look at the activities you do alone and figure out if you can (and want to) do them in a way that includes other people. For example, join a garden club. Or a reading or meditation group. Or write something that other people read (a blog counts). If you can (and want to) make them activities that include other people, keep them on the list. If not, then cross them off the list.

Now's the fun part: Spend 90% of your time doing things you love (or have always wanted to try) with other people who also love doing those things. If possible, take a leadership role.
A good friend of mine has recently gotten involved in a church she adores. She loves all the pastors; she came to our house for dinner the other day and couldn't stop talking about them. So she met with them and offered to help in whatever way they needed. She's now leading a monthly strategy breakfast with the pastors and lay leaders of the church. I've never seen her so excited.

Another friend is training for a triathalon with a group of 15 others. He's in the best shape of his life and can't stop talking about it.

A company I know is doing pro bono work for charities and the government. Everyone working on those projects is energized.

Another company I know has given all their people writing time; they've been told to put their ideas on paper and get them out there. Somewhere. Anywhere.

Why does this work? Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is just showing up. When I first started my business, a great mentor of mine told me to join the boards of not-for-profits and do what I do best for them. Other board members will then see the results and want to hire my company to do the same for them and their companies. That's the obvious reason.

Here's the more subtle reason this works. Nobody wants to hire someone (or a company) who needs to be hired to survive. Depressed is not attractive. People want to hire energized people who are passionate and excited about what they're doing. Jobs come from being engaged in the world and building human connections.

And an even more subtle reason. If you're passionate about what you're doing, and you're doing it with other people who are passionate about what they're doing, then chances are the work you eventually find will be more in line with the stuff you love to do. And then . . . then your life changes (not to be too dramatic but it's true). No longer are you, like my consulting friend said, "going after anything that's out there." You're using this crisis as an opportunity to do work you love, at which you excel, with people you enjoy. You can't help but succeed.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: that's a fine strategy if you're independently wealthy, getting that nice fat trust fund check every week to pay for your gym membership (or mortgage or kid's tuition). But what about the rest of us? Our inability to pay the monthly bills might actually intrude on our ability to "enjoy" unemployment. I know how scary it is to be without an income.

And that fear is what you have to manage because here's the kicker. It won't take longer to find a job even though you're spending less time looking. It'll take you less time.

Pursuing things you love doing with people you enjoy will position you better to get a job; other people will notice your commitment, passion, skill, and personality and they'll want to either hire you or help you get hired.

Also, actively pursuing other activities while looking for a job will make you more qualified for a job--because you'll end up a more interesting person. When you finally get that job interview, you'll be able to recount all the many things you've been doing (and will probably have a good time relating them) instead of saying that the only thing you've been doing for the past three years is looking (unsuccessfully so far) for a job.

The same holds true if you're a company looking for business. Spend your time doing things that will make you a more interesting company to hire when the business comes back.

And even if it took the same amount of time to find a job, wouldn't you rather spend your time doing things that are interesting with people you enjoy?

I just heard the story of a woman who decided to do work she didn't enjoy for a few years in order to make a lot of money. Three years later the company went bankrupt. That could happen to anyone. Bad luck. But here's what she said that I found the most depressing: "It's as though I didn't work for the last three years--it's all gone. And what's worse, I worked like a dog and hated it. I just wasted three years of my life."

Don't waste this time. The job search. The client search. Do it. But do it in a way that excites you. That teaches you new things. That introduces you to new people who see you at your natural, most excited, most powerful best. Use and develop your strengths. The things at which you excel. The things you love.

It's well known that people have a harder time getting pregnant when they're stressed about getting pregnant. And it's unlikely you'll get into a relationship if all you think about is getting into a relationship. The same holds true for finding a job (or, for a company, finding new business). However hard it may be, force yourself to do things you love with other people. Let the work find you.

What do you think?

Peter Bregman is CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., a global leadership development and change management firm. He advises leaders in many of the world's premier organizations throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He is the author of Point B: A Short Guide To Leading a Big Change.

Survival of the Slimmest?

2009-02-09T18:43:00.002-04:00

clipped from blogs.harvardbusiness.org

Harvard Business Publishing

9:12 AM Monday January 26, 2009
by Joshua Macht

Lately, we've been talking quite a bit about how to survive the downturn. We've offered a range of resources, tips and advice for dealing with the economic crisis at hand. Whether it's the wisdom of Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter in "Four Actions to Survive the Recession and Emerge Triumphant" or Hernan Saenz's and Darrell Rigby's strong ideas in Winning in Turbulence, we've tried to offer an array of voices speaking to this critical issue.
But often the most effective voices comes from those of you on the front lines dealing with the downturn every minute of every day. I had a chance to hear one of those voices from the podium at a recent Online Publishers Association gathering. His name is Peter Horan, CEO of Goodmail Systems, and he's a jovial entrepreneur who has been working in Silicon Valley since 1977; Horan exudes entrepreneurial zest and happens to have a spate of Silicon Valley wins behind him, having sold three companies in the past five years, including About.com (which the New York Times Company bought for more than $400 million).

Horan isn't all doom and gloom, but he is tenacious. It's his hard-won success--even through the dot-com collapse--that has taught him brutal lessons about growth during the down cycle. Not surprisingly, Horan's mantra is cut costs now. And while there's nothing new about that concept, Horan's no-nonsense lessons paint a stark picture of how tough things have become -- and they also may reflect a zeitgeist of fear and loathing that's gripping CEOs of all stripes.

Here are some of Horan's rules for companies that want to survive the downturn:

1) Survivors are lean, mean and nakedly aggressive. Cost cutting is mandatory. Horan says that he knows he has cut enough of the workforce when he "wakes up with cold sweats because I fear that I won't be able to ship product."

2) Lead from the front. Horan calls the CEO the "Chief Energy Officer" and urges leaders to demonstrate almost relentless vibrancy to the troops. "They need to see in you the confidence that we're going to survive this thing," says Horan.

3) Fail cheap and fail often. This comes with the territory of web start-ups in particular where the need for constant experimentation has become a routine part of business.

4) Communicate and then over-communicate. His analogy here is that when the airplane ride gets bumpy, everyone wants to hear from the captain immediately to know that everything is fine--but buckle up.

5) Flat is NOT the new up. Horan sees the downturn as a time when companies should be stealing market-share and not crouching in a defensive posture by saying that "flat is better than down."

6) Don't just stand there, do something. The tendency, says Horan, is for companies, especially large companies, to get caught up in committees and stagnation. This kills you in tough times - keep pursuing the almighty buck, says Horan. He exhorts a move swiftly approach. Catch your competitors standing still.

7) Great fortunes are built in bad times. This one is a cliché, to be sure, but it's a good one to remember - if nothing else but for a dash of inspiration.

That's what Horan thinks. Is he right? Is he tapping into the naked truth or just way too impulsive and possibly over-caffeinated? You tell us. What would your personal survival guide list look like?

Joshua Macht is the Executive Director of HarvardBusiness.org

Why We Can't Predict Financial Markets

2009-02-09T18:36:00.002-04:00

clipped from blogs.harvardbusiness.org

Harvard Business Publishing

4:22 PM Thursday January 22, 2009
by Jeff Stibel

Remember the saying that "past performance is not an indicator of future success"? This quote shows up at the end of ads for mutual funds, hedge funds -- really, any promo for investment advice. The irony of that statement is, of course, that it came after you'd just been told how well that investment had done in the past (a wink-wink, nod-nod promise that the future would indeed be very much like the past).

Of course, as recent events have confirmed all too well, the past really isn't a good indicator of the future. So how do we accurately predict where the markets are headed? The truth is, we can't.
The future, like any complex problem, has far too many variables to be predicted. Quantitative models, historical models, even psychic models have all been tried -- and have all failed. Just imagine predicting something far simpler than the future of the stock market; say, chess. There are an overwhelming 10 to the 120th power possible moves. That's a 1 followed by 120 zeros! As James Hogan explains it in his book Mind Matters, that sum far exceeds the number of atoms in the universe.

The best prediction machines known to us are actually our own brains. Many people think of the brain as either a really powerful computer or just something too mysterious to explain. But it turns out that the brain is not mysterious, nor is it a computer; it is instead a damn good prediction machine. That is one of the reasons we do well at games like chess or baseball. While a human brain cannot calculate a mathematical equation as quickly as even the most basic calculator, it can easily determine where a ball in mid-flight will land -- without calculating its precise trajectory or velocity, as a computer would do. Could you imagine trying to instantaneously calculate where a fly ball will land? Of course not. But I bet you could catch it.

Our brains are great at what they do because they make educated guesses -- but that also makes us vulnerable to errors in judgment. Nowhere is this more pronounced than when we try to forecast the future.

The human brain is great at predictions but horrible at long-range forecasting. This is why we have no problem anticipating that the slithering stick on the ground might bite us (and can jump out of the way in a millisecond) but have so much trouble guessing where the snake will be the next time we go out into the yard (we almost always guess incorrectly and avoid the same spot). This is one of the reasons Nassim Taleb argues in The Black Swan that we are guilty of ascribing far too much predictability to the truly unpredictable.

The real rub on Wall Street is that economic and stock models play on our biases. We believe that models that have accurately predicted the future in the past, are likely to predict the future going forward. But that is no more true than believing me when I tell you that a coin will land heads up just because I accurately predicted it would do so the last ten times.

Even the most failsafe predictions aren't accurate over the long-term. Remember these?
The stock market never declines over periods longer than 10 years; real estate prices never decline nationally; AAA rated securities have always had a lower default rates than A rated securities; I do not have a history of raising taxes so trust me when I say, "read my lips, no new taxes." To be sure, some models do stand the test of time and there are a few smart people out there who are better at predicting the future than the likes of you and me. But in general, we stink at forecasting.

Lest I leave you with a bad taste in your mouth, allow me to instead offer you one model that seems to be doing a very good job these days. This model has accurately predicted the stock market over the past 15 years: ups, downs and in-betweens. And the kicker is that it even predicted the steep recession we are all now living with (and is currently indicating a depression, although I suspect a comeback is likely). It is one of the most remarkable models I have seen and it continues to produce mind-numbingly accurate forecasts. And the best thing about the model is that it is free to anyone, easy to understand, and fun to watch.

So what is this model? It is called the Tiger Bears and Bulls Index. Using a simple polynomial trend analysis, the model tracks Tiger Woods' performance (tournament placement) against the Dow. The results are striking: the model predicted virtually every peak and trough of the Dow Industrials average since 1993 and continues to do so with amazing accuracy.

How could it be that this model does as well as the most ardent stock guru, quant model, or economist? Maybe it has something to do with what I said in the first few paragraphs -- remember -- that predicting the future is really not something human beings are very good at. Other than Tiger Woods, of course.

*Special thanks to my brother, Aaron Stibel, who built the Tiger Woods' Bears and Bulls Index.

Now’s the Time to Invest in Africa

2009-02-09T18:22:00.002-04:00

clipped from hbr.harvardbusiness.org

by Paul Collier and Jean-Louis Warnholz

Over the years
many misguided pronouncements have touted the improved economic
prospects of Africa, home to a large proportion of the world’s billion poorest
people. The late 1990s even saw a slight economic resurgence, dubbed an
“African renaissance,” but it fizzled, and a gloomy view of the continent as too
unstable for investment other than in mining and oil seemed to settle over
corporate boardrooms.

But reliable data show that a number of sub-Saharan nations have emerged from conflict in stable condition and that new macroeconomic forces are poised to have a profound effect – despite the global economic downturn. For example, the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook, re- leased in October 2008, projected economic growth of 6.3% for sub-Saharan Africa in 2009, with Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria exceeding 8% growth. Our research on African companies indicates that the continent offers competitive manufacturing sites, IT outsourcing, and construction services. There is real opportunity on the ground in Africa.

Multinationals and investors should bear these developments in mind:

Stability. The periods of catastrophic government action that slowed growth in past decades have become much less frequent. The failures in Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s were profound learning experiences for those countries, which have joined the list of today’s success stories. Nigeria, for instance, has paid off its external debts, enacted prudent fiscal rules, and cleaned up its banking system.

Policy. The more favorable policies of developed nations have laid the groundwork for growth: Many of Ghana’s exports, for example, qualify for duty-free access to EU and U.S. markets. Policies within African countries have boosted local economies: Rwanda, for instance, has made information and communications technologies the cornerstone of a new growth strategy, setting up the ICT Park in Kigali, its capital.

Profits. Our study of 2002–2007 financial data from all the Africa-based publicly traded companies for which data were available (a total of 954, mostly in manufacturing and services) shows that many of these firms are highly profitable. (For foreign-owned companies we looked only at the performance of the African entities.) In part because of low labor costs and gains in operational efficiency, the average annual return on capital of the companies studied was 65% to 70% higher than that of comparable firms in China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The median profit margin was 11% –better than the comparable figures for Asia and South America. Our analysis of World Bank data on 1,869 African companies confirms these findings.

Opportunity. Construction companies, call centers, and IT services are among the region’s most successful businesses. The engineering services company Gasabo 3D Design, located in Kigali’s ICT Park, uses computer technology to transform drawings into three-dimensional models for customers at a highly competitive hourly rate of US$10.

Years have passed since investors updated their view of Africa’s promise. The time is ripe for multinationals to rethink sub-Saharan opportunities and simultaneously to help the region achieve its promise by contributing much- needed capital, business skills, and global connections.

Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion (Oxford, 2007), is a professor of economics and the director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford in England. Jean-Louis Warnholz is a researcher at the Centre for the Study of African Economies and a consultant on business development in emerging markets.

How to Make Business Connections in China

2009-02-09T17:59:00.002-04:00

clipped from blogs.harvardbusiness.org

Harvard Business Publishing

8:18 AM Tuesday January 20, 2009
by Ed Gilligan

There's a debate whether or not the reputed Chinese proverb "may you live in interesting times" is a blessing or a curse. I'm not going to tempt fate or argue semantics. As I see it, there are three truths about this greeting and what they may mean for making business connections in China.

1. We are absolutely living in interesting times.

2. If you work for a global business, any global business, China will only increase in its importance to your long term growth.

3. If you approach doing business in China as only an exercise in short-term profit-making, then you might as well stay home because you'll be disappointed.

In China, success is defined by more than just the economic impact of a deal. To be successful in business ventures with (and in) China, you need to invest time in building relationships, understanding cultural dynamics and gaining Guānxi - the personal connection and understanding between two people which helps to get things done.

Now, I don't purport to be an expert on China by any stretch of the imagination. But I have done business with Chinese partners for several years and I've learned a lot through experience (trial and error - you may say).

I also like to think of myself as fairly up to date on Chinese business trends. In late November, I gave the opening remarks to a business forum in Shanghai on "Opening Global Doors" sponsored by American Express. We brought Chinese business leaders together for dialogue with Ken Chenault, Chairman and CEO of American Express, John Thornton, a former President and Co-COO of Goldman Sachs and now Professor and Director of Global Leadership at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and Dr. Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State and an advisor to the Board of Directors of American Express.

You might be saying to yourself, "I don't have experience like that. I don't have a rolodex like that. I don't have a chance in China."

Not true. All this experience and access certainly helps, but when it comes to doing business in China, success starts with listening. You need to know the right questions to ask - and really listen for the right answers.

Here's my advice. I suggest you ask four key questions to understand what (and more importantly -- how) you think differently from your business partners in China.

1. How much are you willing to share with your potential Chinese partners so they can learn from your experiences and what should you ask in return?

2. To what degree will you accept a different business model in China in return for more long term potential?

3.Can you position your deal to not only have a positive impact for your potential partner but for the broader Chinese economy and society?

4. What is your partner's opinion about you and your company and what are their sources of information?

These questions might be obvious, but they all underscore my main point. Only by focusing on building relationships with your Chinese business partners will you achieve economic and cultural success in China. You have to develop real depth in your relationships. I believe this starts first by challenging your own assumptions and stepping outside your own frame of reference - and most of all listening. Listening leads to understanding and that leads to trust.

And if all of this doesn't help you, then let me close with an insight from a true expert on China -- Dr. Henry Kissinger. When asked during the "Opening Global Doors" forum about the potential progress the West could make with China, Dr. Kissinger pointed out that if we make the progress that we've made in the next 30 years that have been made in the last 30 years, then it may turn out that this present crisis will be viewed as an opportunity which enabled us to ask the right questions and deal with really crucial issues.

Does your success in China begin with having good Guānxi? Maybe. Does good Guānxi begin with building relationships for the long term? Absolutely. You'll need a lot of good communication back and forth to open doors in China. But you'll also need leadership -- leadership demonstrated through relationship by relationship, deal by deal, and handshake by handshake. There's no more "interesting time" than now to start.

Ed Gilligan is vice chairman of the American Express Company and oversees the company's global business-to-business group which includes merchant services, network services, commercial cards, and business travel. Ed joined American Express in 1980. He lives in London with his wife Lisa and four children.

10 Mantras for Emerging Leaders in 2009

2009-02-09T17:54:00.002-04:00

clipped from blogs.harvardbusiness.org

Harvard Business Publishing

Vineet Nayar Inverted Wisdom

10:53 AM Monday December 29, 2008

Tomorrow became a little distant from today in 2008. With the challenges facing businesses today--versus even six months ago--emerging leaders find little solace in the best practices that have worked so far. So what can help us cope with the challenges ahead? I have put together 10 mantras that might guide us ahead:

1. Listen to the Cry for Accountability

Across the world of business, there is a blood cry for 'accountability'. With the most revered role models run aground--and more being bailed out--it is high time we open our windows to let the feedback in, even though we know it will not be pretty.
Leadership is accountable to customers, investors, shareholders, regulators - but most of all, to our own people. As navigators, we are accountable for keeping the ship on course - more so in stormy weather. So rather than blot out the questions, we need to put into place systems and processes that foster transparency and make leaders more accountable.

2. Get into the trenches

Emerging leaders are moving up to the top floors. To corner suites. Away from the shop floors and the real action. We need to roll up our sleeves and get back into the trenches. I cannot repeat myself often enough - we need to demolish the 'CEO office'. We need to break down the walls of hierarchy, for our future role as leaders is not about leading from the top, but co-innovating at the front lines.

3. Get emotional

Have we perhaps forgotten the price of Marie Antoinette's statement "If they don't have bread, let them eat cake?" With the increasing commoditization of people as "resources selling time," we risk not seeing people as individuals any more. And these individuals - employees and customers alike - are hurting and wary of the future. As leaders, we need to feel their pain and find the right solution. Its no longer about improving the top-line by simply reminding our sales force to upsell and say: "Will you have fries with that?" We need to understand the real pain points of our customers and help them find real solutions to their business problems.

4. Chase the rainbow

As everyone watches the thunder, emerging leaders are the ones who will look hard into the dark and spot the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a rainbow waiting to break out, and abundant opportunities beyond. The sooner you spot it the greater the advantage your organization can reap.

5. From Me to We

Collaboration is the need of the hour. In the US, President-Elect Barack Obama has proven just that by co-opting the strength of his former arch rival, Hillary Clinton. History has shown us that, be it the thawing of the Cold War or the formation of the European Union, dealing with cross border terrorism or cross border recession, the power of collaboration is our only answer. The world needs the collective strength of all countries, organizations and individuals to pull together today.

6. Nimble feet

The world will continue to flirt with unpredictability for a while ahead. As leaders, we need to stay agile, alert and nimble footed to change tactics mid-course with our eyes unwavering from the goal.

7. Keep it Simple

The sub-prime crisis has made the world wary of complex financial instruments and foggy conditions. Somewhere along the way, complexity has gained respect in the world of business. It is time to wipe the mist off the glass and master the art of converting complexity into simplicity.

8. Ask the right questions

Leadership today has changed from providing all the answers to asking the right questions. Keep an open mind and let fresh minds provide you with fresh ideas. The battle between grey hair and grey matter has never been more fierce, as Generation Y stakes its claim to leadership. Innovation is the passport to success and 'Green' might just be the colour that pulls businesses out of the red.

9. Adapt to the new work order

Business today works across geographical borders on the back of a cross-culture, cross-currency, cross-product, cross-time zones workforce. Markets too have transformed, with the West no longer the only or even predominant market. So in 2009, emerging leaders will have to adapt to the reality of time zones, to multiple cultures, multiple currencies, multiple pricing. We in India, and particularly in the IT services industry, have learned this lesson very quickly. In fact, insights into how to run a global corporation will come out of the Indian multinationals.

10. Yes we can

I think we have all realized by now that there are no question marks about this. Change comes to those who believe in it. As leaders, our greatest responsibility is to bring back confidence and the forward momentum and catalyze the positive energy of our people today to light the way to a brighter tomorrow.

Ask This Before You Buy An HDTV

2009-02-03T00:18:00.002-04:00

Thinking of buying a new television as the U.S. moves to digital TV? Be smart--and ask these questions.

clipped from www.forbes.com

Gadgets We Crave

Michael Patrick Brady

10.07.08, 12:00 PM EDT

In Pictures: 15 Questions You Must Ask Before Buying An HDTV

High-definition televisions continue to be a big item on many shoppers' lists, especially as the U.S. moves toward closing down its analog television delivery service next February. But buying these sets is not quite the same as buying the old traditional tubes. If you are getting ready to plunk down money for a new set, it is really worth your time to do your homework--both online and in person--to figure out which set will be right for you.

Getting up close and personal with the potential TV of your dreams at a local store seems like the best way to cut through the confusion and find a TV that looks good. But don't always believe your eyes.
What you see on a television screen in a big box store may look totally different when the same set shows up in your home. On top of that, the retailer is bombarding you with all sorts of information about allegedly "essential" specifications that you may not fully understand. A little preparation will go a long way to making your shopping experience more comfortable. Armed with the right questions and a little insider's knowledge, you'll be able to spot the set that will be right for you.
In Pictures: 15 Questions You Must Ask Before Buying An HDTV
Before you even begin your search, you need to understand two essential bits of information: the different types of HDTVs and the different image resolutions that are available.
Liquid crystal display TVs are now the most common flat-panel HDTV technology. They are lightweight, energy-efficient and available in all sizes. They are slowly replacing plasma televisions, which, although an older technology, are still a very competitive option.

Plasmas are very affordable and offer a more cinematic experience, as they can display the color black more accurately than most LCDs. On the flip side, they are very heavy and use a lot of energy. The third type, digital light projection, is a rear-projection technology that allows for tremendous screen sizes at bargain prices. These sets are very thick (12 to 14 inches deep) and have shallow viewing angles. All will provide excellent high-def entertainment. Which one is best for you will depend on your needs and desires.
High-definition resolution is described in two ways, namely, as 720p or 1080p. These numbers refer to the number of horizontal lines of pixels present on the screen. More lines mean more pixels. More pixels mean a higher level of detail.
But here's the catch: Just because 1080p technically offers more potential detail, that does not mean it's necessarily better than 720p. For televisions under 50 inches, the extra pixels that come with 1080p resolution are overkill. A 720p set will look just as good.
Now that you are familiar with the basics, you can start evaluating HDTVs in the wild. There are a handful of ways that stores can influence how a screen will look to you--and they might look different once you bring the sets home.
Fluorescent lighting, for instance, can make the screens on the display floor look pale and lifeless in contrast with how they will look in your reasonably lit living room.
Then there is the fallacy of proportion: A set that will be plenty big for your living room may look tiny in a showroom surrounded by gigantic sets. It helps to know precisely what size screen will best fit in your home. (And if you plan on hauling the set home in your car, do make sure you'll have enough room to fit the screen plus some bulky packing materials.)
On the other hand, if you are trading up from a standard definition screen, you will need to find an HDTV with bigger measurements than your existing set. That's because the size of a television is based on the length of the diagonal distance across its face. High-def TVs are more rectangular than their analog counterparts. That means it will take a 32-inch HDTV to give you a picture height comparable to a 27-inch standard TV.
And the savvy consumer knows that sometimes stores may resort to sleight-of-hand moves to try to coax consumers to buy what retailers want to sell--rather than what consumers want to buy.
Customer Ray Pitton of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for instance, was drawn to his local Circuit City (nyse: CC - news - people ) by the promise of a great deal on a 42-inch Vizio plasma set. When he arrived, the store did not have the advertised model available. The salespeople had to be coaxed into even turning on a similar TV.
"When they turned it on, it was showing a movie that was not on the other display sets," says Pitton. "When we asked to see what the other sets were showing, they said their contract with Vizio only allowed them to show a certain video." That's when he realized the low price was just a come-on to get customers in the store so they could try and sell something else.
Salespeople, while helpful, are not there just to be a resource for consumers. They are there to sell televisions and make money for the store. Nowhere is this more apparent than when salespeople try to foist unnecessarily overpriced high definition multimedia interface cables on trusting consumers who have decided to purchase an HDTV. Too often, customers end up paying more than $100 for a six-foot Monster brand HDMI cable when a $10 no-name brand would be sufficient. Say no to in-store cables and check Amazon.com (nasdaq: AMZN - news - people ) or Monoprice.com for reasonably priced digital HDMI cables.
There are any number of stratagems that retailers use to make some televisions look more appealing than others. (See "15 Questions You Must Ask Before Buying An HDTV.")
You know that lovely bright picture you see on the screens on the showroom floor? The smart consumer will check and see exactly where the source is coming from: Is it a dedicated video signal? Is the signal shared among multiple screens? It turns out that splitting the signal could reduce its strength and make a powerful set look washed out. OK? Consumers should look behind the boxes and check out what kind of cables are connecting the television to the video source. Grab the remote control yourself and fuss with the display settings to see if you can improve the picture quality.
The bottom line: It's not just about the price. There is a bagful of tricks that unscrupulous sellers can use to make some TVs look more or less appealing than others. Do your homework before you head into the store--and then go armed with smart questions.
Michael Patrick Brady is a technology critic and the editor of DigitalAdvisor.com, a site dedicated to making shopping online for an LCD TV as easy as possible. He also oversees sites focused around digital cameras,and laptopsand camcorders.

Colmados y supermercados fueron los sectores comerciales más denunciados por irregularidades en 2008

2009-01-14T17:48:00.002-04:00

Pro Consumidor sólo recibió 284 reclamos y 223 denuncias durante el segundo semestre del año

clipped from www.clavedigital.com

COMERCIO

Pamela Castillo/Clave Digital

martes, 13 de enero de 2009

SANTO DOMINGO, República Dominicana.- Los colmados y supermercados fueron los sectores comerciales más denunciados por los consumidores en el pasado año, según estadísticas del Instituto Nacional de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor (Pro Consumidor).

De acuerdo con el informe que refleja las operaciones de los últimos seis meses del 2008, los colmados recibieron el 29% de las denuncias, seguidos de los supermercados, con un 19%; hidrocarburos, 14%; tiendas por departamentos, 8%; otros, 6%; mercaderías diversas, 5%; bares, restaurantes y productos gaseosos, 4%; telecomunicaciones, 3%, y las casas inmuebles, comida rápida, farmacias, ópticas, entre otros, con un 1%.

El mayor número de solicitudes se registró en el reglón de orientaciones, que fueron 720, mientras que las reclamaciones totalizaron 284 y las denuncias 223.
“Las denuncias desde julio de 2008 se mantuvieron en ascenso. En julio se registraron alrededor de veinte denuncias, 33 en agosto, 39 en septiembre, 53 en octubre, en noviembre 43 y en diciembre 35”, indicó el organismo.

Según la institución, si se clasificaran las denuncias de los consumidores se destacaría que el 33% corresponde a cargos indiscriminados y adulteración de precios estampados.

El 21% de las denuncias corresponde a calidad insuficiente o defectos en productos; medidas y pesos inexactos, 13%; publicidad u oferta engañosa, 12%; y con un 8% concluyeron productos con fecha vencida y o fecha adulterada y bienes defectuosos, viciados o insuficientes.

El 28% de los consumidores que presentaron reclamos ante el organismo se quejaron por bienes defectuosos, viciados o insuficientes; el 26% demandó incumplimiento de garantía, el 12% por incumplimiento, retrasos en entregas de productos y servicios.

Mientras, el 9% demandó incumplimiento de contrato, el 6% cambios y devoluciones y el 7% cargos indebidos y adulteración de precios estampados.

Reclamaciones

Los sectores comerciales en los que más hubo reclamaciones fueron las tiendas por departamento (26%), venta de electrodomésticos e inmuebles (11% cada uno), entre tanto que con un 5% estuvieron las ventas de computadoras, venta de vehículos e instituciones educativas, según Pro Consumidor

“Otros sectores involucrados fueron venta de repuesto de vehículos(4%), instituciones gubernamentales (4%), servicios técnicos varios (4%), muebles similares (3%), hidrocarburos (3%), mercaderías diversas (3%), telecomunicaciones (3%), ventas de repuestos electrónicos (3%), líneas aéreas (2%), energía eléctrica (2%), instituciones financieras (2%), reparación equipos electrónicos (2%), servicios profesionales (2%), Agencia de Viajes (1%) y otros (2%)”, señalan las estadísticas del 2008.

En el caso de las orientaciones, en julio sumaron 22, pero al mes siguiente la cifra se disparó a 134. Asimismo, en septiembre las orientaciones bajaron a 100, en octubre subieron a 111, 195 en noviembre y en diciembre 158.

Por el tipo de orientación ofrecida, el 50% fue de orientación institucional, el 20% fueron destinadas a Protección al Consumidor (PROTECOM), el 19% al Instituto Dominicano de Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL), el 9% a la Superintendencia de Bancos y el 2% a la Superintendencia de Seguros, a la Dirección de Información y Defensa de los Afiliados (DIDA) y a la Secretaría de Estado de Salud Pública.

El Distrito Nacional, el más denunciado

El Instituto Nacional de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor informó que el Distrito Nacional alcanzó un 58 por ciento, de mil 227 requerimientos de solicitudes de información, reclamaciones y denuncias durante el 2008.

La provincia Santo Domingo alcanzó un 28%, Santiago acumuló un 3%, San Cristóbal un 2%, y con 1% terminaron La Altagracia, La Vega, Duarte, Monseñor Nouel, Peravia, San Juan, Puerto Plata, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Samaná y Valverde, según PRO CONSUMIDOR.

Four Actions to Survive the Recession and Emerge Triumphant

2009-01-13T19:02:00.002-04:00

clipped from discussionleader.hbsp.com

Posted by Rosabeth Moss Kanter on January 9, 2009 9:26 AM

In these dire days, doing nothing is not an option. Passivity will only make things worse. But what can we do when there is little or no new investment? Here are four useful actions I've seen work effectively.

Move while others are distracted. This is the strategy of a very successful long-term CEO who has steered a European company into global prominence as one of a handful of industry leaders. He cultivates important relationships during times of crisis when competitors are looking elsewhere, enabling him to make acquisitions others coveted but couldn't get.
This is also how Continental Airlines, under Gordon Bethune, profited when the Northeast electric power grid went down for two days in 2003. Other airlines canceled hundreds of flights, while confident Continental's empowered employees kept their flights going. Noting the stranded passengers from other airlines when LaGuardia and Kennedy airports closed, Continental ran extra flights from Newark, thereby rescuing the passengers and making millions of extra dollars for those two days. Competitors lost money and goodwill.

Announce and own a grand concept. Okay, you might not be able to raise money for it nor do much about it now, but you will be well-prepared when markets recover. Ideas are cheap to begin to articulate and brand--and priceless once established.

In early November, as the financial crisis was still fresh in its horror (and Obama's election still fresh in its exuberance), Sam Palmisano announced "Smart Planet," a new IBM concept, via a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. The intention for now is to stimulate discussion and pin down the idea of intelligent networks for future infrastructure, or any of the other aspects of a smarter (more information-infused) capacity for roads, buildings, supply chains, etc. With a modest communications effort, IBM can put the "smart planet" idea on public policy agendas and "own" an idea ripe for action whenever recovery occurs.

You don't have to be an IBM to own ideas. A few years ago, colleagues and I at Harvard floated the idea of "Advanced Leadership," a new stage of higher education, and kept the idea alive even through a standstill at Harvard during a transition of presidents. We did things that cost nothing, such as writing a working paper, speaking at conferences, and getting colleagues interested. We were ready when new initiatives were supported again, and we "own" a well-received innovation idea.

Get rid of things that have outlived their usefulness. This is a personal lesson, since I deal with crisis by removing basement clutter or giving away old clothes - nothing like that clean closet feeling, and the action is under my control. The same principle applies to businesses. Turbulent times demand that resources go to the high potential areas. If a company is still too cluttered with product SKUs that proliferated unnoticed, declining lines of business, meaningless rules or reports, or the like, do the housecleaning, fast. Even those who don't like it will understand.

Concentrate on helping your users, clients, or customers succeed. Always good advice, but now we have to really mean it. Obviously, companies dependent on their revenue-paying customers cannot afford to stand by while those customers decline. Sometimes that involves giving them extras for nothing.

Leaders of a large consulting firm have told their staff that they should worry more about their clients than about themselves, thinking up ways their clients can survive, even if every microsecond isn't billable. Or if you are a supplier of a diagnostic tool to hospitals, for example, and see a cost-saving idea outside of your area of expertise while hanging around the hospital, pass it on.
Generosity might not get you anything now, but you'll be well-positioned for the future, hopefully with healthier customers and bigger ideas.

Revista Mercado

2009-01-12T20:54:00.001-04:00

http://revistamercado.com.do/app/section.aspx?id=109

clipped from revistamercado.com.do

EMPRESAS ADMIRADAS 2008

MBA Specialty Rankings

2008-12-23T19:17:00.002-04:00

BusinessWeek asked corporate recruiters to rate MBA programs based on 12 functional areas and specialties. Here are the results

clipped from www.businessweek.com

Getting In
December 21, 2008, 7:59PM EST

By
Geoff Gloeckler

Are the highest ranked MBA programs at the head of the class in every area? In the eyes of the companies hiring their graduates, the answer is no. Sure, schools like Northwestern's Kellogg School of Managementand the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business are praised by recruiters for producing the best all-around graduates, but if you're looking for the best school in areas like finance or operations, or for the program with the most innovative curriculum, you have to venture a little deeper into the full-time MBA ranks.
As part of BusinessWeek's 2008 MBA ranking, corporate recruiters at more than 500 of the companies that hire the most graduate business students were asked to provide their opinions on which schools produce the strongest graduates in functional areas such as marketing, global business, accounting, and communication skills. Also, they were asked program-specific questions, such as which schools are most improved and which offer students the most global focus. Using this data, we have created a ranking of specific areas, or specialties, within the MBA programs themselves. The top 10 programs in 12 different specialty areas are included in the main tables for U.S. and International programs. Additionally, within those tables, links are provided to individualized rankings for each of the categories.

Looking at the results, it's no surprise the top-ranked programs show up in numerous categories, led by Chicago Booth. Chicago appears in the top 10 of each of the 12 specialty areas and is the program that recruiters call Most Improved. Stanford's Graduate School of Business and Northwestern's Kellogg follow closely behind, each staking claim to 11 top-10s, with Kellogg taking home top honors in Marketing, Teamwork, General Management, Competing Globally, Communication Skills, and Career Services.

But as you move away from the elite programs, some interesting results arise. For instance, Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business—ranked 19th overall—is in the top 10 in six categories, including No. 2 for operations/production and No. 3 for most-improved. Also, recruiters put the No. 22-ranked Marriott School at Brigham Young University at No. 4 in accounting.

A Specialty Edge

Second Tier programs also have a presence in the specialty rankings, led by the University of Rochester's Simon School, which ranks ninth for most improved and tenth in accounting. Babson College, Thunderbird School of Global Management, and Michigan State's Broad Graduate School of Management also each appear in the top 10 in at least one category.

Looking at individual specialty areas, the schools at the top of the Innovative Curriculum category might be the ones with the most value for prospective students, especially considering the current state of the financial world and the changing expectations of students. Because of the flexibility that schools such as Stanford and Yale offer in their customizable curriculums, they are able quickly to adapt to changes in the business climate by adding courses in areas like risk management, ethics, and sustainability. And recruiters have noticed, putting both schools in the top 10. The University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon also finish near the top in this category, and Babson's Olin School, which finished in the Second Tier of the overall ranking, is ranked fourth in this category for its integrated, modular MBA curriculum.

For students, though, the most important specialty area is likely to be career services, as the current job market is anything but predictable, especially in areas such as finance and investment banking. Recruiters point to Kellogg, Chicago, the University of Michigan's Ross School, and University of California at Berkeley as leading the way in this category. At these schools, administrators have developed new and unique ways to bridge the gap between students and companies, as well as reaching out to a more diverse set of industries and businesses to make sure their customers' needs are met. It's not a quick fix, and as the job and internship markets become more and more difficult and competitive, the schools strong in this category will have a decided edge over competitors who are searching to find their niche.

Table: U.S. Schools Specialty Rankings

Table: Non-U.S. Schools Specialty Rankings

Gloeckler is a staff editor for BusinessWeek in New York.

Personal Finance: 20 Dos & Don'ts for 2009

2008-12-18T20:04:00.002-04:00

With the economic storm raging outside, how do you keep your financial house safe and sound? BusinessWeek has rounded up 20 savvy ideas from financial pros

clipped from www.businessweek.com

Investing
December 18, 2008, 12:01AM EST

By
Ben Steverman

During the worst economic crisis in a lifetime, the right financial decisions are crucial.

BusinessWeek asked financial planners for some advice on what to do—or not to do—with your money in the New Year. As we bid farewell to a dreadful 2008, these "resolutions" may help keep your finances on the right track in 2009:

1. Don't try to predict the future.

"We are currently in the midst of unprecedented and complex challenges," says Femi Shote of Asset Harvest Group in McLean, Va. Anyone who thinks he or she can predict what's going to happen is "delusional," Shote says

Financial advisers often hear from clients who would like to sell stocks now and then buy again when the market hits bottom. "My response is, 'How do you know when that will be?'" says Trent Porter of Priority Financial Planning in Fort Collins, Colo.

2. Do keep enough cash available.

Even if you're not worried about losing your job, a rainy-day fund can provide peace of mind.

There are different guidelines for how much cash to keep on hand. Some say $12,000 or more per adult; others say it should be six to nine months of living expenses. With extra cash available, you can avoid selling investments to pay for expenses in an emergency.

3. Do invest internationally.

Though the financial crisis started in the U.S., the past year has been worse for investments in the rest of the world. The MSCI EAFE, an index of international stocks, is down 43% this year, and stocks in emerging economies fared far worse. American investors who diversified abroad have also been pummeled by the rise in the U.S. dollar.

Even after a year like that, advisers say it's not wise to abandon international investments entirely. For one thing, though some key overseas economies, like China's, have been hit hard lately, their long-term economic fundamentals look better than those of the U.S.

4. Don't try to pick one winning investment. Diversify.

Putting all your money in one stock is dangerous at a time when a company's bankruptcy can completely wipe out the value of its shares.

Robert Siegmann of Financial Management Group in Cincinnati advises clients to balance their portfolios between fixed income and stocks, with shares in various types of companies — small and large, U.S. and international. "Don't try to pick the winning stock, or the winning idea. Just diversify across all investments and markets," he says.

5. Do think about energy efficiency.

Russell Francis of Portland Financial Advisors in Beaverton, Ore., recommends that investors take advantage of a $500 federal residential energy tax credit that was rescinded in 2008 but returns in 2009. The credit can help cover the costs of adding insulation or replacing doors, windows, or furnaces—home repairs that should also save you on heating and cooling costs.

6. Don't stop contributing to 401(k) and other retirement accounts.

Says Sidney Blum of GreenLight Fee Only Advisors in Evanston, Ill.: "Everyone loves to invest in their 401(k) when the markets are flying high, but they should keep putting money in while the markets are down." He adds: "More money is made at the bottom of a market than at the top."

Even more pessimistic planners say you should be taking advantage of any match your employer offers for retirement fund contributions.

7. Do live below your means. Save.

Investing for the future is only possible if you have some money left over at the end of each month to sock away. View this BusinessWeek slide show for 25 ways to save more each month.

8. Don't make sudden moves.

"Refrain from making extreme changes to the portfolio just because the financial markets are volatile," says William Howell, a financial adviser in Noblesville, Ind. "Stick to the overall investment game plan."

In such an extreme environment, investment decisions based on emotion or fear are likely to lose you money. It's probably better to ignore the day-to-day news and follow a long-term investing plan.

9. Do pay off expensive debts.

Rather than investing your money, you first might consider paying off debts, especially those with high rates or those for which interest is not tax-deductible. The avoidance of interest will likely save you more than your investments would have earned.

Stanley F. Ehrlich, an adviser in Westfield, N.J., notes: "Paying off a car loan with 7% interest provides an immediate 7% return, a return that is not [currently] available through most asset classes." Credit-card debt is so expensive that most planners say it is always the first thing people should pay off.

10. Don't give up on stocks.

"Historically some of the best periods for stock market returns have been during dismal economic times," says Paul Winter of Five Seasons Financial Planning in Salt Lake City. Though investors approaching retirement shouldn't risk too much money in volatile equity markets, investors hoping to build a nest egg for the long term have few better options than the stock market.
11. Do track your spending.

"It's very easy to lose sight of where your funds are spent," says Alexandra Ollinger of Truepoint Capital in Cincinnati.

G.M. Livingston III, a planner in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., advises clients to buy software like Quicken to track their spending. "It's a universal mistake," Livingston says. "Most people don't know where their money goes."

12. Don't pay high management fees.

It doesn't only matter how much your investments earn; it is also important how much you get to keep after trading costs and fees paid to financial advisers and fund managers. When market returns are small or nonexistent, even a 1% or 2% management fee can hurt. Decide if it's worth it. Also, check out offerings from traditionally low-cost fund companies like Vanguard, where the average mutual fund expense ratio is 0.2%.

13. Do review your credit reports.

With the Federal Reserve cutting the federal funds rate close to zero and policymakers eager to revive the housing market, mortgage rates are expected to drop substantially in 2009. That could be a great opportunity to refinance your mortgage, but only if you have a solid credit score. Check your credit report for any errors now, says Scott Beaudin of Pathway Financial Advisors in Burlington, Vt. "Fixing problems takes time and you don't want to be trying to fix your report while in the middle of a mortgage application," he says. The three U.S. consumer reporting agencies set up a Web site, to allow consumers to access a free copy of their credit report each year.

14. Don't follow the herd.

"Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful," says legendary investor Warren Buffett. Warren Ward, an adviser in Columbus, Ind., agrees, advising his clients to ease back into stock or bond markets rather than seeking the safety of cash or Treasuries as many other investors are doing now. "Do your own thinking and don't allow yourself to be panicked into taking an action you'll regret," Ward says.

15. Do write down an investing plan and budget, and stick to them.

A budget can help control spending and boost the amount of money you save each month. An investing plan takes the emotion out of your investing decision. "Investing systematically [is] especially [important] during market downturns," Ward says.

16. Don't forgo necessary insurance.

You can save some money by increasing your car insurance deductible or forgoing life, disability or home insurance, but you could also be left penniless after a serious emergency. Full coverage isn't always necessary, but make sure you're protected in a worst-case scenario.

17. Do check out your financial adviser.

The arrest of Bernard Madoff, who saw his $50 billion hedge fund collapse in an alleged Ponzi scheme, shows the danger of relying on one person—whether a fund manager or a financial planner and adviser—to handle your nest egg.

Don't just pick a broker or planner out of the yellow pages. "Do your homework," says Eileen Freiburger of ESF Financial Planning Group in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Ask advisers about their qualifications, certifications, and educations, as well as their fees, ethics and disclosure policies. Look them up in online databases that track complaints against planners. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's BrokerCheck is a good place to start.

18. Don't invest in anything you don't understand.

This financial crisis has demonstrated the dangers of too much complexity in the investing world. Investors lost big on asset-backed securities and other investments that in many cases they never really understood in the first place. If your adviser or broker can't adequately explain an investment in a few sentences, maybe it's not for you.

19. Do make sure safe investments are actually safe.

J. Mark Joseph of Sentinel Wealth Management in Reston, Va., sticks with supersafe government debt for his clients' fixed-income investments. "Bonds are for safety, so make sure your bonds are safe," he says. "Just because something is a fixed-income investment does not mean it is safe."

In case your bank or broker fails, make sure your bank accounts are covered by insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and your brokerage accounts by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation or supplemental insurance.

20. Don't take more risk than you can handle.

Some investors will react to 2008's losses by trying to be more prudent and conservative in the future. Others, however, will try to win back their losses through bold, risky bets on the next big thing.

That's happened in past downturns, says Elaine Scoggins of Merriman Berkman Next in Seattle. After the tech bubble burst, investors flocked to real estate. A classic mistake is "following one investing mistake by an even bigger one."

The past year has given investors an idea of how bad market conditions can get. In the future, investors may want to evaluate how much risk they're really willing to take and how long they're willing to wait to get outsize returns.

Steverman is a reporter for BusinessWeek's Investing channel.

Adozona pide compensación para el sector zonas francas

2008-12-18T19:32:00.002-04:00

DESPIDOS

clipped from www.listindiario.com

Jueves 18 de Diciembre del 2008, actualizado 6:02 PM

Derisse De León - 12/18/2008

SANTO DOMINGO.- El presidente de la Asociación Dominicana de Zonas Francas (Adozona), Fernando Capellán, solicitó ayer al Gobierno que establezca una compensación para todo el sector exportador hasta que se minimice la crisis financiera global para que se pueda fomentar las exportaciones y la creación de empleos en el país.

“Estamos hablando de una compensación a todo el sector exportador como lo están haciendo países como Colombia, el Salvador, India, China y otros. Es necesario en momentos de crisis mundial que el sector exportador, que genera divisas y empleos, esté fuerte y cómo lo podemos fortalecer, compensándolo apropiadamente hasta que la subvaluación de nuestra moneda se nivele”.
El también presidente del Grupo M, empresa que canceló a 2,700 obreros, aseguró que no habrá más cancelaciones para este año, debido a que la empresa hizo las reestructuraciones necesarias para preservar los ocho mil empleos que quedan. “Siempre hay cosas por hacer. Creo que ni el Gobierno ni nosotros vamos a tirar la toalla. Hay una serie de medidas que consideramos que hay que tomar que son beneficios para todo el sector exportador y que la estamos planteando”, sostuvo el empresario.
Las declaraciones fueron ofrecidas al término de la última reunión que celebró este año el consejo directivo y en el que participaron, además, Luisa Fernández, directora ejecutiva del Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas (CNZF); Miguel Cocco, director de Aduanas; José Ramón Fadul, de la Secretaría de Industria y Comercio, y empresarios del sector.
Luis Fernández aseguró que sólo se han perdido 2,740 empleos (2,700 del Grupo M y 40 de la zona francas de Esperanza) y que estas cancelaciones comenzaron a producirse desde que el Gobierno dejó de subsidiar al sector, en junio pasado.
BALANCE
El sector textil, que es el mayor exportador, ha sido el más perjudicado en los últimos 10 meses debido a que el valor de sus exportaciones disminuyó en un 21%, de acuerdo con el Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas.
Sin embargo, indicó que los demás sectores crecieron, como el de productos eléctricos, 13%; médicos, 5.4%; joyería, 11%; manufactura de tabaco, 9.5%; calzados, 2.8%, y productos agroindustriales, 7%, entre otros.
Pero la manufactura textil es la que posee mayor participación en el sector con 20.4%, en relación con los demás parques. El de servicios representa el 15.5%; telemercadeo, 17.6%; comercialización, 6.8% y telecomunicaciones, 1.9%, entre otras.

Fadul se queja de empresas actúan como oligopolios

2008-12-18T19:25:00.002-04:00

PRECIOS

clipped from www.listindiario.com

Jueves 18 de Diciembre del 2008, actualizado 6:02 PM

- 12/18/2008

SANTO DOMINGO.- El secretario de Industria y Comercio, José Ramón Fadul, pidió ayer al sector empresarial y comercial producir una real competencia en el mercado interno, “dejando de lado la concertación entre carteles para fijar e imponer precios en perjuicio de la población dominicana”.

Fadul censuró el hecho de que empresas que producen con costos diferentes colocan en el mercado sus artículos y alimentos a mismo precio, sin tomar en consideración a los consumidores.

Dijo que esa realidad afecta a los consumidores y señaló que los precios en el mercado interno se fijan sobre la base a criterios de concertaciones empresariales y comerciales que perjudican directamente a la población dominicana y de manera muy particular al consumidor más desprotegido.
El funcionario sostuvo que sin importar quien lo produzca y cuáles sean los costos, existe un precio único para el pollo, el aceite, el arroz, los huevos, las pastas y el cemento, lo que atribuyó a la falta de legislación y de mecanismos para sancionar a los que se detecten en estas prácticas típicas de los oligopolios y monopolios.
Por eso exhortó al sector empresarial a que propicie la competencia entre los distintos artículos que ellos producen y entre los que se importan. Indicó que los esfuerzos no sólo se pueden concentrar en las tareas para lograr la competitividad de cara a los mercados internacionales.
Fadul señaló que las bajas significativas en las materias primas, insumos y los combustibles no se reflejan en el mercado interno y que sectores del comercio están obteniendo mayores beneficios al resistirse a favorecer a los consumidores.
Dijo que algunos se están aprovechando para recuperar pérdidas y otros para percibir un beneficio mucho mayor en detrimento de los consumidores, lo cual debe ser reglamentado.
“Yo creo que ya hay que comenzar a reglamentar esa situación por lo que exhorto al sector empresarial, al comercio y al país, a que se favorezca una real competencia interna porque eso, en términos reales, va a producir mayor calidad en los artículos, menores precios en los artículos y mayores demandas del consumo”, dijo Fadul según indica una nota de la Dirección de Comunicaciones.

Dice no hay recursos para aplicar sueldo 14

2008-12-18T19:16:00.002-04:00

clipped from www.hoy.com.do

Economía

Vicente Bengoa

17 Diciembre 2008, 9:57 PM

Escrito por: MAYELIN ACOSTA GUZMÁN (m.acosta@hoy.com.do)

El secretario de Hacienda. Vicente Bengoa expresó que no hay recursos para financiar el bono escolar o sueldo 14 aprobado el martes por la Cámara de Diputados.

Dijo que emitirá una carta para solicitar al Presidente, Leonel Fernández que observe esa ley y la devuelva al Congreso, para que se introduzca un artículo estableciendo que la misma entrará en vigencia a partir del 2010 y no en el 2009.

Explicó que esta ley establece que los recursos para financiar esa errogación se hará con carga al presupuesto, pero “esos recursos no están contemplados en el Presupuesto”, y en consecuencia no hay de donde financiar la entrega del sueldo 14.

“Si se aplica esta ley se tiene que disponer de un estimado de 3 mil 500 millones de pesos, que no están contemplados en el presupuesto del año que viene. Si no están en el presupuesto no hay forma de aplicar esa ley el año que viene”, resaltó.
Bengoa expuso que si a esta ley se le agrega el artículo que menciona “el problema estaría resuelto”.

Expresó que están de acuerdo con esta iniciativa que permitirá la compra de materiales escolares a empleados públicos y además incluye a los pensionados y a los jubilados. “Desgraciadamente no se puede aplicar porque no está en el presupuesto”, enfatizó, el secretario.

Anuncian instalarán 103 nuevas empresas zona franca

2008-12-18T19:06:00.002-04:00

Con una inversión de RD$5 mil millones, además un nuevo parque de zona franca

clipped from www.hoy.com.do

Economía

Luisa Fernández, junto a Miguel Cocco, Ramón Fadul, también estuvo presente Fernando Capellán.
Fuente externa

17 Diciembre 2008, 10:00 PM

Escrito por: MAYELIN ACOSTA GUZMÁN (m.acosta@hoy.com.do)

El Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas de Exportación (CNZFE) informó que aprobó ayer la instalación 103 zonas francas en el país con una inversión global de cinco mil millones de pesos.

La directora ejecutiva del CNZFE Luisa Fernández destacó que las empresas operarán en las áreas de manufactura textil, donde “hubo una disminución de un 21% en las exportaciones este año”.

Informó además que fue aprobado un nuevo parque de zona franca, con un inversión de RD$120.8 millones y generará unos 2,326 nuevos empleos directos y millones de dólares en divisas.

Resaltó que la Dirección General de Aduanas financió el 50% de la automatización de servicios del CNZF con un costo global de RD$5 millones.
Expresó que a través de una plataforma electrónica las empresas de zonas francas podrán acceder a todos los servicios que ofrecen Aduanas y la CNZF, con la cual evitará posibles errores. pérdida de tiempo en transacciones y reducción de ilícitos. Fernández destacó que para el desarrollo y operación de sus actividades productivas esas nuevas empresas han estimado realizar una inversión de RD$4,946 millones, crearán 11,075 nuevos empleos directos y se generarán divisas por el orden de los US$88.9 millones.

Expuso que de las nuevas 103 nuevas empresas, 69 operarán en diferentes parques de zonas francas del país, y las demás 34 en zonas francas especiales.

Las nuevas empresas estarán en Santiago, San Isidro, San Cristóbal, San Pedro de Macorís, Puerto Plata, La Vega, Santiago-Licey, Los Alcarrizos, Moca, Las Américas, Caribbean Industrial Park, Santiago-Navarreta y Hainamosa. La directora ejecutiva del CNZF resaltó que sólo el sector textil disminuyó el valor de las exportaciones, pero los otros han subido.

Pérdida empleos

La directora ejecutiva del CNZF dijo que con la instalación de esas nuevas empresas se recuperarán parte de los empleos perdidos, en especial del sector textil.

Explicó que los despidos de empleados se dieron luego de concluida la compensación de RD$2,000 por empleados realizada por el Gobierno hasta el mes de junio a ese sector.

Refirió que el sector es muy cambiante, ya que “el martes nos dieron la noticias de los despidos en la Zona Franca La Esperanza en Mao, pero sin embargo hoy (miércoles) aprobamos en este consejo frente al sector privado también una empresa de textil para La Esperanza que generará unos 112 empleos.

The Recession: My Facebook, My Therapist

2008-12-17T22:34:00.002-04:00

In a time of growing unemployment, tumbling stocks, and rising foreclosures, people are finding comfort on social networking sites

clipped from www.businessweek.com

nternet
December 17, 2008, 12:01AM EST

By
Douglas MacMillan

Getty Images

When Ian Schlueter found out he'd be among the casualties of a layoff announced Dec. 11 by global shipper DHL, he was too shaken up to call friends and family. "I didn't want to talk about it," says Schlueter, an IT manager. "It just kind of sucks."

Instead he reached out to the Web for moral support. First he snapped an iPhone picture of his severance letter and posted it to photo-sharing site SnapMyLife. He also updated his Facebook status line and eventually joined a group on LinkedIn for former DHL employees.
Rising foreclosures, tumbling stocks, surging job losses, and other symptoms of the recession are adding to people's stress and anxiety levels. To cope, Internet users are increasingly finding an outlet through online social media. "These new channels are providing a sense of community in an environment where there is a sudden, almost compelled, need…not to feel alone," says Sherry Turkle, a professor of social studies of science and technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some are logging on to vent frustrations; many are commiserating with others. Still others are collaborating to find solutions, like landing a new job or helping friends in need.

Down in the Valley

In communities across the Internet, the ravages of recession abound. On Dec. 10, when Yahoo! (YHOO) began laying off 10% or about 1,500, of its employees, tech industry blogs like Valleywag and Silicon Alley Insider published minute-by-minute updates on where layoffs were happening in the company, while hundreds of readers chipped in with front-line news, such as how managers were carrying out cuts and what was included in severance packages. The same day, laid-off Yahoo employees announced their predicament on microblogging site Twitter. Many found solace. "Actually kinda comforted by the Twitter outpouring," wrote Ben Ward, who lost his job as a Web developer at Yahoo's Brickhouse startup incubator. "Thanks everyone."

Social networks aimed at helping people work together are proving particularly useful amid a recession that's leaving some feeling helpless. "What has struck me is that so [much] of what is being said is in the nature of support rather than information, perhaps because people don't know what information will be useful," says Turkle, who founded the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. "More dire news? Job losses? This is out there, but there is a parallel track on which people are just trying to help each other out." More than 1,100 Facebook members have joined a group called "I will NOT be participating in any Recession" where they trade advice on how to shore up finances and stay employed. "We can't horde our money so we have to put it back into the economy…but smartly," wrote member Doug Martin in November. "Working off a budget and ensuring that we don't overextend ourselves is key." Searches for other Facebook groups with "recession" and "downturn" in their names yield dozens of results, from the activism-oriented "I oppose the bailout" to the more despairing "The Second Great Depression (2008-?)."
Typically, people are loath to publicize bad news. "When someone is initially laid off their inclination is to avoid being in social environments," says Marlin Potash, a New York psychiatrist who counsels workers exiting senior positions, primarily from the financial and media industries. But that behavior can heighten anxiety or worsen depression, she says. Potash recommends that some clients use social networking sites because they provide a kind of "halfway house" between comfort and social immersion. "You can go on LinkedIn in your pajamas, and you can try on your positive attitude on Facebook for a few minutes," Potash says. "If it's uncomfortable you can always go in the other room and give yourself a pep talk."

Live Chats with Therapists

Connecting with others in the same predicament can also remind a person that others are in the same boat, says Richard Sherman, a private-practice psychiatrist based in Tarzana, Calif. "When [my patients] believe that they could have done something different to ward off some of these consequences, they're embarrassed and they feel some shame," he says. Using online social networks helps to "reassure them that they're not alone, that we're in this together, and people are successfully overcoming this."

Not everyone is up to the sometimes risky and always gutsy prospect of sharing woe with everyone in their Facebook friend or LinkedIn contact lists. Yet they can still find support online through groups that address certain mental health problems, like depression. In 2006, Ryan and Kristin FitzGerald launched WebTribes, a site with support communities for people with addiction, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and HIV/AIDS. Members can create profiles, post photos, write a blog, and participate in special events like live chats with professional therapists.

The site has signed up about 35,000 members since it was launched, and according to Ryan FitzGerald, both activity and new user registration have spiked by as much as 25% over the past three to four months. "We certainly have seen an increase in new members and activity related to the economy," FitzGerald says.

Being Online Can Increase Anxiety

Spending too much time amid online gloom and doom can add to some people's sense of hopelessness, says psychiatrist Sherman. In between visiting social networking sites, he says, "people are checking their stocks, they're checking the latest news alerts, and this is creating more anxiety and more stress—that's a real problem."

Some Web surfers are put off by the emphasis on other people's adversity. "This is tasteless and gross coverage," wrote a person using the name Bad Coverage on Silicon Alley Insider on Dec. 10. "What are you looking for? Someone to say that they can't put food on the table for their children?"

Online well-wishes and support groups can provide some succor, but what the unemployed often need most urgently is a new job. Getting laid off recently from Pearson (PSO) gave Tyler Hurst a whole new perspective on microblogging site Twitter. "Before, it was more of a way to talk and share ideas and to expand upon things you normally wouldn't have been able to figure out for yourself," he says. "Now it's my address book, my networking planner, my job search—it's everything."

Just Another Manic Monday

For Hurst, the search continues. On Dec. 15, he posted to Twitter: "Had no idea it was Monday when I woke up. Now that I do know, nothing has changed. Good god I need a job."

Douglas MacMillan is a staff writer for BusinessWeek.com in New York.

Francia elimina la venta en exclusiva del iPhone en plena campaña de Navidad

2008-12-17T22:20:00.002-04:00

Móviles

clipped from www.cincodias.com

CincoDias.com
Empresas

Empresas

Sectores

Directorio

Cinco Días - Madrid - 18/12/2008

El Consejo de la Competencia de Francia ha dado un auténtico varapalo a France Télécom y en el peor momento para la operadora. El tribunal ha prohibido el acuerdo de cinco años por el que vende el iPhone de Apple en exclusiva, con lo que sus rivales podrán comercializarlo también en la campaña navideña.

La resolución del organismo que vela por el correcto funcionamiento del mercado francés es contundente: el acuerdo de exclusividad de Apple con France Télécom para la venta del iPhone es 'anticompetitivo' y debe ser 'suspendido para evitar posibles daños duraderos en el sector del móvil'.
La decisión supone una gran victoria para Bouygues, el tercer y más pequeño operador de telefonía móvil de Francia. Suya fue la denuncia que ha motivado el fallo, basado en parte en el reparto del mercado celular en el país, con dos compañías muy fuertes -France Télécom, con el 44% de cuota, y Vivendi, con el 34%- y otra, Bouygues, con sólo el 17%.

Por eso, el contrato entre France Télécom y Apple, debido a 'su amplitud y alcance', así como a la 'deseabilidad del iPhone', puede llevar 'a reforzar la posición de dominio de France Télécom en el mercado', explica el Consejo de la Competencia.

La perdedora recibió ayer con críticas la decisión y anunció su intención de recurrir el dictamen. En todo caso, el fallo no es firme, sino que se trata de una resolución preliminar. El problema para France Télécom es que la decisión final puede tardar entre 12 y 15 meses y que, mientras tanto, el consejo ha decretado que el resto de los operadores pueden vender el iPhone asociado a sus respectivas redes.

La resolución se produce, además, en una de las épocas más importantes para el consumo en telefonía móvil. Las ventas de teléfonos y productos asociados se elevan un 60% en Francia por estas fechas, según el regulador sectorial. Y Bouygues quiere aprovecharlo. La operadora ya ha comunicado que tiene intención de vender el iPhone tan pronto como sea posible.

France Télécom, en cambio, ha puesto el grito en el cielo y ha remarcado la diferencia que va a existir con otros países, como España, Alemania o Reino Unido, donde un operador vende en exclusiva el iPhone sin problemas.

Una empresa china lanza el coche híbrido más barato del mundo

2008-12-15T17:54:00.002-04:00

Es el primero que se puede recargar en la red eléctrica de casa. Cuesta algo más de 16.000 euros. El multimillonario estadounidense Warren Buffett participa en el proyecto.

clipped from www.cincodias.com

CincoDias.com
Empresas

Imagen del híbrido más barato del mercado . - BYD Motors

CincoDías.com - Madrid - 15/12/2008

El coche híbrido sigue siendo la gran promesa del sector del automóvil, su tabla de salvación económica (sólo hay que recordar la promesa de las grandes empresas de Detroit de que invertirán en estos vehículos si les salvan de la quiebra) y su gran oportunidad de transformarse en una industria más limpia. Pero también quiere convertirse en un negocio, y de los buenos. La carrera ya ha empezado y la mejor muestra de ello es la presentación hoy del F3 DM de BYD, una compañía china que pretende convertirse en líder mundial en la materia. El multimillonario estadounidense Warren Buffett ya ha comprado el 9,9% de la compañía.
El lanzamiento se ha realizado por todo lo alto. El coche es, según Build Your Dreams, el nombre tras la siglas de esta empresa china, el primero que se puede recargar totalmente a través de la red eléctrica, incluso en casa. El automóvil, que competirá directamente con el Prius de Toyota y el y el Chevrolet Malibu de General Motors, cuesta algo más de 16.000 euros, tarda siete horas en recargarse, tiene una autonomía de 100 kilómetros y un motor alternativo de gasolina.

En una estación especializada en esta energía el coche puede recuperar su energía en 10 minutos, siempre según los datos de la empresa distribuidos hoy. "Con este lanzamiento, BYD toma ventaja sobre el mercado del automóvil en lo que se refiere al uso de las energías renovables", ha asegurado en los medios chinos Wang Chuanfu, el presidente y fundador de la empresa. El negocio y la competencia prometen, sobre todo tras el fiasco de otras formas de energía que se presentaban como la alternativa definitiva, con el hidrógeno al frente.

Promotor de un fraude de US$50,000 millones

2008-12-15T17:45:00.002-04:00

Bernard Madoff, de 70 años, es un hombre impecable. Es un símbolo del “éxito norteamericano”. Era buscado por todos, sobre todo por los más ricos, por quienes querían grandes inversiones con altas rentabilidades. Así creó un imperio y se hizo la imagen de hombre exquisito, humanitario y preocupado. Pero el jueves fue detenido, en Nueva York, acusado de cometer un “fraude piramidal” de US$50,000 millones, contra bancos de inversores.

clipped from www.hoy.com.do

Economía

14 Diciembre 2008, 10:10 PM

Bernard Madoff

MADRID. Agencias. Mientras el Banco de España abrió una investigación para determinar el impacto en España de la estafa de 50.000 millones de dólares cometida por Bernard Madoff, detenido el jueves, el Grupo Santander, de España, gestiona fondos de clientes por valor de 2.330 millones de euros ligados a productos de la firma de este gerente de un fondo de inversiones neoyorquino y el banco francés BNP Paribas anunció que podría perder 350 millones de euros por su exposición a esta estafa.

"El Banco de España ha iniciado una investigación sobre el impacto en España de la estafa perpetrada por el financiero Bernard Madoff, escribió el diario La Nación citando a una fuente próxima a la investigación, según la cual los organismos españoles de control de los mercados financieros preveen un impacto "limitado".
Detenido el jueves, Bernard Madoff, de 70 años, un gestor de fondos muy conocido en Wall Street y ex presidente del consejo de administración de Nasdaq, una de las dos grandes bolsas de Nueva York, está acusado de haber cometido un gigantesco fraude piramidal de unos 50.000 millones de dólares.

En un comunicado, BNP Paribas insistió en que no había invertido directamente en productos de Madoff, pero que está expuesto por sus “actividades de mercados” y por los préstamos que ha concedido a otros fondos que sí habían invertido en esa firma.

A ese respecto, indicó que si el valor de Madoff quedara reducido a cero, “la pérdida de BNP Paribas podría elevarse a 350 millones de euros".

El Grupo Santander, a través del fondo Optimal Strategic, gestiona fondos de clientes por valor de 2.330 millones de euros ligados a productos de la firma estadounidense Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, informó ayer la entidad.

Fuentes del grupo explicaron a Efe que hay cerca de mil clientes del banco con productos ligados a la gestora de Bernard Madoff, que es la presunta responsable de un fraude que puede ascender a alrededor de 37.400 millones de euros (50.000 millones de dólares).

Del importe total gestionado por el Santander, 2.010 millones de euros (unos 2.685 millones de dólares) corresponden a inversores institucionales y clientes de banca privada internacional. Los restantes 320 millones de euros (427,5 millones de dólares) forman parte de las carteras de inversión de clientes de banca privada del grupo en España, según las fuentes.

Además, el Grupo Santander tiene una exposición propia de 17 millones de euros (22,7 millones de dólares) a través de otro fondo de inversión.

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1. Don't try to predict the future.

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3. Do invest internationally.

4. Don't try to pick one winning investment. Diversify.

5. Do think about energy efficiency.

6. Don't stop contributing to 401(k) and other retirement accounts.

7. Do live below your means. Save.

8. Don't make sudden moves.

9. Do pay off expensive debts.

10. Don't give up on stocks.

11. Do track your spending.

12. Don't pay high management fees.

13. Do review your credit reports.

14. Don't follow the herd.

15. Do write down an investing plan and budget, and stick to them.

16. Don't forgo necessary insurance.

17. Do check out your financial adviser.

18. Don't invest in anything you don't understand.

19. Do make sure safe investments are actually safe.

20. Don't take more risk than you can handle.

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