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People who know how to start an online business have been changing their destiny by making a huge amount of money. Online businesses are in huge demand these days. Many big and small companies prefer outsourcing their work by hiring virtual assistants and online marketers rather than employing a full-time worker. Moreover online presence has become an essential part of any business with the ever-increasing number of online shoppers across the world. Like any other business, you need to put in your efforts to become a successful online entrepreneur; however, starting an online business is not a Herculean task if you know the basics. In this article we will put emphasis on top online business opportunities that will help you to start an online business with ease.1. Make a Strategy to Set Up Your Business: Online entrepreneurs can explore multiple options to earn money through an online business. Nevertheless, it is advisable to opt for the easiest options to start with. Once you make up your mind to sell any product or service, the next step is to follow a business plan to adhere to. Strategic planning keeps you organized and make your online business thrive. Your key objective should be to make your product or service as outstanding as possible to achieve a competitive advantage in your niche.2. Set up a Neat Website: Launch a website for the product or service you want to sell. Along with the design and layout, make sure you use flawless content on your website. Content acts as the soul of any website and speaks of your professionalism in volumes. So make sure that you add fresh, relevant and informative content on your website to enhance online traffic. At the same time, if blogging is your passion, try integrating your blog with your website to keep your target audiences engaged. This is a great way to connect with your target audiences.3. Start offering virtual Assistance Service: Virtual assistants are quite in demand for the valuable services they provide to different organizations from any corner of the world. You too can become a home-based virtual assistant by offering technical, creative or secretarial assistance to your clients from your home office. However, you should be proficient enough in your business niche to provide immaculate service to your clients, and to strengthen your customer base.4. Become a Software Developer: This is yet another lucrative option for prospective online entrepreneurs. However, starting a software development business is not a cakewalk for beginners. It is very difficult to win projects with zero reputation since you are starting from scratch. In order to start a software development business online, the first step is to set up a convincing online portfolio to attract clients. Thus, many software developers utilize the initial period in building reputation by offering free services to start-ups or any organization looking for software development services. Consequently, the testimonials received by beginner online entrepreneurs play a key role in enhancing reputation besides drawing new customers.5. Try Affiliate Marketing: You can become an online entrepreneur by trying your hand at affiliate marketing which has emerged as a colossal online industry over the years. Affiliate marketers redirect online traffic to different e-commerce sites through their website or via online advertisements. Affiliate marketers earn money by getting a commission on every sale generated as a result of driving traffic to specific e-commerce sites. As a beginner, you should ideally do affiliate marketing for sites you are familiar with. Affiliate marketing is one of the top online business opportunities that produce sure shot results.

Research with consumers is a process designed to help brand managers reduce confusion, indecision and subjectivity in managing their brand. But as it turns out, there’s a group of consumers destined to keep brand managers perplexed (or tearing out their hair) over their conflicting opinions toward brands.Brand extension is a great strategy for a parent brand to leverage existing brand equity and stretch to build even greater equity. Think how Cadbury extended their reputation for chocolate into refrigerated and frozen treats and desserts. But brand extension failures can be costly. Just ask the fellows over at Fosters / Carlton United Brewery who manage the VB beer brand. VB Raw was a brand extension designed to capture the low carb beer market in 2009 and has long since disappeared from shelves. Not only does the parent brand have to bear costs associated with research and development of the brand extension, but any potential damage to its own reputation.The personality dimensions associated with brands are increasingly being used as a means of influencing consumer attitudes and consumption. Brands go to great lengths to build and protect their reputation around these dimensions. For example, if a brand is known for its sophistication, then it is important to assess whether a brand extension will enhance its reputation for sophistication or dilute it. Brands have different stretch potential and with so much equity at stake, no brand manager wants to get that stretch potential wrong so they turn to consumer research to provide insight.But what happens when the research suggests that a brand extension enhances and dilutes the brand. This conflict may be evident in the views held by different (or even the same) participants in focus groups or different conclusions drawn from qualitative and quantitative research. Frustrating for sure, but according to a group of academics from the University of Washington, City University of New York and New York University, it should be more surprising when it doesn’t happen.Mathur, Jain and Maheswaran have published a series of research experiments showing how consumer beliefs about human personality play a significant role in brand stretch. According to the wider theoretical literature in social psychology, people’s beliefs about human personality fall into one of two groups:Human personality is flexible and can change over time (also known as incremental orientation); or
Human personality is fixed and does not change over time (also known as entity orientation).These beliefs still apply when it is a brand (as opposed to a person) under consideration. So in general, when asked to consider brand personality, consumers with an incremental orientation will let a brand stretch further than consumers holding an entity orientation.Building on this, Mathur and his colleagues looked more closely at what happened to brand personality impressions for brand extensions with good fit and poor fit. In one study 150 participants considered Cheerios brand extensions into granola bars (good fit) or frozen dinners (poor fit). As would be expected the participants with an incremental orientation altered their impression of the Cheerios brand personality and those with an entity orientation did not. But here’s the interesting thing. The granola bar brand extension was seen to dilute Cheerios’ level of sincerity whereas the frozen dinner was seen to enhance it. Why? The incremental group felt Cheerios would have to put more effort into frozen dinners compared to granola bars where it already had considerable category experience. According to Mathur and colleagues, high amounts of effort involved in change, is something people with an incremental orientation value.The authors replicated these findings in two more studies involving another 462 participants. Guess brand extensions into watches (good fit) or USBs (poor fit) were assessed for their impacts on sophistication. Then, Timberland brand extensions into camping tents (good fit) or sports drinks (poor fit) were assessed for their impact on ruggedness. In both examples, participants with incremental orientations felt the Guess and Timberland brand personality was enhanced when it extended to a category considered a poor fit.Parent brand personality impressions aren’t the only way to assess the feasibility of brand extensions. In the three studies above, participants also gave an overall evaluation of the parent brand in light of the brand extension e.g. bad-good, negative-positive, favourable-unfavourable. This led to another interesting finding. Personality orientation made no difference to these results. Brand extensions with good fit were evaluated positively and extensions with poor fit were evaluated negatively regardless of whether participants thought personality was flexible or fixed. This was despite the incremental group having enhanced impressions of the brand personality for extensions with poor fit.So there you have it, a group of consumers who see brand personality being enhanced by an extension but saying it’s not a good idea for the brand overall. Conversely, they could also see brand personality being diluted by an extension but say it is a good idea for the brand overall.The most obvious implication this research has for marketing practice is that brand managers should be cautious when interpreting brand personality measures or brand personification results for brand extensions, particularly if they are contradicting other measures. But might there be another interpretation? To me, differences like this could also be about what people’s heads tell them (overall brand evaluation) versus what their hearts say (brand personality impression). Since, emotion trumps reason when it comes to brand consumption, pursuing a poor fit extension strategy could be successful in strengthening emotional connections with parent brands among a subset of consumers – even though rationally they may disagree with the extension in the first place.Whether I’m right about that last point or not, brand managers and market researchers would be wise to account for consumer personality in research design and reporting, particularly given the risks associated with brand extension failure and in light of the likelihood of obtaining confusing results from consumer research.

Rob Norquist, a real estate agent admits that Newport Beach is as active as it used to be, with some good record sales. He also agrees with the fact that a property, should never be considered deprecated, and as a seller, you should never give up and use the low end price. It is true that, during a certain period of time, depending on the real estate market, client’s desire, real estate auctions, there may be moments when a property’s price drops, but not forever.Other cities such as, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine or Mission Viejo – are considered among other 25 cities as being the ones with the best real estate property values, with average values of $680,000 and more. The national average value in 2007 was $194,300.However, some property values are based on subjective answers from residents living in a certain home, so the given numbers , and real estate evaluation may be hanging on a wishful thinking instead of a real appreciation . This is where real estate auctions come in picture, to inform potential clients about the property, and the investment possibilities, giving them a clear image of the real estate’s worth.Even though some buildings such as Orange County properties , dropped their values in 2007, but they recovered extremely well after. So this is another reason why as a seller, you should never fear if you observe a temporally value drop, because it is normal from time to time.For instance, about 81% owners, sellers, agents, trusted in 2007 that their estate property values were over $1 million, against 75% in 2006. So things are for the best and it would appear that most of estate agents have finally understood what this business is really about. It takes a lot of patience and ability to maintain your property’s value among top ones on real estate market.
But Norquist, trusts that many Newport Beach arguments are near the mark, sustaining that this city has survived the “housing slump” better than other locations. However, the unexpected surprise attacked more on sales, which he admits that they are on a falling edge right now, but there is still hope for better times.Newport Beach is very well known for its highest-valued real estate properties in the U.S., being a perfect place for real estate business . It’s location and proximity to the water, and the beach front view increase it’s real estate value considerably. Auctions in this area are very interesting and those who are interested in real estate business domain should never miss them. You can learn a lot on such events.Experienced real estate agents or even friends will surely advise you that as a buyer you are very likely to come across many real estate properties in foreclosure having perhaps no equity,being over priced . In such moments, lenders sometimes choose to accept a smaller amount than the initial.So you get in the negotiations process. As a hint, when you realize the over pricing phenomenon, you have to understand that this happens when the real estate agent , or seller is aware of the real estate property’s value, and he tries his luck in a raising price. So watch out! The negotiation can become a difficult process especially when reasonable terms are not agreed by both sides: owner and buyer. Negotiations can occur privately or in public, where real estate auctions come in the picture. Of course, a real estate auction is safer and more trustful than a private one. Private negotiations occur especially when the agent is a close friend or relative to buyer’s, and because of the friendly environment some details regarding even the real estate transaction may be skipped. So in situations like this be careful.Even as a friend, for a real estate agent , money comes first, and friendship after. Of course, during such a negotiation, there can be all sort of problems, such as mortgage value, real estate market, all sort of official formalities, conflict of interests in a particular area etc. Moreover, time a very important issue when real estate auctions are involved. As a general rule, and as an advise for a potential buyer, negotiation process should not be extended on a long period of time, because, as I said before, in time, real estate properties drop their values, and the client’s interest together with it. In this case, not only does the buyer loose, but the real estate agency as well. Why?Because if a property’s value drops, the price must drop as well, if you ever want to sell it again. In this case the under priced phenomenon appears. This is why short sales are preferred. Many Realtors, and clients started using this strategy, because they faced the problem regarding their property’s value.So they decided the selling process should not take too long.Another important issue refers to the well known “acceleration clause” , which is an official word met in any mortgage document, meaning that the lender, after the real estate property is sold, can demand the payment of the remaining balance for the loan. Realtors can provide more information about this contractual right. If this clause is good or bad for a real estate transaction, it is hard to say, because it has its advantages and disadvantages. Buying a real estate property which has already a mortgage loan represents a pretty raised risk. Why? Because first of all, if the mortgage loan was contracted for many years, depending on the interest’s rate, and marketplace evolution, you may come to pay the house’s price 3 times more. However, if you have experience in monitoring the market place, and find a right moment when every interest’s value drops, you could go for it. It’s kind of a gambling in this business, and Realtors, or individual real estate agents know it best.Realtors and real estate agents are here on the real estate market, to help clients understand how they can value their houses, what should they look for when trying to sell or buy a house, how to negotiate, and how to win a real estate transaction. Some may say that buying or selling a real estate property is easy, but the fact is that pricing a house is a very difficult process. Many real estate agents, brokers, have suffered many defeats before their first good business, so do not expect their job to be an easy one.Unfortunately, a concerning price and sales gains of these past years have determined in many cases quitting the real estate business. Many real estate agents who have seen the future preferred to do something else than real estate business. The credit market is also in a critical position, as many Realtors have observed. Mortgage values are also a result of real estate market position right now. Real estate investors have diminished their participation number to real estate auctions, as a sign they have seen it too.

We explore whether it is still economically viable to invest in property since the stamp duty increase, and what sort of properties you can invest in to minimise the effect of the increase or completely bypass it altogether.The Impact of the Increase in Stamp DutyThe cost of an investment property in Birmingham is £168,062.00 which means you’d typically have to pay £5903 in stamp duty costs.The Increase in Stamp Duty Has Contributed to House Price SlumpOne of the main issues that the increase has caused, has been the increased cost in acquiring new property, which has subsequently caused a slump in house price inflation. Whilst this now means it is a good time for potential investors to consider purchasing additional properties, those who already own property will probably be disappointed with the growth in the market. In particular, property prices in London are most affected by the increase simply because house price are generally more expensive so the stamp duty levied on the properties is proportionately higher. This means that either demand may go down due to the high prices, or property prices may decrease to make up for the increase in stamp duty. In fact, Halifax’s April 2016 House Price Index announced negative growth in terms of house prices, as month on month April 2016 saw average house prices fall by 0.8%, which it attributed to a lack of confidence in the wider economy.The Increase in Stamp Duty Fails to Dampen Landlords’ SpiritsThe increase seems not to have deterred landlords, as the number of landlords has risen to 1.75 million. This has mainly been due to the increase in lending and cheaper mortgages, as access to funds is one of the main drivers in the property market. Another factor that has contributed to the increase in landlords has been the superior yields, far outstripping interest investors make on their money saved elsewhere.Another positive is that according to Halifax’s May 2016 House Price Index, house prices are resuming an upward trend, with month-on-month growth of 0.6%. This suggests that the British public still very much has an appetite for property, and is welcome news to existing property investors.Strategies to Avoid Stamp Duty or Minimise its EffectAlthough the increase may make some investors think twice about investing in property, it needn’t have to. There are plenty of ways property investors can work around the stamp duty increase or minimise its effect.Purchase Property in a Company NameStamp duty land tax can be avoided by purchasing property in a company name using a business mortgage. This also allows for interest payments to be tax deductible, exponentially increasing your return on investment because mortgages can be granted up to seventy-five per cent of the value of the property which amounts to a lot of interest.The Number of Mortgage Products Available to Limited Companies is IncreasingThe number of products available to limited companies is increasing year-on-year. In H1 2015 there was an average of 99 products available to limited companies, but in H2 this rose to 147 products.The number of mortgage applications made by companies now accounts for over a third (38%) of all mortgage applications, up from 15% in 2014. It’s also worth noting that mortgage acceptance rates are at an all-time high, so if you’re thinking of investing in property, now is a good time to apply for a mortgage.Avoid Stamp Duty Altogether with Alternative Investments Such as Car Park InvestmentsFurthermore, would-be buy-to-let investors are focusing on ways that they can avoid the stamp duty charges altogether or minimise its effect. Car park spaces are exempt from the 3% stamp duty charge because they’re classed as commercial property. Car park investments can also give an 8% net assured income for two years and has a five year exit strategy with buy-back option if you decide that the investment is not for you.Invest in Properties Outside of London for Lower Stamp Duty CostsAnother option is to consider properties in areas outside of London. As mentioned previously in the article, properties in London are more expensive so there is proportionately more stamp duty to pay. Cities such as Manchester and Liverpool command a much higher rental yield allowing you to maximise your profits. Properties in these cities outside of London are generally much lower, so the amount of stamp duty you’ll have to pay is much lower.Birmingham is consistently considered one of the best areas for buy-to-let, and was recently named by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) as the number one buy-to-let hotspot outside of London. Average property prices in Britain’s second city are considerably lower than property prices in London. According to Rightmove, overall average property prices in Birmingham currently stand at £168,062, compared to £556,350 in London. For property investors, this means that if they were to invest in property in Birmingham, they’d pay exponentially less in stamp duty compared to investing in London property.Student properties in Liverpool such as Pembroke Studios command an assured net rental yield of 8% for five years had have a buy-back option after five years. Fortunately, in a city such as Liverpool there will never be a shortage of students looking for high quality accommodation due to its sizeable student population that comprises 12% of the city’s overall population. Pembroke Studios is conveniently placed within a mile’s radius of four universities in Liverpool, so it’s desirably situated for an overwhelming number of students.In conclusion, property investment is definitely still a viable way to achieve good returns, especially when interest rates for money kept in savings accounts is at record low. Property investors should make cautious decisions when it comes to investment, and consider investing in towns and cities outside of London where possible. For those looking to bypass stamp duty altogether, we recommend car park investments or other commercial investments that do not incur the charges.

Obama health care has received mixed emotions from people all over the nation. Some are in favor, others feel that the government has completely taken control of their rights. For the middle class Americans, many believe Obama care will adversely affect themselves and the upper class. While it does make significant changes to our current system, every class will be affected in one way or another.It is believed by many individuals and institutions that low-income families will benefit greatly, and have health insurance for perhaps the first time ever. However, this benefit to the lower income class means that high-income families will pay considerably, most of it in the form of increased taxes. Obama care is a touchy subject with many Americans, who feel they will be forced to pay stiff penalties if they do not buy health insurance coverage.Middle class Americans feel that they may suffer the most, and cannot see a way out as they attempt to pay for basic necessities such as childcare, food, housing, utilities, etc. In their minds, it they are already struggling to meet these obligations, how in the world can they afford health insurance? But if they don’t purchase it, according to Obama laws they will face penalties if they fail to get health insurance coverage.Struggling with the rising cost of insurance has been a problem for years, and the debate has continued regarding how to get the United States health care system under control. Under Obama health care, families who earn in excess of $250,000 per year will face an increase in Medicare tax from 1.45% to 2.35% – same for individuals who earn $200,000 per year. Since there is now no option regarding whether an individuals decides to purchase health insurance coverage or not, they will face penalties.Americans who already have health insurance may think “So what? What’s the big deal?” In fact, Obama health care may affect those who previously had health insurance coverage. While it seems that having more people paying in to the system would mean lower insurance premiums, that may not be the case. According to congressional estimates, by the year 2016 individual premiums may be 10 to 13% higher than they are currently.Several factors that play in to the equation include the fact that in 2014, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage or charge increased premiums due to existing conditions. Add to that the fact that shortly thereafter, insurers will no longer be able to set lifetime limits on coverage, nor will they be able to drop insured individuals who become ill. What does this mean? In a nutshell, Obama health care means that more sick people will be covered, and those costs are greater to insurance companies than those of healthy individuals. All of this may ultimately counteract the benefits of a larger health care pool.At the current time, it is difficult to determine exactly how it will affect Americans in specific classes, or who will ultimately end up paying the most for mandatory health care coverage. One thing is for certain – while some believe that this is the best thing since buttered bread, others aren’t nearly so optimistic. In a few years, we will all be able to determine just how Obama health care has affected our lives personally.

Getting home health care services is an investment. It would be something that your family would be considering for a long time. With this, you need to make sure that your care services are appropriate for the care recipient. You should also look at the other details of the agency when it comes to the professionals that they are hiring.The first thing you need to do is find a list of accredited and licensed agencies. This would give you the basic assurance that you would be getting the right and the best kind of home health care for your folks.Once you get this list, it would be best to make a shortlist in terms of their proximity to your home. This way, you can take time to visit them and also research about them. You can go to the location and check it out yourself. You should know how long the agency has been in operation so far so that you would be able to qualify how they would serve the purpose of caring for your folks.Reference checks are a must. You need to be sure that the care worker is licensed and also comes from a clean background. So you should also make it a point to ask what specific methods your home health care agency uses when it comes to hiring their health professionals.Speaking of references, you should also ask if they get in touch with specific agencies or professionals for the said background information. This would also help you understand how well-affiliated they are with other networks.You should also look at the specific services being offered by the home health care agency. Make sure that they have what your folks need and what the doctor would have to prescribe to them. It is important that the care provided in the agency also coordinates well with your folks’ medical condition.Once you have zeroed in on your home health care agency, better book an appointment with them. This way you can discuss in person all the necessary things that you would want to ask and clarify. You should also ask if you can be given the chance to choose the professional to work with your folks.Choosing the right home health care agency is something you need to take time with. You need to make sure that you are doing the right thing and that you are making the right investment.

With the advent of the Nintendo Wii Fitness line of games, many couch potato gamers are finally becoming active without even realizing it.But can someone who is seriously looking for a power packed, high cardio, and aerobics type workout really benefit from the Wii fit?Well to be honest the first set of games the Nintendo Wii Fitness came out with will only give the serious workout freak a worm up routine, and that’s about it. For beginners its fine, for those who are just starting a exercise regiment its great, but for the advance fitness buff, it will be disappointing.So the Nintendo Wii Fitness developer came up with the perfect solution and the answer to the advance fitness user. In recent months Wii Fit has evolved into a set of games offering the user a more intense cardio and strength training workout. Here is a brief over view of the top 5, starting with the least intense workout.5) Wii Fit BundleThe Wii Fit bundle package was the first set of games released in 2008, and as the name suggest was a group of games bundled together with the purchase of the Wii fitness gaming console. Depending on which bundle package you wanted, the system came with the controller, balance board and several games. The games ranged form Yoga, Pilates, Tennis, boxing, Balance games, skiing or ice boarding and other low impact, more gaming than workout activities.These games are great for fun but would not do for a real calorie burn workout. SO I would give this 1 out of 5 for workout and 4 out of 5 for fun. A Total of 5 out of 104) Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009Most people by now should know who Jillian Michaels is, you may not know her name but if you ever watched the Biggest Loser reality TV series, she is the drill sergeant /personal trainer/motivational coach and the star of the show (personal opinion).Based on the intensity of the character on the Biggest Loser, this game was disappointing and somewhat boring, the only reason I but it higher than the Wii fit is because the workout is more intense and you could really burn some calories with this game.This game utilizes the balance board, the controller and Nunchuck for a good workout it has 4 Workout types, strength training, cardio, weight loss, stretches. The game allows you to track your progress and save your stats.I did notice that the controller response time was annoyingly delayed and some of the instructions were not very clear so it was difficult at times getting my on screen character to move or replicate my movements. I think there are a few bugs in the software coding for this game that were not worked out before release.Some of the games did kinda look like the Wii Fit games repackaged, also the only motivation the game gave you would be Jillian saying “Give It All You Got” which after a while became more annoying that motivating.I did like the back ground workout music which was motivating and you could select from a wide variety of music styles. The squat exercise workout was great and will make you sweat.This game will defiantly burn some calories, but I think you will become bored with this game sooner than later.I give the Wii Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 game 3 out of 5 for workout and 2 out of 5 for fun. A total of 5 out of 103) Gold’s Gym Cardio WorkoutOk, this is the first of the Wii Fitness games to focus more on Cardio workout that mimics the workout you will get in a gym, hence the name.With this game you will get a real workout. The game utilizes the Wii’s motion controls, the Balance board.The highlight of this game is the TaeBo like boxing workout routine. This game seems to get the principle of running in place more accurately than the previous game. The sit-ups and jumping rope will give you a great workout. The Cardi Gold’s Gym Workout game keeps great record of your calorie burn and fitness progress, and will automatically increase the difficulty and intensity of your workout to suit.So overall this is more responsive and offer non stop action for a great workout, the points system is great for motivation so I will give the Wii Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout game 3 ½ out of 5 for workout and 3 out of 5 for fun. A total of 6 1/2 out of 10.2) My Fitness CoachOne of my favorite game, with over 500 different workout activities to choose from you will not soon get bored. This game is loads of fun and packs one heck of a workout!The game will initially ask a series of detailed question to make sure you get off to the appropriate start, based on your fitness level.Your Personal Virtual fitness coach will walk you through your workout, give pointers on improvements you need to make and motivate you every step of the way. The game will take you through a series of worm up flexibility routine, strength training, cardio, and other sports workout activity. The Game allows you to choose your duration of workouts and the days you wish to workout. It will keep track of your calendar and remind you of your workout days.You can select your very own workout environment and background music, quite a few to choose form.My Fitness Coach will plot your progress with impressive graphs and charts and recommend areas to work on to reach your goal. Completely customizable to meet your individual needs.No Balance board is required for this game and I see why, you will be moving around a lot and the balance board would just get in the way.Your workout can include Cardio, Upper and lower body training, Abs, Yoga and flexibility. I also like the fact that the game can include any small equipment you may already have such as a step platform, fitness ball, hand and ankle weight and a heart monitor. Finally start using those exercise equipment you have stored in the closet!Maya your virtual coach, is a encouraging, reassuring trainer who adjust quickly to your needs.She will from time to time ask you how you are feeling during workout routine. The choices are No Sweat, I Was Working Hard, and I Couldn’t Keep Up. Based on the selection you make to her question she will adjust the workout program to match your response, this is so cool.I have to give the Wii My Fitness Coach 4 out of 5 for workout and 4 out of 5 for fun, a total of 8 out of 10.1) The Wii EA Sports ActiveMy tops pick! It seems like every time Nintendo Wii Fitness comes out with a new game its better that the one before. Just released March 2009, this game is hot!The EA Sports Active was created based on the training techniques of personal fitness trainer and expert Bob Green, personal trainer to the stars.This Game delivers a combination of intense workout routines, power pack cardio, strength training, all combined together into a ever changing, extended circuit workout routine.Specifically designed with women in mind (but I use it all the time) in order to work those common problem areas like buns, abs, inner and outer thighs, waistline, and arms.This game will teach you about nutrition, lifestyle, and physical activity. This is the complete package here.With the use of the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck controllers the workouts will move seamlessly from one activity to the next, all the while monitoring your progress and movements. The Sports Active also uses a unique Upper thigh pocket attachment to place the Nunchuck controller into; this will monitor your lower body movement like never before. You will receive real-time feedback from your on screen personal trainer.Included with the EA Sports Active game is the resistance stretch band, designed to increase the intensity of strength training workout such as shoulder presses, bicep curls and lifts. The Wii Balance board is not included but the board is compatible with many EA SPORTS Active workouts.Take the 30 Day Challenge with personalized 20 minute workouts routines based on your fitness level. The Circuits will change as you progress through your workout day.The EA SPORTS Active will also track your calories and progress throughout your 30 Day Challenge.The EA Sports Active gets 5 out of 5 for workout and 4 out of 5 for fun, a total of 9 out of 10, making it my top pick.Stay Fit and healthy,Steve Robertson

Monetizing Your YouTube Channel: What You Need to Know

The first thing you need to know when it comes to monetizing your YouTube channel is that you can’t do it all willy-nilly on a whim. YouTube has strict guidelines that govern which videos can be monetized. Basically, if you want to monetize your videos, you must meet these criteria: – The video must be at least 10 minutes long. – The video must have a minimum number of views. – The video must not have any copyright violations. – The video must not have any content that is not suitable for all ages. – The video must not have any content that could be offensive to the YouTube community.

How Does YouTube Pay You?

Next, you should know how YouTube pays you. To start, YouTube has two payment models: AdSense and YouTube Partners. AdSense – This is the default payment model that YouTube uses. In this scenario, video creators earn a percentage of ad revenue whenever their videos are being displayed or clicked on. The amount of money you make on each video ad is dependent on a few factors: – The number of views your video receives. – The Ad Clicks your video receives. – The Ad Impression your video receives. YouTube Partners – This is an optional payment model offered to video creators. In this scenario, YouTube shares ad revenue with you as well. However, the amount of money you earn on each ad is dependent on a few factors: – The number of views your video receives. – The Ad Clicks your video receives. – The Ad Impression your video receives.

Why Monetize Your Channel?

In addition to learning how YouTube pays you, you should also know why you should monetize your channel. There are many reasons why you should monetize your channel, including the fact that it can: – Help you make money. – Build your brand. – Build your reputation. – Grow your audience. As you can see, monetizing your YouTube channel is an important part of building your brand and growing your audience. Basically, if you want to make money with your YouTube channel, you need to monetize it.

How to Earn Money on YouTube?

Now that you know what you need to know about YouTube monetization, let’s talk about how you can earn money with your channel. In order to make money with your YouTube channel, you need to meet two requirements: – You need 10,000 total views on all of your videos. – You need to be 18 years of age or older. Once you’ve met these two requirements, you have two options: You can use the AdSense payment model or you can sign up as a YouTube Partner.

Final Words

As you can see, there’s a lot you need to know about monetizing your YouTube channel. That said, there’s no better way to make money with your content than through YouTube. If you have the desire to make money with your content, you need to know how YouTube pays you, why you should monetize your channel, and how to earn money with your YouTube channel.

Catch me if you can. The proven copycat company in global conference, EPIC MEMS, again announced its expertise in research and development. Without apology for the IP infringement, the president of the copycat publicly claimed that the stolen FBAR technology from Broadcom is, in fact, self-developed.

“I wish that I or Broadcom employees had thought of substituting Sc for AI atoms in the unit cell (and patented it),” quoted by Dr. Rich Ruby in the conference. “The way patents work is that you get protection from others simply copying (or stealing) your IP and avoiding any innovation or research cost.”

International Workshop on Acoustic Wave Devices for Future Communication was successfully concluded. As the first resumed major conference of the industry after the global pandemic, it attracted academic professionals and industry experts. One of the important topics of this conference is to create awareness of IP protection. Dr. Rich Ruby, in his panel, presented solid evidence of a newfound infringement.

“As many or all of you know, Broadcom FBAR IP was stolen around 2008/9 and this stolen IP now has found its way into many Handset manufactures,” quoted by Dr. Rich Ruby. “We are aware of this.”

Dr. Rich Ruby has made major contributions to the development with innovations centered on the acoustic properties, manufacturability, and the packaging of FBAR filters and duplexers. He commercialized the first FBAR duplexers HPMD7901 and the 7904 back in 2001–2003. He has over 80 patents and has given numerous invited papers. Dr. Ruby was an Agilent Fellow in 2002 and holds that title as well as Director of Technology at Broadcom. He was a recipient of the Barney Oliver Prize, the Bill Hewlett Award, and the CB Sawyer Award for his work on FBAR technology, and the IAP Prize for “Industrial Applications of Physics.”

Dr. Ruby displayed a photo example of the copycat FBAR 41 filter. “[It] looks almost identical to our product and uses many of the inventions we developed and patented,” said Dr. Rich Ruby. “In the end, IP theft can hurt very companies who use it…and in the case of companies whose IP was stolen, this can lead to job loss of their R&D group.”

Industry experts discovered that the displayed FBAR 41 filter comes from a company called EPIC MEMS and provided in-depth comparison with the cap-opened EPIC MEMS EP7041 filter chip.

Solid evidence of the IP infringement was unveiled from multiple research labs. Dr. Ruby clarified that the reputation of brands who use filter chips originated from stolen IP will be stained and rejected from the global market.

Mobile phones, pad computers and other devices using EPIC MEMS filter chips infringed Broadcom patents is at risk of facing lawsuit and might lead to market withdrawals.

Beyond everyone’s expectation, the copycat EPIC MEMS published an announcement in response to Dr. Ruby’s panel, “we took initiative designed and developed the technology.” Catch me if you can.

Four Ways Artificial Intelligence will Transform the Future of Project Management

Digital Transformation Opportunities to Deliver Augmented Project Management Intelligence.

Executive Summary

For Asset-intensive Industries, Capital Projects are a Billion-dollar engine for growth and change. These Projects have become an area of focus across major Energy and EPC Companies. In this whitepaper, we will examine future trends for Project Intelligence that are possible through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

Digital Transformation Opportunities for ERP-connected Project Management Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has already made some important inroads in ERP Cloud applications, with even greater potential to be realized. From project estimating and resourcing to project scheduling and managing project supplier deliverables. With ERP-connected project management systems, AI/ML opportunities can now span multiple ERP Modules.

AI/ML will not just take over repetitive Project tasks or provide routine enhancements. AI/ML will allow Project Management to leverage other ERP modules, like purchasing, to incorporate key Project Purchasing intelligence data points. Project scheduling can leverage visibility across project purchasing to incorporate supplier updates from PO promise dates to ASN’s and PO Receipts.

Project Intelligence AI/ML focus areas below are key opportunity areas for delivering transformational Projects AI/ML applications:

• Projects Machine Learning: Analyzing Project dependencies

• Align Project Schedules with Purchasing and Project Suppliers timelines

• Risk Management: Identify Project Exception Conditions Faster

• Predictive Analytics: Project Change Order Impact Analysis

Note: Other Projects AI/ML opportunity areas for future consideration include the use of Drones to Track/Analyze Project Progress.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 2

Table of Contents 3

Four Ways Artificial Intelligence will Transform the Future of Project Management 4

I. Introduction 4

II. Using Machine Learning to Improve Project Planning Accuracy 5

III. Align Project Task Schedules with Purchasing & Project Suppliers Timelines 6

IV. Risk Management: Identify Project Exception Conditions Faster 7

V. Predictive Analytics: Analyze Project Change Orders and Related Project Risks 8

VI. Conclusion 9

I. Introduction

Capital Projects are described as a Billion-dollar engine for growth and change in the Asset-intensive Industries, where these Projects have become an area of focus across major Energy and EPC Companies. Projects are executed to build the vital assets for the Energy and EPC Value Chain, including the initial Asset Construction/Acquisition/Installation through the Asset handover to Operations & Maintenance

For Asset-intensive companies, Capital Planning and Capital Project execution is a high value area identified by industry analysts for process improvements in key areas to manage costs. These Asset-intensive Companies can improve their Capital Planning effectiveness with improved operational visibility to their Capital Project Portfolios, and Intelligent Project Management.

According to McKinsey’s 2017 AI Survey of early adopters, early evidence suggests that AI can deliver real value to serious adopters and can be a powerful force for disruption. In their survey, early AI adopters that combine strong digital capability with proactive strategies have higher profit margins and expect the performance gap with other firms to widen in the future. More recently, Cloud has set it sites on AI and ML technologies that can be applied across ERP Cloud Applications.

Digital Transformation via ERP-connected Project Intelligence -

The Project Intelligence AI/ML focus areas below are key opportunity areas for delivering transformational Projects AI/ML applications :

• Projects Machine Learning: Analyzing Projects with similar Tasks & Asset assignments

• Align Project Schedules with Purchasing and Project Suppliers timelines

• Risk Management: Project Exceptions Identification to Identify Project Task Exception Conditions Faster

• Predictive Analytics: Analyze Project Change Orders and Related Project Risks

Other Projects AI/ML opportunity areas for future consideration include the use of Drones to Analyze Project Progress.

In this Whitepaper, we will explore specific Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Opportunity areas to deliver Project Intelligence on an ERP-connected Projects Platform. Project Intelligence AI & ML offer beneficial capabilities to assist Project Managers in identifying potential exception conditions in their projects, and help project managers respond before projects reach a critical state.

ERP-Connected Projects significantly expand the real potential for AI and ML applications that can be implemented for Project Intelligence, by providing an ideal Project Intelligence AI/ML platform to leverage the interconnected nature of ERP Applications across Procurement, Financials, and Inventory/SCM areas.

Many of these AI/ML capabilities simply would not be possible using standalone Project Management tools. ERP-connected Project execution significantly expands the potential for Projects AI/ML applications to deliver more intelligent Project execution.

II. Using Machine Learning to Improve Project Planning Accuracy

Machine Learning can guide project managers to create more accurate project schedules and estimates by providing suggestions using ML from completed projects, based on project types with similar Tasks and Project Assets. Machine Learning provides a new capability for Project Intelligence to analyze project history and improve project planning and resourcing accuracy.

Over time, Project ML can build a significant Project knowledge base to help Project Managers improve their project scheduling and budgeting accuracy, reducing costly project budget overruns. Other ML benefits include using the identified Tasks which are running late to identify any associated Assets (from like Asset assignments, etc.) to identify the specific Project Assets which are impacted by these late tasks.

For Capital Projects, Projects can have multiple CIP Assets assigned at the Task-level to capture project-related Asset costs. These Task-level Asset assignments can be used to identify the impacted Asset(s) for a Project. When PM’s know which Project Assets are impacted by a Late Tasks or Project Change Orders is going to be important information for Project Managers and Stakeholders to prepare remediation plans.

Project ML can also help identify other tasks which reference these same Project assets to identify other impacts (in addition to the task predecessor-successor relationships). Note: each Project Asset will have estimated In-Service dates, as well.

For example, in the case of a Project Task that is running late, Machine Learning capabilities can be used to analyze other Projects with similar tasks (and assigned Project Assets for common asset types) to compare Task effort and resources assigned to see if the late task was estimated / resourced correctly. Projects ML can also alert a Project Manager if they missed a Project Task dependency, such as a facility permitting step or a construction funding approval gate.

ML may be able to determine if a predecessor relationship for a prerequisite task was not identified. Other factors can include long lead project equipment delivery schedules for engineered/major equipment that requires fabrication. Other Projects ML opportunity areas include -

• Provide Task estimating and Resourcing suggestions

• Provide Supplier Lead times for Major/Engineered Equipment (long lead equipment) based on prior projects (with similar Assets)

• Provide shortest and longest project durations for similar Projects based on prior project history.

• For Tasks running late, use ML to identify any associated Assets (Asset assignments) to identify the specific Project Assets which are impacted by these late tasks.

III. Align Project Task Schedules with Purchasing & Project Suppliers Timelines

Project Managers can realize significant benefits from Project Intelligence AI/ML applications that leverage these existing ERP Cloud integrations to Projects. For example, Intelligent Project Alerts can notify Project Managers when Supplier Promise dates for Project Purchase Orders exceed Project schedule dates, or the engineered equipment needed for a Project will require a 10 week lead time for fabrication and delivery.

ERP Cloud Purchasing capabilities includes support for various complex project-based purchasing requirements, for both goods and services. For Project-related Purchase Orders, this capability would allow Project Managers to ensure that Project Tasks are aligned with the Purchase Order Promise Dates related to those Tasks (when PO Promise dates are later than the estimated Task completion date).

This capability would leverage the Projects and Purchasing integrations to drive additional AI benefits to help project managers track PO delivery dates from Project suppliers, and alert PM’s when product / equipment is received, or delivery dates are not met by the Supplier.

• Alert PM’s when PO Promise dates are later than the estimated Task completion date.

• Alert PM’s when product/item is received, or delivery dates are not met by the Supplier.

• Alert PM’s if product/item received quantity does not match PO quantity, or product is placed in quarantine for quality inspection issue (and provide the PO receiving warehouse location).

• Alert PM’s in the event of a product substitution by the Supplier.

The Purchase Order entry process includes Line level detail associated with a specific Project & Task combination which captures the requested date from the requestor, and promised delivery dates from the Supplier. This information may not always be readily available to the Project Manager, especially if the supplier provides a promise date that is different from the requested date – which should be a noted condition.

IV. Risk Management: Identify Project Exception Conditions Faster

Managing Project Risk is a critical responsibility of the Project Manager during each project to help quantify the impact of the risk on project schedule and costs, as well as respond with Project Risk Mitigation Plans. Project Risk Identification and Control is also an opportunity area for implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to analyze common factors that cause projects to run late and over budget, and alert the Project Manager.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) improves Project Intelligence capabilities to monitor and assess Project exception conditions and alert Project Managers when intervention may be required. Project Intelligence AI can monitor projects performance on a continuing basis to detect and report task-level issues before the Project reaches a critical threshold, which can lead to a schedule or budget overrun.

Intelligent Project Alerts can notify Project Managers when Exception conditions occurring outside of the core project schedule, in areas like Purchasing and Assets. For example, when project materials are received where quantities don’t match ordered quantities, or project materials are rejected during receiving. While Machine Learning will guide project managers to create more accurate project schedules and estimates faster and easier by providing suggestions using ML from completed projects.

Identification of Project Exceptions conditions to monitor Project Tasks that are running late, and generate Project alerts for exceptions which may have overall project schedule impacts. Also, Project Exceptions Dashboards can provide an ideal reporting platform for AI/ML generated Task Alerts and Exceptions to Analyze impacts on the Project schedule, and respond accordingly to mitigate project risks.

This capability can be used to identify which Project tasks will need attention, and build on Machine Learning capabilities for projects to recognize Project conditions where tasks run late, and may be under-estimated, missing the required materials/resources or other predecessor task dependencies.

• Recognize Project conditions where tasks run late, and may be under-resourced, missing the required materials/resources, or missing predecessor Task dependencies.

• Recognize Project conditions where Supplier-related events are delayed, including delays to PO Approval, PO Releases, and Supplier Delivery delays.

• During PO Receiving, a Risk or Exception can be noted if the product/equipment received is moved to quarantine for inspection-related issues, or the quantity received doesn’t match PO.

• IOT Cloud Services can be used on projects for equipment geolocation, as well as monitoring major/engineered equipment with sensitive electronics/components that may be affected by severe vibrations/shocks (or humidity/moisture) as it is transported to Project sites.

V. Predictive Analytics: Analyze Project Change Orders and Related Project Risks

Other factors impacting project execution include Project Change Orders which can alter and expand the project scope/deliverables/costs. Project Change Requests/Orders can be a primary causative factor for projects exceeding their Budget. Project Change Orders can include design changes required for Project Equipment/Assets based on project scope or process specification changes.

Managing Project Risk is a critical responsibility of the Project Manager during each project to identify and implement Risk Mitigation strategies, especially the risks that are associated with project change.

For example, when a Project Change order is created against a Project Task associated with a released Project Purchase Order, the Project Manager should be alerted that a Purchase Order revision may be needed to support the Project Change Order

These Project Change orders can have cascading effects that can include Project Purchase Orders for engineered equipment that have been released to Project suppliers. These Project Change Order scenarios may call for a Purchase order revision to reflect any equipment specification changes. Other Project Change Order use cases are included below -

• Identify specific Change Orders that impact Project Schedule and/or Budget and any dependent successor tasks.

• Alert PM when a Project Change order is created against a Project Task associated with a released Project Purchase Order, the Project Manager should be alerted that a Purchase Order revision may be needed.

• Alert PM when Project Change Order impacts a specific assigned Project Asset (Major Equipment), identify other Tasks that are assigned/dependent on that same Project Asset.

• Alert PM when Project Change Order created against Project Tasks with PO(s) that have already been received.

VI. Conclusion

Project Intelligence AI/ML applications delivered on ERP Cloud Platforms can create significant opportunities for Project Management improvements across Asset-intensive industries, equipping project managers with greater insights into Project variables in other Project-integrated ERP areas like Purchasing, SCM and Finance.

Project Management Use cases include Projects Machine Learning to improve Project Planning accuracy, align project schedules with project purchasing functions and timelines; Risk Management for monitoring Project Exception conditions, as well as Predictive Analytics for Project Change Orders. Cloud Customers are starting to identify the benefits of ERP-based AI & ML that spans across ERP modules, which leverages a unified ERP data model.

As ERP Projects integration capabilities expand (i.e., across Financials & EPM, Procurement, SCM, Asset Management, etc.), additional AI/ML opportunities will be available to improve Project Manager visibility and project financial insights.

Cloud-based AI/ML Apps can enable faster time-to-business insights, acceleration of key processes, decreased time to market, and improved customer experiences—all while reducing costs and improving productivity—without requiring data scientists.