Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has been killed after being shot twice at a political campaign event.
Shinzo Abe, 67, was in the process of giving a speech when a gunman attacked him from behind.
The event was taking place in the southern city of Nara. The former prime minister was making a campaign speech outside a railway station for Kei Sato, an incumbent member of the upper house of parliament.
Image source kremlin.ru
Kei Sato is standing for the ruling party, the Liberal Democrats, in elections for the Upper House scheduled for July 10.
The above image shows Shinzo Abe stepping up to make his speech as aides applaud.
But they are seemingly unaware of another figure in the background, a casually dressed youngish man with a black cross-body bag.
At 11:30 local time footage of the event shows the man moving forward, minutes after the former prime minister starts his speech. Shots ring out and Shinzo Abe falls to the ground, visibly bleeding.
As terrified spectators duck down, security officials tackle the 41-year-old suspect, who makes no attempt to run. They wrestle him to the ground and take him into custody.
Bystanders care for Shinzo Abe as he lies bleeding and he is airlifted to Nara Medical University Hospital for treatment. Media reports say he is able to speak in the minutes after the attack but subsequently loses consciousness.
The former prime minister was in cardiac arrest on arrival at the hospital. Unsuccessful attempts were made to resuscitate him and he was given a blood transfusion, but was pronounced dead at 17:03.
Doctors say he received two wounds that damaged an artery, and suffered major heart damage.
Both wounds were deep, and blood loss was the cause of death, they add.
No bullets were found during surgery.
Eyewitnesses say they saw the man carrying what they describe as a large gun and firing twice at Shinzo Abe from behind.
The weapon, which was reportedly a handmade gun, was seized when the suspected attacker was arrested. Strict firearms laws in Japan make purchasing a gun extremely difficult.
The suspect has been identified as Nara resident Tetsuya Yamagami. Local media reports say he is believed to be a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japan’s equivalent of a navy.
When questioned, he said he had been “dissatisfied” with Shinzo Abe and had intended to kill him.
Media reports say that an explosives team later raided the suspect’s house to gather evidence.
It is unclear how the suspect came to know about Shinzo Abe’s attendance at the rally as it was confirmed only late on Thursday night.
UK’s PM Boris Johnson has announced he is quitting as leader of the Conservative Party after a perilous few days in office.
The crisis engulfing Boris Johnson’s premiership escalated on July 5, following the dramatic resignations of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
Boris Johnson intends to stay as an interim leader but pressure is mounting on him to stand down immediately.
He assured cabinet this afternoon he would only act as a caretaker PM while remaining in position, new Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland said.
Now that Boris Johnson has resigned, the Conservative Party will need to choose a new leader. The winner of that contest will become the next PM.
The new PM would not be obliged to call an early election – but could do so if they wished.
When Gordon Brown took over from Labor prime minister Tony Blair in 2007, for example, he did not hold an early election.
If a PM wants an early election they need to make a “request” to the Queen to dissolve Parliament – the official term for closing Parliament in order to hold an election.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters and onlookers at the lectern outside 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson said: “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister.”
Boris Johnson’s resignation brings an abrupt end to a tumultuous tenure that was distinguished by the landslide victory three years ago and a successful drive to pull Britain out of the European Union, but that collapsed under the weight of a relentless series of scandals.
The 1922 Committee, the powerful body that represents Conservative Party backbench lawmakers, is likely to use the summer vacation to complete the process of selecting the new Conservative Party leader who will become prime minister. At the very latest, they will want to have installed the person by the time of the annual party conference in the fall.
Among the potential candidates are Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid; Liz Truss, the foreign secretary; Suella Braverman, the attorney general; and Nadhim Zahawi, who briefly replaced Mr. Sunak as chancellor. There are also two outsiders: Jeremy Hunt, a former foreign secretary who challenged Boris Johnson for the party leadership in 2019; and Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
President Joe Biden has called for a three-month suspension of the federal gasoline tax in response to the country’s soaring energy prices.
The average cost of a gallon of gas, or petrol, is hovering near $5, up from roughly $3 a year ago.
With national elections for Congress coming in November, President Biden is under pressure to respond.
Analysts say that removing the levy would have limited impact on household petrol and diesel costs.
Political support for the gas tax holiday, which would require an act of Congress, is also uncertain.
President Biden said policymakers should do what is in their power to try to ease the strain on families, calling on companies to pass on “every penny” in savings to the public.
“I fully understand that a gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem,” he said.
“But it will provide families some immediate relief, just a little bit of breathing room as we continue working to bring down prices for the long haul”.
Photo AP
Currently, the US imposes a tax of roughly 18 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24 cents on diesel, using the money collected to help pay for highway infrastructure.
Eliminating the levy through September, as President Biden has proposed, would cost the government an estimated $10 billion.
The move is the latest effort from countries around the world to address the soaring energy costs.
Oil prices have surged since last year, as demand outstrips supplies constrained by cuts that many firms made after the pandemic hit in 2020 and prompted demand to crater.
As the war in Ukraine pushes Western countries to shun oil from Russia – a major energy producer – that has also contributed to the crunch.
The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers industry group said a gas tax holiday would provide “near-term relief but it won’t solve the root of the issue – the imbalance in supply and demand for petroleum products”.
President Biden has already taken steps like releasing unprecedented amounts of oil from national stockpiles and lifting taxes on imports of solar panels.
As well as suspending the national gasoline tax, President Biden is urging similar steps by state governments, which typically impose their own taxes, often higher than the federal government’s.
Some states, including New York, have already suspended those charges.
The president, who has intensified his criticism of oil and gas companies in recent weeks, also called on the industry to increase output and refining capacity, while directing some of his pleas to gas station owners across the country.
“These are not normal times,” he said, pointing to the war in Ukraine and noting that oil prices have retreated from earlier highs.
“Bring down the cost at the pump to reflect the price you are paying for the product. Do it now, do it today”.
The price of gasoline in the US is already lower than in many other countries.
Those who have been around the foreign exchange trading block for a while will no doubt be aware that the Japanese yen has long since had a reputation for being a rock-solid currency. In recent years, it has developed a reputation for being one of the world’s “safe havens,” a currency that investors turned to whenever the going got tough.
However, there has been a range of upsets in recent months as the currency has reached new lows. This blog post will explore why this has happened and examine what the broader context looks like for the currency.
As any forex trader should know, staying on top of the latest forex news using a reputable site like LeapRate is an excellent idea – not least because it can give you the background to interesting developments like this one, the largely unexpected weakening of the formerly “safe haven” Japanese yen.
The yen has suffered from huge dips recently. Charts show that the yen reached its worst position in 24 years this month. This comes against a complicated backdrop of other problems for the Japanese economy, including the Nikkei stock exchange – which was down by 3% at one stage during the day. The index usually performs better when the yen is struggling due to Japan’s large number of exports. The Japanese government is now being called upon to tighten its monetary policy.
The reasons why
The reasons for this are complex, although one is that competition from other currencies has been high. The US dollar has been surging recently, and some investors have been moving away from the yen to get a slice of greenback action. Interest rates have been hiked up in the US due to various problems, including the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic – with policymakers looking to encourage investors and spenders to behave in certain ways. The knock-on effect for the dollar has been to rise in value.
Another reason for the yen’s problems is that the aforementioned monetary policy in Japan has been loosened to a great degree in recent times. Unlike many other central banks, the Bank of Japan decided in April this year to keep low-interest rates in place. Short-term interest rates in the country still sit at -0.1%, which is almost unheard of elsewhere in the world. That arguably has positive effects in other ways, but it’s not great news for the currency. It even appears that the Bank of Japan may stick to this plan no matter what happens to inflation – news which could fill yen investors with horror.
In sum, the Japanese yen has clearly suffered in recent times. The currency has plummeted to its worst performance in 20 years and has lost out mainly to the US dollar – despite its previous status as a “safe haven.” As this article has shown, there has been a whole host of reasons for this – and investors need to make sure they know the reasons why.
People are always going to need real estate agents, and finding a good one who will understand exactly what they need and apply it to proactively making it a reality is one of the most important deciding factors in choosing the right agent.
But what exactly makes a good and successful real estate agent? It’s a combination of skills and personality that not everyone has. But if you possess these rare but extremely valuable qualities, you may want to know a little more about what a career in this industry entails.
One of the reasons that businesses like Compass Realty can provide a seamless and simple experience in the real estate sector for their clients is due to the quality of their agents. What are those qualities? And does it sound like an ideal career path that suits your skillsets?
Image source: PxHere
Do you like constantly working with new people?
As soon as you’re done helping someone achieve their dreams, the next person will come along. Your day is filled with meeting buyers, sellers, and viewers while getting everyone on the same page. To do that well, you’ll need to relish interacting with new people every single day.
Can you multitask well?
Interacting with all of these people while keeping up with the latest market activities requires the ability to multitask. Not just for one day, but every single day. You’ll juggle admin tasks, bookings, and updating your clients constantly on the next steps of the purchase or sale.
Do you like a job that offers variety?
Real estate isn’t for people who like to do exactly the same thing every day. One minute you’ll be at your desk, and the next you’ll be preparing properties for viewings and fielding inquiries from interested parties.
Are you an ambitious person?
When it comes to jobs for ambitious people, the career of a real estate agent offers many opportunities in terms of personal satisfaction and job success. If you believe that hard work and dedication should be rewarded, your ambitions are likely to be recognized in the property industry.
Are you a good listener?
The life of a real estate agent involves a great deal of talking, negotiating, and explaining the benefits and unique selling points of a property to others. But there’s an invaluable skill that’s even more important than talking – the ability to listen.
If you’re able to fully understand exactly what each new client wants, they’ll find the process of listing, selling, or buying a home much easier. A client who is heard is a grateful client who is more likely to recommend an agent to others.
Do you like helping other people?
If the idea of meeting families and individuals who need help finding their new home or starting a new chapter in life by selling a current one sounds good, you’ll be in your element with real estate.
From that very first meeting with a new client to the final deal being signed, real estate agents work diligently to help others and take a great deal of pride in playing a small part in giving others their ideal happy ending.
When was the last time you looked at your bank balance? We’ve all been struggling during the pandemic, but it’s finally coming to an end. If you want to safeguard your future, you’ll need to start growing an emergency fund.
Most people will find it very hard to save money, especially if they don’t earn much. You should use helpful apps if you fall into that category. Let’s look at some of the best ones you should download as soon as possible.
“If you look after the pennies, the pounds look after themselves.” It’s a popular phrase that tells you to start saving loose change, which isn’t easy with physical money. You spend everything that’s sitting in your pocket.
Ooins is different because it’s an app that links to your bank account. When you buy something, it rounds it up to the nearest dollar, so $3.75 becomes $4. The extra 0.25 cents goes into account along with all your other change.
2. Mint
Mint is probably the biggest personal finance app on the market. If you take out bad credit loans from Magical Credit, you should add them to the app. You need to link your debit and credit cards to your account too.
Once you’ve added everything to the app, it will trace every penny you spend. It will give you advice to help eliminate your nasty spending habits. You’ll even get reminders when you need to pay important bills.
3. Digit
I’m sure your spending habits would improve if a financial expert followed you around every day. You’ll experience the same thing once you download the Digit app. It will learn about you by analyzing your bank transactions.
If you have a personal loan, it will work out how to pay it off effectively. It can move money into separate accounts based on the goals you set. You’ll reach your goals much faster when Digit gives you a helping hand.
4. Qapital
Qapital lets you save a little cash every time you trigger a particular rule. For example, it will put a certain percentage of your income into another account. It can move money out of your account every day or week.
You will have complete flexibility to choose how and when it saves money, and it will always be accessible if you’re desperate. If you forget about the app, you’ll get a nice surprise when you finally check your savings.
5. Halfdollar
Some people work more than one job to put food on the table. It’s easy to get a job driving for Uber at night if you need more money. It’s possible to earn a little cash by uploading YouTube videos or posting Instagram photos.
Halfdollar is great at keeping track of income coming in from multiple places, plus it will know when anything leaves your bank accounts. You will save money if the total income is greater than your expenses.
One App Can Work Wonders
You won’t need to download all these finance apps to achieve great results. The right app could help you save money easily, which will change your life forever.
As an entrepreneur, you know how exciting it can be to start your own successful business venture. After years of working for a company and putting endless hours into work that had no meaning, you felt the calling to be your own boss. You began to imagine a world where you could chart your own course in life, where you could tap into your creativity and birth a brilliant idea that would bring you success in the marketplace.
Then, step by step, you put effort into your new idea and watched it take shape and form. As part of birthing your new venture, you quickly discovered that streamlining your operations is one of the keys to ongoing success. You also discovered that leveraging the following important tools is the best way of ensuring sustainable growth.
QuickBooks Accounting Software
When you are creating a new company it’s easy to get swept away in the numerous responsibilities and demands for your attention. And there are common small business accounting mistakes you can easily make if you are not careful. Unlike the corporate world where every company has a large support staff, as a new owner, every key decision will cross your desk. It’s tempting to skip important building blocks so you can get to exciting things like sales, but you want to make sure you are setting things up for long-term prosperity.
As part of this, it’s important to take the time to set up and install accounting software that will let you manage your operations. QuickBooks provides a comprehensive solution for financial management, inventory, billing, budgeting and expense tracking. It gives you all the tools you need to manage the fiscal health of your company.
Human Resources Software
It’s not unusual for large firms to have HR departments with lots of employees. As an entrepreneur, though, you have to take a more spartan approach. Fortunately, there are many different Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings that provide all the functionality required to manage your HR needs.
The packages are easy to set up, and don’t require an IT department to keep them up and running. These tools will help you streamline operations by putting maintenance of your data into the hands of each employee. With a Human Resources SaaS solution, you’ll be able to manage employee records, handle hiring and onboarding, and accurately track time reporting and paid time off.
Fleet Management Tools
If you operate multiple vehicles and trucks as part of your business, you understand that fleet management is an expensive juggling act. To truly stay on top of things, you need tools that give you a window of visibility into what is really going on. With new vehicle prices rising and gas prices close to an all-time high, operational costs can soar if you don’t get this area under control.
Fleet management tools let you track all of your vehicles using real-time GPS data so you will always know where your mobile assets are. In addition, you can help assure on time delivery of your products when you take advantage of the dispatching and routing functionality that is part of the system. You’ll also be able to use the tools to streamline operations and identify cost-saving opportunities.
Email Marketing Automation Tool
It takes work to fill your sales pipeline with prospects, and to convert potential buyers into customers. Email marketing automation tools can help you manage this process. When someone visits your website, calls in for more information or responds to one of your special offers, you’ll want to begin to nurture them along the sales journey. With email marketing automation, you can set up drip campaigns that give your prospects the information they need to make a purchase decision. Best of all, these campaigns are fully automated so they keep the process going without taking up time and effort from your sales staff.
Project and Task Management Tools
To truly keep on top of everything that is happening in the organization, you’ll want to set up powerful, yet easy to use, project and task management software. These offerings allow you to quickly track an ongoing project, assign tasks to individuals and teams, and monitor where things stand. With the right tools, you’ll be able to leverage the power of more agile teams and stay on top of all the open tasks. These SaaS offerings will help you streamline your business operations and run your projects efficiently.
You want your employees to feel comfortable at work. However, they will only be productive if they feel well. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to ensure they don’t stress out. But, of course, you can’t prevent them from feeling terrible. Sometimes, the nature of the job can be exhausting, and employees stress out. Here are some tips to help them get through the challenges of their job.
Have a private conversation
If you notice that your employees don’t feel okay, it’s time to have a private conversation. They reflect it through their behaviour or work quality. If you know that something stresses them out, this conversation will help. Perhaps, they need someone to talk to. Relieving them of the stress through small talk can go a long way.
Settle conflicts
Once you start sensing conflicts among your employees, you have to step in. You might also receive reports about employees not getting along. You don’t want to wait until things worsen before doing anything. These issues can escalate and prevent everyone from doing a great job. You can ask for a meeting among the parties involved. You may also implement new rules to ensure that personal matters don’t adversely impact work.
Don’t overburden some employees
You might feel like some employees do a great job and want them to do more. While it can be flattering, it can also be stressful. Don’t burden a few employees in favour of the others. You may also work with third parties for some events. For instance, you can work with a funfair hire company for an upcoming corporate event. You don’t have to choose among your employees to take the leadership role, especially if they already have a lot on their plate.
Never micromanage
You could be the reason for the employees’ stress. You keep showing up to correct the smallest details. You also tell everyone what to do and do not give enough breathing space. While you think you’re helping them excel, it’s the other way around. Your constant presence prevents creativity and independence. You can show leadership skills without micromanaging.
Show appreciation
It pains employees to work hard and feel like no one sees their hard work. Therefore, you must show appreciation whenever possible. It could be through a small note placed on their desks. You can also send a congratulatory message through emails. A promotion or salary bump would be great for employees who did an excellent job. There are different ways to express appreciation, and your goal is to make everyone feel seen. Sometimes, your acknowledgment is good enough to reduce work-related stress.
Again, it’s natural to feel stressed out at work. You have to help your employees who go through a lot. They also have other problems back home. A few changes at work can relieve them of their burden. Besides, you want everyone to perform well. With constant stress, your employees will be unable to carry out their responsibilities.
Advertising is a powerful tool for businesses. It helps them reach potential customers and increase sales, promote their brand and gain attention for all the right reasons. Tagline marketing can be a particularly effective advertising technique – but just what do we mean by this, and why does it work so well? Let’s take a closer look.
What Is Tagline Advertising?
Tagline advertising refers to the use of short phrases or slogans that are often used as part of an ad’s copy or headline. They’re typically used in ads that have a strong visual element such as TV commercials, radio spots, print advertisements, and billboards. The most famous tagines are those that you instantly connect with a brand or product – we all know where “The happiest place on Earth” is, or which brand is advertising when they say “Just Do It”. The goal for businesses is to create an instantly recognizable phrase or slogan, which allows them to communicate effectively with customers.
Why Does Tagline Advertising Work So Well?
The reason why tagline advertising works so well is because people respond to things that they recognize. A tagline is something that everyone understands immediately, and therefore has a much higher chance of connecting with your target audience. This makes it a very effective way of communicating with consumers, especially if you want to get across a specific message quickly.
Some of the main reasons that tagline advertising works so well include:
You can make a connection with your audience almost instantly.
With a short, sharp tagline, you are creating an instant connection with your audience, making it easier for them to remember the message you’re trying to convey.
You can stand out from other competitors.
By using a memorable tagline, you’ll be able to attract more attention than your competition. If you’re looking to sell products online in a crowded or saturated market, then having a catchy tagline could be crucial to getting noticed.
You can easily incorporate your tagline into any communication medium
If you’re planning on running your own campaign, then you can easily add your tagline to any promotional material that you send out. For example, if you’re promoting a new website design, then you can simply add your tagline to the top of your homepage, or use it as a hashtag on social media.
You don’t need to spend too much money on advertising
One of the biggest advantages of taglines is that they cost less than many other forms of advertising. With a simple tagline, you won’t need to invest a huge amount of money to get your message across.
You can create a unique experience for your customer.
A great tagline can also help you create a unique experience for the consumer. By adding a tagline to your site, you can encourage users to take action, and give them a sense of urgency.
Why Wait?
Adding a tagline to your advertising campaign can be a great way to get your message out there, connect with customers, and boost your profits. With all these benefits in mind, now is the time to get creative!
The world of finance is difficult to get into and manoeuvre around to your advantage. No matter what business you operate, there are going to be times when you make more money than you expected. However, what about the times when you get a false positive? Your first instinct may be that there is some fraudulent activity going on that you feel unsure about. So, what is a false positive and how will it affect the overall journey for your customers? That’s what we are going to find out below.
What is a false positive in finance?
When a false positive appears, it’s since the business suspects an order is not quite what it seems. In fact, it’s very likely that an act of fraud has occurred. Therefore, it makes sense that the order has been declined. The business does not want to become the victim of fraud. Ultimately, it can be a risk to decline any type of order. After all, it’s extremely hard to know whether it is legitimate. If it is legitimate, then you will simply be declining an order which can reduce sales. Ultimately, this could mean that you are not only losing revenue, but customers in the future.
How does a false positive affect a customer’s journey?
It’s normal that your customer will go through a 5-step journey before they interact with your business. This will include creating an account or logging into an account. They will also show that they have the intention to buy from you by placing an order into their cart. However, if their card transaction fails, it’s likely that they will not be interested in making an order in the future. Therefore, you have potentially lost a customer, as well as any revenue that they planned on spending. Not only does this mean that there are wasted acquisition costs, but it will ultimately damage your brand as a whole.
Image source Max Pixel
What can you do to reduce false positives?
Unfortunately, false positives are a part of business that you will need to try and take care of as well as you can. To understand which sales are genuine and which are false, you will have to keep an eye on your customers to understand their spending habits. Most businesses rely on customers to contact them about false positives, but you may also see genuine buyers try to purchase your products for a second time.
You can help reduce false positives by:
Becoming more aware that not all false positives are examples of fraud
Using AI, Machine learning and automated payment software, like Xelix
Establishing the identity of your customers to prevent fraud
Do you know what to do about false positives?
If you have opened a business, it’s crucial that you understand as much as you can about false positives. They can impact your sales and cause you to struggle with retaining your loyal customers. Thus, with the information in this guide, you will be able to future proof your business and mitigate this risk. The more you understand about your false positives, the more you can increase the amount of business you receive.
McDonald’s Russia has found a buyer for its local business, after the war in Ukraine pushed it to quit the country.
Alexander Govor, who currently operates 25 McDonald’s restaurants in Siberia, will take on the company’s restaurants and staff, operating them under a new brand, the fast food giant said.
The firm did not disclose the sale price, but has warned investors it would take a more than $1 billion hit from the exit.
McDonald’s had operated in Russia for more than 30 years.
The opening of its first restaurant in Moscow in 1990 came to symbolise a thaw in Cold War tensions.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia opened up its economy to companies from the West. More than three decades later, however, it is one of a growing number of corporations pulling out as the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions make it difficult to operate.
McDonald’s, which had nearly 850 restaurants in the country, most of them directly owned, said it expected the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, to close in coming weeks.
Alexander Govor has been a licensee of McDonald’s since 2015. He is also co-founder of Neftekhimservice, a refining company, and a board member of another firm that owns the Park Inn hotel and private clinics in Siberia.
Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said the deal was the result of a “long and difficult” negotiation process and the government would provide Alexander Govor with all the necessary assistance to set up operations.
The terms provide for McDonald’s 62,000 staff in Russia to be retained for at least two years, with their existing pay and Alexander Govor will pay the salaries of corporate staff in Russia until the deal is completed.
McDonald’s will retain its trademark in Russia, it said, while the restaurants will be stripped of their menu, logo and other branding.
Announcing plans for the sale earlier this week, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski called the decision “extremely difficult”.
“However, we have a commitment to our global community and must remain steadfast in our values. And our commitment to our values means that we can no longer keep the arches shining there,” he said.
McDonald’s suspended operations at the restaurants it owned in Russia in March, citing the “humanitarian crisis” and “unpredictable operating environment” caused by the Ukraine war.
The move drew outrage among Russian politicians and prompted threats the business would be seized.
A patent application for an “Uncle Vanya” restaurant chain was filed with Russian authorities shortly after. The name, the same as the famous work by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, was one of several brand knock-offs of Western companies to surface.
In 2021, Russia and Ukraine accounted for about 9% of McDonald’s revenue.
The move by McDonald’s came after French carmaker Renault sold its majority stake in carmaker Aftovaz to a state research institute for a symbolic sum, while its Renault Russia business was taken over by the city of Moscow. Manufacturing at the Renault plant is expected to resume under a Soviet-era brand.
Elon Musk has announced that his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter is on hold after he queried the number of fake or spam accounts on the social media platform.
The world’s richest man tweeted: ”Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users.”
Even before his comments, Twitter’s stock had been selling for less than the $54.20 per share Elon Musk has offered, a sign that the markets were not convinced he would complete the buyout.
He has been vocal about “defeating the spam bots”, identifying it as a key goal following his planned takeover of the company.
Twitter has long faced accusations of not doing enough to address automated, fake accounts posting content.
In a filing more than two weeks ago, Twitter estimated that fake accounts accounted for fewer than 5% of its daily active users during the first three months of this year. It cautioned that the figures were based on estimates and could be higher.
Those claims were not different from what the firm had shared in previous disclosures.
Weeks of market turmoil in the US have wiped billions off the value of many companies – including once favored tech firms.
Tesla, the electric car company where Elon Musk serves as chief executive, has also seen its shares plunge – a hit to Elon Musk, whose status as the world’s richest person is bound up in his stake in the company and who had planned to rely on his shares to help finance the Twitter purchase.
Last month, he raised $8.5 billion by selling shares. He also planned to use the shares to secure $6.5 billion in loans.
After Elon Musk tweeted that the deal was temporarily on hold, Tesla’s share price gained more than 5%.
If you are considering buying or selling a property anytime soon then you will want to find a reputable broker who can help guide you through the process and help you navigate the world of real estate. A company that has really made a mark on the industry in the past ten years is Compass Real Estate. Despite the fact that some people have been asking “are the company in trouble?” you can find from looking at their history, values, and reviews that they can help you complete your transaction without issue.
One major concern for people when looking for a reliable real estate company is whether or not the company operates legitimately. When looking to team up with a company you are unfamiliar with you might start to worry about whether it is reputable or if it is possibly a pyramid scheme. This is especially relevant if you are new to real estate trading as it can be difficult to navigate an industry you have no experience in. Whilst there are some companies out there that operate unscrupulously, Compass prides itself on its integrity and honesty.
They work as a broker for real estate agents and this allows them to earn a commission for the work they have undertaken on closing sales. Despite the fact that much of the work Compass does is undertaken online, they actually have approximately 300 physical offices located across the United States. This means that if you choose to, you can visit them in person to discuss your needs.
Compass is a relatively new company and has only been in operation for approximately a decade, but they do have a great number of success stories under its belt. Their great success and massive growth over the years can be attributed to the unique way in which they operate – the hybrid of cutting-edge technology and traditional real estate techniques. In addition to the large number of sales they have made, they have also gained a few awards over the years. They have received two Webby Awards, one for Websites and Mobile Sites and another in the Real Estate 2019 category. They also held on to the title of People’s Voice Winner for websites and mobile sites for two years in a row.
A notable quality of Compass Real Estate is the values that the CEO, Robert Reffkin, brings to the table. Reffkin is an influential PoC making a name for himself in the industry whilst also helping to raise over $1 million for charity through competing in marathons across all 50 states. He even set up his own charity! For this reason alone, many people find that they choose Compass simply because of the impressive and inspirational role model that runs the company based on his own high moral values.
Despite the fact that Compass Real Estate is not a long-running business, they have proven their value and made great leaps and bounds since its inception. Due to their success over the years as well as their ability to use a purpose-built mobile app, and merge in-person and online communication, then they may very well be the right company for you.
Candlestick patterns are one of the essential ways used to study the market. There are several types of candlestick patterns that traders study to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions. Mat hold candlestick patterns represent the directional trend of stocks or commodities.
A mat hold pattern can either be bullish when the market is declining or bearish when there is a significant upswing. Let’s read on to understand more about mat hold patterns, their different types, and ways you could use the pattern to your benefit.
The pattern starts with a bullish or bearish trend on day one. The next three days will show a trend opposite to the directional trend of the first day. Lastly, the fifth day mimics the trends of the first day, pushing in the same direction. The mat hold pattern is a dependable indicator seen in market analysis but most of the time, seeing the pattern is rare as it does not appear more often.
Due to its rarity, mat hold patterns are sometimes confused with the rising-three indicator. Still, mat hold patterns are used to predict how long would the market uptrend last. To better understand these patterns, try looking for examples of bullish and bearish trends so you can easily identify these patterns on a chart.
Bearish Mat Hold Patterns
Bearish mat hold candlesticks present as a 5-candle pattern that appears during a rising market. This pattern indicates the bearish market is turning stagnant and will most likely fall down after the pause. As mentioned above, it will be easy to identify a bearish mat hold pattern as the first and last candles will show a downward trend whereas the middle candlesticks will point towards an uptrend.
Bullish Mat Hold Patterns
Similar to the bearish trend, bullish mat hold patterns are also represented by 5 candlesticks but the first and the last candles show an uptrend while the middle 3 candles show a fall. Bullish patterns come during an uptrend and indicate the market will keep rising.
Inverted Mat Hold Patterns
This pattern is a variation that is represented by 5 candlesticks. The first candle starts with a very bearish trend after which three bullish candles follow. Each of these 3 candlesticks represents a bullish trend that is higher than the previous candle. Lastly, the final candlestick should also point towards a bearish trend.
Identifying The Patterns
The structure of a mat hold is composed of 5 candlesticks each representing a bullish or bearish trend depending on the type of pattern. Studying the mat hold pattern is essential for investors and traders as it provides valuable insights to help you make the right decision. If you are an aspiring trader or investor, doing your homework is crucial as it will assist you in understanding the market trends in a better way.
Bullish Mat Holds
This scenario is generated when there is a market uptrend, influencing more investors to benefit from the rising market. As a result, investors flock in on the rising bullish market. At the same time, investors become concerned about too many investors jumping on the bandwagon, resulting in investors bailing out from their positions. This bailout causes a surge in sell orders all during similar times and influences a bearish trend. However, the last candle starts to take life and moves uptrend, indicating a rise in the market that will move up for quite some time.
Bearish Mat Holds
During bearish mat holds, the market trends are negative, making investors think of hitting lower prices. To save their invested capital, investors turn to sell, resulting in a beamish candle. Due to this selling influx, the market becomes oversold so investors stop selling while waiting and expecting to see a pullback. Now, the bullish trend starts, making three candles show a positive trend. However, in the end, this positive trend fades away, indicating the market to fall down even further.
Advantages of Using Mat Hold Patterns
These patterns are truly beneficial for the trader when used correctly. There is a continuous candlestick pattern that can be identified easily when analyzing market trend charts and providing accurate information. Investors and traders use this pattern as an indicator to join in on the market trends and these mat hold patterns can also be used with other technical analysis tools so you can get the best possible outcomes in terms of making a decision. Following the pattern gives you a success rate of around 70% which is quite promising when trading.
Trading Mat Hold Patterns
As mentioned above, traders who want to join in on an existing trend follow mat hold patterns. They make this decision after extensive evaluation of the market, the influencing factors, and any other aspect that can affect their strategy. Leading traders suggest entering the market and opening a position when there is a 5th candle in place and you have already anticipated the market trend. As you open a position, remember to put a tight stop order in place. Using a stop-loss order ensures you will not be affected by additional losses if the market trends go against the proceedings you anticipated. In forex trading, losing is a part of the game but using trading tools like a stop loss can easily help you to be on the safe side and avoid as much loss as possible.
Trading is all about patience, studying the market, and making the right move at the right time. There is so much that goes into making a successful trader. Most people think of trading as simple as buying at low rates and selling when the market rises for profit. However, it’s not true as an extensive analysis of the market is necessary that cannot be fulfilled by simply buying or selling. To get the most out of your time, consider reviewing the basics and getting familiar with the terminology so you can better understand the terms used, ultimately improving your trading game over time.
With the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic having faded in recent months, you could, as a business owner, once again feel comfortable with the idea of meeting potential clients up close and handing them a physical card as a reminder of your company and how to contact it.
However, one statistic shared by Real Wealth Business suggests that about 90% of all business cards distributed are thrown away within a week. So, the onus is on you doing what you can to make sure your card not only catches the eye but also keeps it for as long as possible.
Go for a colored business card
You might not have realized that a colored business card lasts ten times longer than a standard white business card before being discarded.
Hence, it’s worth taking the time to be creative with your card’s design — especially as, according to another statistic, sales grow by 2.5% for every 2,000 business cards given out.
Remember to include the relevant contact details
While opting for a minimalist look with your card might make it stand out in a sense, you should be wary of stripping away too many elements. Designer and illustrator Sam Hampton-Smith advises in an article for Creative Bloq: “You’ll typically want to include at least a business name, phone number and email address.”
He adds that, depending on exactly what communication channels your business has, you should probably also include a website address, a physical address and social media handles.
Make your business card ‘dual-purpose’
Depending on the industry in which you operate, it could be both wise and clever for you to design your card in such a way that it can also serve as something other than a business card.
Whatever that second purpose is, verify that it is genuinely relevant to your company and its target audience. A card for a drinks seller, for example, could also constitute a bottle opener, while an eco-conscious company could make its business card a packet of seeds.
Image source PxHere
Give your card a custom finish
That way, the person you give the card to could quite literally feel the difference as soon as the item touches their hand. You only get one chance to make a good first impression, as the saying goes…
The various custom finishes from which you could choose include foil blocking, metallic and spot-UV finishes. While adding custom finishes to cards can inflate the cost of creating them, you could allow for long-term savings by buying your own print finishing equipment.
Thoroughly spell-check a card before printing it out
Imagine how your heart could sink if you printed out thousands of cards only to realize a silly spelling error sticking out like a sore thumb on each of them.
Hence, before printing business cards in any design, you should repeatedly go through its text with a fine-tooth comb and potentially also ask someone else to check that copy for you, lest you end up having to reprint the entire batch of cards.
Costa Rica, a North American country, was attacked by Conti ransomware, a large number of systems in multiple ministries were affected and a large number of sensitive data were stolen.
The Ministry of Finance of Colombia was the most severely affected. The theft of taxpayer information caused public panic, and systems such as taxation and customs were paralyzed for several days, resulting in heavy losses in the country’s export business, at least US$200 million.
The Colombian president said the attackers were trying to destabilize the country, alluding to Russia. However, some security experts believe that this is just an ordinary money extortion, simply because the country’s system has too many loopholes.
In the past week, a ransomware attack has paralyzed the computer system of the government of the Republic of Costa Rica (hereinafter referred to as “Costa”) in the North American country (located in Central America). The Colombian government has refused to pay the ransom and is trying to prepare for the potential fallout as malicious hackers begin releasing stolen data.
Conti, a Russian-based ransomware gang, has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Costa Rican government has yet to issue an announcement on the details.
The Ministry of Finance was the worst affected, with systems paralyzed and taxpayer information stolen
The Colombian Ministry of Finance first reported the cyber attack on Monday (April 18). From the collection of taxes and fees to customs exports, many systems under the Treasury Department were affected by the attack. Malicious hackers then targeted other targets, including the Social Security Department’s human resources system and the Department of Labor.
The attack shut down for hours the Treasury Department’s payment system, which covers most of the country’s public officials and also handles government pension payments. The Treasury Department had to approve tax deferrals as payment services were not working properly.
The Conti gang did not disclose the exact amount of the ransom. There were rumors on social media that the hacker gang offered $10 million, but there was no corresponding evidence on the Conti gang website.
“Costa Rica will never pay any ransom to cybercriminals,” said Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alvardao.
Colombian Finance Minister Elian Villegas said on Wednesday (April 20) that hackers accessed “sensitive” taxpayer history information after breaching the finance ministry’s customs platform, without specifying the amount of data leaked.
Colombian companies fear that classified information submitted to the government could be accessed by hacker gangs and then disclosed or misused. Ordinary citizens worry that their personal financial information could be used to hack into their bank accounts.
Platforms such as tax and customs have been suspended for more than 4 days, resulting in heavy losses in export business
According to a Reuters report on April 22, some platforms, including tax and customs, suspended operations for the fourth consecutive day, causing bottlenecks in imports and exports. The Costa Rican Exporters’ Chamber reported a loss of $200 million on Wednesday.
Christian Rucavado, executive director of the chamber, said cyberattacks against customs agencies had already affected the country’s import and export logistics. The goods stranded in the cold storage are slowly decaying. This is a race against time, and the specific economic loss cannot be determined for the time being. Trading operations continue, but at a much slower pace than usual.
Rucavado explained, “Many processes can only be done manually now, and there are delays in work at many border agencies. We have asked the government to take relevant remedial measures, such as extending working hours to ensure that imports and exports are completed in a timely manner.”
He also mentioned that Costa Rica normally exports goods worth $38 million a day.
Attacker with Russian background carried out double extortion
Allan Liska, an analyst at threat intelligence firm Recorded Future, said the Conti gang is carrying out a double extortion: encrypting government documents to disrupt the normal operations of various departments; if no ransom is received, the team publishes the stolen documents on the dark web for extortion sites.
The first point can be solved if these systems have good backups, Liska said, but if the stolen data is highly sensitive, it could be a big problem.
Liska revealed that the Conti gang often rents out its ransomware infrastructure to any “affiliate gang” willing to pay, so the real person behind the attack could come from anywhere in the world.
A year ago, the Conti ransomware attack forced Irish health authorities to shut down IT systems and cancel a large number of appointments, treatments and surgeries.
At the end of February this year, the Conti gang claimed support for Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The move angered an underground hacker sympathetic to Ukraine, a security researcher who claimed to have been monitoring the movements of the Conti gang for a long time, and released a large amount of sensitive data such as Conti’s internal chat records and codes.
President says attackers are trying to destabilize country, security experts think it’s just money extortion
As the country with the most stable political situation, abundant wildlife and beautiful tropical beaches in Central America, why is Costa Rica targeted by hacker gangs? Liska believes it may simply be because there are too many holes in the country’s system. “Hacker gangs hunt for specific vulnerabilities. The most likely guess is that there are a lot of holes in the Colombian government system that ransomware hackers found and decided to attack.”
Brett Callow, a ransomware analyst at Emsisoft, said he had seen a document leaked by Costa Rica’s finance ministry, and “the data in it does appear to be authentic.”
On Friday (April 22), the Conti gang claimed on a dark web blog that 50 percent of the stolen data had been released, including a total of 850 GB of data from the databases of Colombia’s Ministry of Finance and other agencies. “These are good phishing fodder, and hopefully fellow hackers in Costa Rica can use it to make a fortune,” the gang said.
In recent years, network security has gradually become a hot topic. There are many businesses and governments that are also attacked by ransomware. Enterprises and governments should be vigilant, do a good job in data protection and disaster recovery, and use virtual machine backup and other methods to do a good job in data backup.
The decision to seek money from a bank or credit union is not easy, but it is often necessary. This cash injection can help you get back on your feet, sort out your finances, and solve emerging problems. If used responsibly, lån på dagen can help you back on your feet.
Lenders base their decisions on approval on several factors, including credit score and income, employment status, residence stability, liquidity issues, etc. So they need to check your entire financial standings and make sure you can repay the loan at the agreed time.
Banks and other lenders are happy to work with solvent and responsible clients. But if the mentioned parameters are not by their rules, they can reject your application. You might be denied by mistake, for example, because of inaccurate information on your credit report. So you should always discuss that decision with the lender and do double-check.
Know the Reason for Denial
Getting a denial letter can be heartbreaking, especially if you’re a first-time loan applicant. But that shouldn’t discourage you. If your application is declined, you can ask for an explanation. Luckily, there are ways to get around the reasons for this lender’s decision.
Understanding the reasons behind loan denial will help you avoid repeat rejections in the future. Lenders base their decisions on various factors, including your credit score and income. Suppose you have problems with these parameters, but it’s not too urgent for you to take a loan. In that case, it’s always better to improve your overall credit standings than to accept loans under fairly strict conditions.
Improve Your Credit Rating
Most lenders have second thoughts about loan approval if your credit score is below ‘good’ (usually 680). The lower this parameter is, the stricter lending conditions will be. But in most cases, if your score is below 600, it’s considered poor, and your chances for approval are almost none.
Being turned down won’t change your credit score, but your actions after denial will. But hard inquiries will lower your score. Applying for more than one lo in a short period can also affect your score. So try to reduce the number of applications in the next coupanle of months.
Also, your credit score depends on your payment history and behavior toward financial obligations. If you have a record of late or missed payments, it will negatively affect your credit score. So try setting up an autopay for your account.
Unused credit card limits also lower your rating. So if you don’t use your credit cards, lower your limits or start using them. An even better option is to increase your card limit and use two-thirds of it if you can afford that. Then, paying your balance in full each month will significantly boost your credit score.
Look for Credit Report Errors
There are situations when all your financial parameters are good, but you are still denied a loan. There could be some errors or non-updated information that messed everything up. So reach out to credit bureaus to look for possible omissions and fix these mistakes as soon as possible.
There may be information on your report that contradicts the information you provided, such as an incorrect Social Security number or address. These could be computer errors or fraudster actions, which you shouldn’t be held responsible for.
Assess Your Debts and Income
Too much debt is another common reason why lenders deny loan applications. The parameter in question is the debt-to-income ratio. It compares your monthly debt payments to your gross income. When more than 40 percent of your monthly income is burdened with debts, lenders can be wary of your application.
So if you got ‘No’ from a bank or credit union because you have too much debt, you should focus on paying down current accounts and making on-time payments. Try to solve the highest debts first and don’t make new ones, at least for a couple of months. Or, if you can, find ways to increase your income.
Check the following link for more tips on boosting your income:
A secured loan requires you to place some valuable asset as collateral. Lenders suggest these agreements when your financial standings are not perfect, but they seem promising. They use the collateral to recover their losses if you fail to make your payments. But lenders assume that won’t happen.
Most people wouldn’t risk their cars, retirement savings, or anything they pledged because of missed payments. So if you choose this option, get pre-qualified with them so that you can compare their rates and fees. Once you’ve gotten pre-qualified, submit a formal loan application.
Getting a Co-Signer
Lenders could reject your loan because you’ve asked for too much money without cover. So you could get co-signers to reapply. Also, if you’re young and still don’t have a credit rating but can pay your installments on time, a co-signer can help you qualify for a loan. They will also increase your chances of qualifying for a lower interest rate than you can on your own.
Co-signers are something like a financial cushion if you can’t make payments. While this type of agreement lowers the risk to the lender, co-signers take certain risks. You should discuss the consequences of missing payments, as co-signers have no equal access to the loan funds – just an obligation to pay your debts if you fail to do so. More about co-signers rights and obligations find out from this source.
Look for Other Lender
You can always look for other lenders if your first application has been denied. You can explain the situation and get a second opinion. Some of them might have more lenient requirements or are specialized for applicants with poor credit ratings. So depending on why you’ve been rejected, the lender may be willing to accept your appeal.
Rejecting a loan application is not the end of the world, especially since this decision doesn’t hurt your credit rating and is certainly not final. You can always try again. Meanwhile, identify the reasons for the rejection and work on them to improve your chances of approval.
The last thing that any business wants is a lawsuit brought against them. So, this means that you have to educate yourself on what the rules and regulations are. In particular, WCAG compliance is going to be very important. This is going to ensure that your workplace is a fair and equal place to work for everyone. How much do you know about WCAG compliance? Let’s take a look at the things you need to know.
Let’s start by discussing what WCAG stands for. This is short for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. This was created by the World Wide Web Consortium and its purpose is to show websites how they can be accessible to everyone. In other words, you can ensure everyone, whether they have a disability or not, is able to operate your website. This is going to be highly relevant if you have to follow the ADA or Americans With Disabilities Act. This is an important piece of legislation that applies to a lot of businesses and ensures equality in access to public areas and the workplace.
Why Do I Need to Be WCAG Compliant?
So, what are the benefits of being WCAG compliant? Well for one thing, you minimize the risk of potential lawsuits. No one likes being sued as it means the loss of both time and money. As a busy business owner, that is the last thing you want to be dealing with. But, there are also many other benefits you should know about when it comes toWCAG compliance. Let’s take a look at them.
First of all, you are going to have a user-friendly website. This is going to make it easy for everyone to use your site and everything you have to offer. People with disabilities will be able to get the support they need, which allows them to use your site, andeverything is more accessible. When you offer this, you are going to notice a difference when it comes to business. Thus, you are reaching out to a new demographic and allowing them access to your products and services. Plus, when you offer this type of support, you can attract loyal customers that are going to come back.
When it comes to your employees, there are benefits too. In particular, you can create a positive and inclusive workplace where employees are able to get the support they need. This can make a difference to morale. What’s more, when employees feel supported and like they are given the attention they need, they are going to be more loyal to their company. This means that you can enjoy good employee retention rates since you cater for their needs and care about your staff.
Therefore, it is in your best interests to knowabout WCAG compliance. This is going to save you a lot of hassle, as well as offer a variety of benefits. So, it is always worth your while when it comes to your business.
Social Democratic Party Senator Alfred Laurentiu Mihai attended the meeting of the General Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Security Cooperation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (PA SEECP) in Athens, hosted by the Greek Parliament.
On this occasion, the members of the committee debated the draft report and resolution on “Protection of human rights, in particular the rights of vulnerable persons”.
“I mentioned in my speech in the plenary of the Senate Hall of the Hellenic Parliament during the meeting that we strongly and unequivocally support the defense of human rights and the rights of vulnerable people, and I also mentioned the situation we are facing regarding the wave of refugees in Ukraine following the military aggression of the Russian Federation! In my speech I also mentioned the efforts Romania is making to support Ukrainian refugees by offering them facilities such as: food, accommodation, free access to the health system, free access to the education system for children and the right to work without a permit for a period of 12 months with the right of extension.
Last but not least, I reminded that the Romanian people show solidarity and humanity towards our Ukrainian neighbors and I conveyed that the Romanian Parliament strongly condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, considering the attack in Bucha and other cities as war crimes and crimes against humanity!”
Social Democratic Party Senator Alfred Laurentiu Mihai had a meeting today with Bonnie Carroll, the founder of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors), who came to Romania at the invitation of the Social Democrat parliamentarian.
According to the announcement made on the personal Facebook page of the Social Democratic Party senator Alfred Laurentiu Mihai, the purpose of the visit to Romania of Mrs. Bonnie Carroll is related to the implementation of the projects of the TAPS association. On this occasion, Bonnie Carroll had a series of meetings in the Senate with the Vice President of the Senate, Robert Cazanciuc, with Senator Radu Oprea and with the President of the Defense Commission, Nicoleta Pauliuc.
The TAPS association will also be present in Romania Senator Alfred Laurentiu Mihai announced that discussions took place in order to support and support in the necessary steps to carry out the activity of this association in Romania as well. Meetings will also take place on Wednesday at the government level, the Social Democratic Party senator added. “On my last visit to the United States, I had the pleasure and honor of meeting with President Bonnie Carroll, Founder of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors), to whom I extended an invitation to Romania to implement TAPS projects.
Today this invitation was honored and on this occasion President Bonnie Carrol had a series of meetings in the Senate, with the Vice President of the Senate Robert Cazanciuc, with Senator Radu Oprea and with the President of the Defense Commission, Mrs. Nicoleta Pauliuc. There were discussions in order to support and support in the necessary steps to carry out the activity of this association in our country as well. Meetings at the government level will follow today.“, is the message sent by the Social Democratic Party senator, on the Facebook page.
The Social Democratic Party senator participated today, within the European Affairs Committee of the Romanian Senate, in a debate on the stage of absorption of European funds and the stage of implementation of the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan).
When you’re creating marketing content, and you want to expand to a broader audience, you might simply think you can translate everything you already have into the targeted language.
A consideration for culture is one thing to keep in mind as you’re translating your branding and marketing content.
The following are specific ways culture has the potential to affect marketing.
Idioms and Slang
One of the ways to create either ineffective or even offensive marketing is to think you can translate English language idioms and slang successfully into international marketing.
When you localize your content, you need to be careful about the use of both phrases and words that are associated just with your culture.
There are often no equivalents across languages, or localized phrases might convey a certain type of imagery that’s not relevant in your target market.
Even when you’re developing international marketing with the same language, this becomes true. For example, an English speaker in Australia may not understand idioms common in the United States.
How Marketing Resonates
There was a study done by Welch’s grape juice. In one set of ads, the focus was on the benefits of drinking grape juice—for example, it’s energizing. The second set of ads used prevention as the core appeal.
For example, drinking grape juice could help with heart health and cancer prevention.
When Asian American participants viewed the messaging, they preferred the preventative set of ads, while Anglo Americans felt promotional messages resonated more with them.
This was in line with the theories of researchers that Americans value independence, achievement, and accomplishment, so they would want to make purchasing decisions based on what they see as a positive outcome.
Chinese subjects, on the other hand, the researchers theorized, value security and protection and tended to think about the world in a more interdependent way, leaving them to focus more on the negative consequences of actions.
Interestingly, once the study participants were asked to think about things on a deeper, more comprehensive level, many of the differences disappeared, but as marketers know, most consumers aren’t going to get into the deeper thinking.
When marketing’s goal is to get brief attention, a focus on culturally specific values may be more effective.
Consumption Habits
Different cultures have different consumption behaviors and habits. You have to look at these habits and figure out whether people in a target country make collective or individualized buying decisions.
You also have to understand both societal and psychological factors that play a role in how people in your target market purchase things and what influences their decisions stemming from their cultural environment.
There are even cultural implications in pricing strategies to be aware of. For example, people in the U.S. are widely known to have a higher purchasing power than people in emerging markets, so this has to be considered.
There are also some people with a high level of purchase power, but they’re more likely to save their money versus spending it, so you have to think about how your marketing could influence them to utilize their capability to purchase.
Religion
Depending on your target market, religion can be a huge cultural factor that you have to think about. Religious beliefs are going to influence how people view products and services.
In a Muslim country, you’re less likely to show women in secular clothing in your marketing, for example or showcase drinking.
Trust
If you aren’t able to convey your branding and messaging in a way that’s culturally relevant to your target audience, then you aren’t going to be able to build a sense of trust with them. Ultimately, that trust is what underlies your ability to get new customers and keep them loyal to your brand.
Every culture is different as far as how they view trust and how they connect.
If you take the time upfront to learn about cultural norms, you’re going to be on a better footing to develop a relationship based on trust among your targeted customers.
None of this is easy, and cultural considerations in marketing are restrictive. You can, however, address them and cultivate culturally sensitive marketing when you work with experts who understand the local environment you’re targeting.
Dealing with signatures is one of the biggest time-consuming issues companies face daily. Waiting on signatures causes great delays in completing business deals. With this guide, companies will learn about the benefits of using e-signatures for all their contracts and NDAs.
What Are Electronic Signatures?
Electronic signatures, often referred to as e-signatures from mSign, are both an efficient and legally binding way to gather signatures for documents of all types. In most all processes, electronic signatures may replace handwritten ones. Companies that are interested in these services need to learn more about their options and the benefits.
Reasons Electronic Signatures Are Used
Electronic signatures are used in many industries and for multiple reasons. The following are some of the ways this signature service may be used in a company. Being aware of these reasons will help business owners decide if their company will benefit from e-signatures.
Sales teams will stay more focused because they do not have to worry about taking care of repetitive and time-consuming tasks.
In the Human Relations department, productivity increases greatly. Job candidates will find the hiring process attractive because they can easily sign employment paperwork.
Financial services will find e-signatures highly beneficial. Employees may capture and share personal information without cumbersome paperwork.
Life science companies and departments will also find these services to help speed up their workflow and allow them to protect patient privacy.
What Are the Benefits of Using Electronic Signatures?
When companies switch from handwritten signatures to e-signatures, they experience a range of benefits. The following offers information on some of these benefits.
Business practices can continue from anywhere, even when employees are on the move or not in the office. Electronic signatures may be set up and completed from remote locations, preventing stagnation in the workflow.
Companies will also find they reduce time waste and costs. Shipping contracts to various individuals is time-consuming and expensive. With e-signatures, time is no longer wasted on waiting for contracts to arrive. Companies will also find their costs are significantly reduced.
Another major benefit of using these services is the real-time notifications provided to the company. Employees can view all stages of the e-signature process and will be alerted when signatures have been obtained.
These signature services help reduce fraud and offer increased security. Signature software includes many safety measures that protect against unauthorized use. These services add a layer of protection that cannot be obtained when seeking handwritten signatures.
With e-signatures, every party involved in the signature process will find the steps much easier and less stressful. Business deals often need to close quickly. Stress sometimes causes parties to drop out of agreements. Making the process as stress-free as possible keeps everyone on the same page.
How to Legally Sign Documents Electronically
With many things moving online, electronic signatures are becoming increasingly commonplace. Taking the proper steps to ensure a signature is legally binding is essential. Taking the following steps will help to ensure signatures are legally binding.
Make sure the signature is clear.
Avoid split executions.
Ensure there are witnesses.
Check the authority of the user.
Discover More Information
Companies that want to discover their e-signature options need to research as much as possible. Choosing the right e-signature service ensures companies experience the benefits above, without stress and complication. The best e-signature service should offer a seamless approach to capturing electronic signatures.
“It is the US Vice President’s first visit to Bucharest, and although it is taking place in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, it is a sign of President Joe Biden’s growing confidence in her ability to pursue high-level diplomacy.
In addition, the official visit to Bucharest by Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirms the strength of the bilateral strategic partnership and the firm commitment of the United States to support the security of Romania and NATO allies on the Eastern Flank.
I believe that the presence of Kamala Harris in Bucharest reflects the appreciation of the American administration for the responsible approach of our country in the context of the current security events caused by the illegal aggression of the Russian Federation.
It is in this sense that our partnership must be developed, that American investments in energy, defense, trade and the financial sector become the key elements of a stronger collaboration.
For the stability of the entire Black Sea area, a CONSOLIDATED NATO presence is needed in Romania.
Social Democratic PartyPresident Marcel Ciolacu will attend the meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris, which will take place in Cotroceni and as President of the Chamber of Deputies and as President of Social Democratic Party, the largest party in Romania, is fully committed to defending democratic values and interests security that the two nations have.“, declared Senator Alfred Laurentiu Mihai, member of the Committee for Foreign Affairs from Romanian Senat.
What is a demand-side platform (DSP)? The Digital Marketing Institute has its own succinct definition: “A system that allows buyers of digital advertising inventory to manage multiple ad exchanges and data exchange accounts through one interface.”
Of course, that’s not exactly the world’s most-beginner friendly introduction to DSPs, so the subject will require some further elaboration. Put simply, though, DSPs can help you as a marketer to get your brand’s advertising into many different places especially time-effectively.
What is the rationale for using a DSP?
Over time, the range of advertising opportunities has significantly broadened. Even just online, your brand’s ads can take various forms: banner ads on other brands’ websites, sponsored listings in Google search results, PPC (pay per click) ads on social media sites… and so on.
However, manually approaching one website after another to request spots for your advertising can undoubtedly be slow, cumbersome and boring. Fortunately, thanks to DSPs, it’s not a process you would strictly have to put yourself through in the modern age.
That’s because a DSP is itself connected to multiple ad inventory supply sources, enabling you to reach them through the DSP. You can save yourself a significant amount of time by giving yourself just one point of contact – the DSP – through which to push your advertising to various publishers.
For you, then, it’s all (relatively) simple. However, there’s a lot of clockwork happening under the hood of the DSP’s machinery, so to say, in order to ensure that your ads end up in places where they can be of particularly strong use. So, what gears are in motion when you do use a DSP?
How a demand-side platform works
Advertisers using the platform are given access to a dashboard where they can upload their creative, specify targets and set a budget. The DSP will subsequently peruse publishers’ networks in search of sites and mobile apps satisfying the advertisers’ expressed needs.
A TechFunnel article explains: “Within milliseconds, the DSP places the ad, manages the payment, and resolves the bid.” Examples of advertising platforms a DSP can access on the advertiser’s behalf include those of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and, yes, Google.
Practical benefits of using demand-side platforms
Since utilizing a DSP platform would save you from having to manually approach and deal with publishers individually, you can hugely streamline the more technical side of the ad-placing process and so free up more time to spend on other aspects of your digital marketing.
This could include devoting more time to targeting people at various phases of the marketing funnel. Some people might simply be aware of your brand, while others might be interested in it or even want to buy from it – and you can now more easily roll out tailored ads for all of these segments.
It’s also now easier to secure ads in formats you want. For example, DSP advertising is available as TV content – enabling you to treat your target audience to especially immersive experiences before you even convert members of this audience into buyers.
If you are going to hope to be successful in the field of employee engagement and bringing this in at your company, you are going to first need to develop the type of plan that is actionable. Otherwise, you are not going to be focused on what you are doing and this can lead to a situation in which your activities are not properly lining up with one another.
Let’s look in more detail at what you can do in the field of employee engagement.
Assess the Areas that Need Improvement
A full and frank assessment of what is going wrong in employee engagement needs to be looked at. For example, are you not actually in the habit of checking in with employees on a regular basis? Perhaps there is nothing set up in the way of teambuilding, which can lead to a situation in which all members of staff are existing and operating separately from one another. Alternatively, it could be that you are not rewarding and promoting staff from within in the way that you should. You may find that you would like to change a whole host of different things all at once, but it is the case that you need to put in a priority order as you are simply not going to be able to take care of everything.
2. Determine Why Your Company Exists
You need to work out why your company exists in the first place. What is it designed to do and what are the main functions that you have set it up to achieve? Once you get a better handle on questions like this one, it is much more likely that you are going to be able to put in place a plan that has all of the different hallmarks of success in the field of employee engagement. Looking at a wide range of different potential activities that you can try out is a good starting point, so click here to find out more about employee engagement definition.
3. Brainstorm Different Solutions
You may think that you have the perfect solution in mind for how you are going to be able to increase employee engagement, but for other members of staff, this may not work in the way that you had hoped that it would. For this reason, it is certainly going to be worth canvassing a wide variety of different opinions as this will put you in a situation to be able to develop the kind of plan that has the involvement of all sorts of people from a range of different perspectives and outlooks.
There is no doubt that all of these steps are worth following when it comes to developing the type of employee engagement plan that really works for your business and brings in the type of benefits that you had always hoped that it would. So, now is the time to put your thoughts and ideas into action and reap the rewards.
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