General

Armenia Welcomes Apple Co-Founder Wozniak

Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc., arrived in Armenia last week to consult the country on various issues, including investing in education and youth, according to Asbarez.com.

Wozniak’s visit included meeting with various government officials as well as conducting several interviews. During his visit on Thursday, Wozniak was awarded a certificate from Synopsis Armenia for his efforts in “promoting innovation in the spirit of entrepreneurship around the world and in Armenia, according to ArmRadio. His visit also included meeting with President Serzh Sarkisian on Friday. The president honored Wozniak with the “Global Award” for “Outstanding Contribution to Humanity through IT 2011.” In addition to meeting with the president, Wozniak met with other government officials, including Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan as well as university officials and students.

Wozniak has long been a proponent of education. In an interview with Azatutyun.am, he said that good education was important “for steady growth of the hi-tech industry.” He added, “In the age of the Internet it’s very easy for anyone anywhere in the world to come up with ideas that could catch on massively, instantly. It’s rare but it’s usually from young people because they aren’t so set in knowing how to do things already.”

True First Class Air Travel Is With A Private Charter

Admit it; we all like to be pampered. Whether that means dining in a four star restaurant and having a waiter at your beck and call or flying first class, it’s nice to be rewarded with perks. In executive jet charter the realm of flying, it’s hard to travel first class and then revert back to flying coach. Now that you know what you’ve been missing you never want to go back! The same can be said for an executive jet charter. Once you have experienced the sheer pleasure of flying on a private aircraft charter you might not even want to go back to first class again. In other words, you’ll be spoiled for air travel but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

A private aircraft charter allows you to be truly in command of your travel. As you delve into finding the best executive jet charter for your needs you’ll quickly discover how accommodating this type of traveling is in terms of flexibility. You’ll be able to create a specific flight itinerary that matches up with your personal needs as opposed to being at the mercy of a commercial airline’s schedule. The costs for a private aircraft charter don’t rise and fall depending on how quick you need to fly or how long you plan on staying over in a particular city. The deal you work out is just that: the deal you work out!

Although you’ll want to take full advantage of planning your own personal itinerary for departures, there is no reason why you can’t shop around for the empty leg flights. These are the private aircraft charter flights that will otherwise be returning from their destination empty. Private jet companies like to book these flights instead of wasting the return trip so you can be saving big bucks on your return flight. In other words, when planning out your flight, ask about empty leg flights as a return option.

One of the other major pluses of executive jet charter flying is that these smaller planes can land in less crowded airfields. Often this can actually put you closer to your final destination. Then there is all of the luxury that comes with even the simplest of private aircraft charter flights. Top of the list would be the extra space you’ll have in your seat. There are even some layouts of private jets that allow for sofas instead of seats. For the truly luxurious experience, you can even fly in a private plane that has a bedroom. Imagine how much fun that will be for takeoff and landings!

Private aircraft charter flights also provide many in-flight amenities that allow you to either relax in total comfort, work on business or both. The relaxation is easy when you’ll only be flying with a handful of other folks that might even be of your own choosing. If a flight attendant is on board, they will be serving you directly throughout the entire flight. You can also watch DVDs or satellite TV on a wide screen set. For business travelers you can find hook up for fax machines, copiers, Wi-Fi and pretty much any other piece of office equipment you might need. There is no other way to describe it: Executive jet charter is the only way to fly!

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Display Your Collections Proudly

In some way we are all collectors. We collect the furniture we live with. We collect the clothes we wear. We also collect all kinds of papers, books and other mementoes of our lives. Then there are the serious collectors who go outside of the basics to acquire those special one-of-a-kind items. These items either serve as a reminder of a cherished memory or as a viable investment. Collections like these come in all shapes and sizes. The issue then becomes how is the best way to put these collectables on display in order for you to enjoy every day? Actually, there’s a simple solution to that and that would be with custom design jersey display cases and flag cases.

Sports memorabilia is a fast-growing subsection of the collectibles market. It’s one thing to buy a mass-market jersey of your favorite basketball, football or baseball star. Those are the types of jerseys you might wear to sporting events and to show off your home team pride. However, when you can find a jersey that has actually been worn by the player and then is autographed by that same player then you have got yourself a valuable collectible. Jerseys are so commonplace among sports teams that it’s not unusual for an athlete to give them out as special gifts or trophies to fans. These are not jerseys you want to wear to the next sporting event because they’re just too valuable. They should be well taken care of in jersey display cases.

The design of many jersey display cases are the same. Usually you’ll have the jersey properly mounted on some sort of velvet or felt backboard and then encased with in an acrylic box. This will allow you to enjoy looking at your jersey collection at any time safe in the knowledge that these jersey display cases are preventing UV rays, dust or other harmful elements from taking a toll on your collectible.

While it is true that many jersey display cases are standard you could also have custom-made cases created for your entire collection. Instead of showcasing just one jersey you could conceivably have one case for an entire starting lineup of jerseys. That would be an incredible showcase for a wall in your home.
The other thing you want to consider when shopping for jersey display cases is the kind of access you might want for your memorabilia. In other words, should this case be locked like a window or situated or as a kind of enclosed box frame? Your decision could be based on the decor of the room where you’ll be hanging up these cases. Just consider all your options before making the final choice.

When it comes to protecting special commemorative flags you should also consider the same kind of safeguard with flag cases. Often these are flags hold special meaning for a family as they have been presented at the funeral of a fallen hero. Flag cases like these would make a very thoughtful gift for a family that would like to preserve this special flag. No matter what type of collectible you have the last thing you want to do is keep it tucked away in a box!

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Streamlining Your Business Travel Time

When you are traveling for business, it is most likely that you do not have time to waste. You need to get yourself from one meeting to another without having to miss any time that is needed to spend on business. Having a streamlined travel plan is the most effective way to stay on top of meeting schedules and deadlines. Commercial transportation today can be bogged down by long check in lines and security. It is important that you be prepared as much as possible.

The most important thing for any business traveler to do is to pack well. If you are only going for a quick over-night trip, one carry-on bag should be sufficient. This is ideal for checking in and getting to your destination quickly. If you don’t have to waste time waiting for luggage, you have already won half the battle.

When you book your flights, fly from regional airports if it all possible. Smaller airports tend to save you time in comparison to major international airports. Traffic, check-in and security will be much faster, giving you more time to spend working and less time standing around the airport waiting hours in advance. Depending on your company’s travel budget, you may want to look into direct flights, which will save you tons of time or even booking an executive jet charter. The ability to charter a private jet will offer you many conveniences in comparison to commercial transportation.

However, if you decide to fly you will want to check-in online. Online check-in is an added bonus, which should allow you to go straight to security, and not have to wait in check –in lines. If you are bringing more than a carry-on, you may have the option of curbside check-ins, which tends to help speed up the process. Frequent flier programs can also get you through this check-in process faster as well. As a business traveler, signing up for a frequent flier program is an absolute must. Most programs give frequent fliers designated access to security and check-in lines.

Once you are in the air, have everything you need, ready and prepared for landing. Make sure you have printed out directions and car rental information if you are not being picked up by a driver. The last thing you want to do is fumble with maps and not have any clue about the direction you are going. Research rental companies so that you know who is closest to the airport and who is most convenient. If renting a car is something that your company always has you do, become a member of an auto loyalty program. This will speed up your pick-up and drop off time.

As a business traveler, you want to be able to focus on your job and not have to waste any unnecessary time traveling. By using some of these tips, you can create a plan that will get you through any airport and car rental company in no time.

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Figure Out Your Partnership

Running a business as a sole proprietor can be hugely rewarding, but at the same time it is very stressful. Finding other avenues through which the stress can be shared is something you should look at if you are in this situation. However, turning your business into a company with directors and such may not be an option for you. In this situation, you can possibly look at a business partnership.

However, partnerships are always fragile and have a great potential to go belly up somewhere down the line. To avoid this you can put some safeguards in place. The best time to do that is at the very beginning when the partnership is being formed. Putting in a partnership agreement or contract at this stage is the prudent thing to do. Here are some factors that should be included in the contract.

1. How this partnership will function
2. Who takes care of what and what each person’s responsibilities are
3. What role will each partner play in the business
4. How will the profits be shared amongst you
5. What are the targets or goals of this partnership
6. Why are you coming together for this partnership

By answering or not answering all these questions, you will get a better picture of whether this partnership will succeed or not. After all, it is better to have disputes before anything begins rather than have problems some time down the line.

Finally, you should always seek legal help when putting contracts together. That way you can discover all the pitfalls and liabilities that await you, in the event that something does go wrong.

Actively Engaged Employees

In any company there are three types of employees: the ones who care, the ones who really don’t give a toss and those who are unsatisfied with everything. In business terms these three are known as

1. Actively engaged employees
2. Not engaged employees
3. Actively disengaged employees

As a manager of a company, the first type is what you should strive towards fostering. Actively engaged employees actually care about the company and where it is going. They realize that company growth means better benefits and perks for them. Therefore they work harder and interact better with customers. The overall effect is very positive and very beneficial to the company.

The second type is a group of people who can be converted to the first type, with a little bit of effort. You must focus on this group as there is a very real danger of them sliding into the third group. That group is comprised of the dissenters and the naysayers. You can’t avoid having the third type of group, as they are present in any medium/ big company. The best you can do is ensure that their percentage is very small.

To improve on the first category, build up the morale in your company. Get to know your employees better and build a better workplace for them. Find out their issues and rectify them immediately or explain to them why it can’t be done and when it will be. Having an open relationship will help foster better trust and understanding between you and your employees. Ultimately this will have a beneficial impact on your business.

Presentation Do Nots

• Do not depend on bullet points – the worst presenters simply read every single word on the screen. The presentation is used almost like bunch of notes, instead of a tool to convey a message designed to interest the audience. Relying on bullet points makes the presenter almost robotic. Here is what you could do instead:
o Approach the presentation from an entirely different angle. Keep your audience in suspense, keep them guessing. Do not go off on a tangent and then lost the plot, which will only make your audience wonder if they missed something.
o Have variety – throw in some interesting pictures or cartoons. Put together a presentation that really stands out.
o Readable – ensure that your audience is able to follow the flow of your presentation. The text on your slides must be easy to read. Keep it absolutely simple.
• Do not make it boring – if your presentation suffers from lack of interest or humour – then you have probably lost your audience after the first few slides. As a presenter, you do not have to be poker-faced or newscaster-like.
o Engage someone in your office who is creative and funny. Ask him to help you with your presentation. Make it interesting, entertaining and most importantly – memorable.
• Do not state the obvious – it really is a waste of time for your audience to listen to you drone on about stuff they already know. Everyone wants to listen to someone with new ideas, someone who has something different to say, something insightful. Make your presentation unique.
• Do not use conflicting image types – if you have chosen to use black and white pictures, then, stick with it. If your presentation calls for cartoons, then so be it. God forbid that you mix up black and white, with retro to clip art [do not ever use it] and thus, end up having a presentation which seems visually confused.
• Do not forget to proofread your presentation – if you do not trust yourself to proofread your presentation, then, get someone else competent enough. The slightest error could put all your hard work into jeopardy.

Effies 2010

The 2010 Effie Awards concluded this week with BBDO and DDB topping the awards. Both agencies, part of the Omnicom Group earned 11 awards each.

BBDO’s awards were won for campaigns done for Starbucks, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and ING. The former two campaigns were done by the BBDO New York while the campaign done for ING was formulated by the agency’s office in Atlanta.

Campaigns for Extra, The Field Museum and Klondike, all created by DDB won top spot at the Effies this year.
Six Effies were won by Frito-Lay, with Unilever winning four, making them the top marketers at the awards ceremony. Frito-Lay’s campaign ‘Only in a woman’s world’ and Lay’s ‘Happiness is simple’ won top spot while Unilevers ‘Soap Scum’ campaign for Dove and ‘The making of a manly lotion’ for Vaseline won as well.

OMD and Mindshare were amongst the media agencies to be well recognized for its work done over the past year. OMD won two awards as the lead agency, and was also credited as being the media partner on fifteen other campaigns. Mindshare partnered on eleven campaigns with other agencies, and also won two trophies. Starcom MediaVest Group won one trophy, while being a media partner on 11 Effie award-winning campaigns.
The Grand Effie is to be announced at a gala, which will be held in New York on June 8, 2010. The panel of judges includes some top names in integrated communications, digital and marketing.