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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

ATM usage fees in United States

ATM usage fees are the fees many banks and interbank networks charge for the use of their Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). In some cases, these fees are assessed solely for non-members of the bank; in other cases, they apply to all users. Many people oppose these fees because ATMs are actually less costly for banks than withdrawals from human tellers. Two types of consumer charges exist: the surcharge and the foreign fee. The surcharge fee may be imposed by the ATM and will be charged to the consumer using the machine. The foreign fee or transaction fee is a fee charged by the card issuer to the consumer for conducting a transaction outside of their network of machines in the case of a financial institution.

Before surcharging was allowed in 1996, foreign ATM fees averaged $1.01 USD nationally, according to a 2001 report from the US-based State Public Interest Research Group. As banks and third parties realized the profit potential they raised the fees. ATM fees now commonly reach $2.00, and can be as high as $6.00, or even higher in cash-intensive places like bars and casinos. In cases where fees are paid both to the bank and the ATM owner total withdrawal fees could potentially reach $11.

Only some fees charged by ATMs are advertised at the point of transaction. This is more of a cautionary statement, as ATMs are required by law to inform you of the surcharge fees that the machine will charge you. This information may come in the push through menu or it may be on a sticker on the machine. However, the ATM card holder's own bank may charge a "foreign ATM network" fee to the card holder for using an ATM that is not owned and operated by the card holder's own bank. Since this charge is not assessed by the machine or the owner of the machine, it is usually not advertised at the time and place of the transaction. Thus, it becomes the responsibility of the card holder to be aware of the details of their own bank's fee structure, which may also vary from state to state, to determine the total cost of an ATM transaction. In addition, the "foreign ATM network" fee may be different if using an ATM outside the U.S. versus inside the U.S.

A new charge that has come into the marketplace is the "Denial Fee", where a customer is charged a fee for attempting to withdraw more money that they are either allowed through their daily withdrawal limit or by having insufficient funds in their account.

Thus, customers at some banks in the US can avoid ATM fees altogether. Another popular way to avoid paying ATM fees is to make a "cash back" purchase at a retail store: many retailers will allow a customer who is paying with a debit card to withdraw more than the total due the retailer and get back the difference in cash.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Video Marketing in Online Advertising Sector

Video marketing is one of the most useful forms of viral and online marketing. The majority of video viewers subject to video marketing almost always elicited a response from the advertisement. Video marketing is at a rise and will soon be in the top positions of online marketing technique. Video marketing online and its phenomenal grass roots growth has entrepreneurs, businesses and web marketers scrambling to catch up in this world. Fortunately players like Google and Yahoo are using advanced tools of their trade to index and catalog video. Using website video is a sure way for companies to advertise whatever product or service they are selling.

The internet has turned into an enormous tool to serve businesses marketing needs. The usage of marketing videos can earn more skyrocket profits for the merchants. Videos have benefits over text and images because in video more than one sense is involved - sight, sound, and emotion. Share your marketing video on search music video and make it easy for anyone else to become your marketing agent and take your best communication effort to as many "voluntary" stages as the web is willing to offer.

The latest in the line of marketing tools are the Videos. Video marketing is rapidly becoming a huge online marketing service. Video marketing definitely has a greater potential than other online marketing service like email marketing or banner ads, where you were only capturing your viewer visually. Now here is an option where your viewer can not only see you and your product but can also hear what you are saying. Experience says that customers always find it better to have an opinion from others on a product before they buy it themselves. You can provide this opportunity to your clients through the video online marketing services.

There are many ways to use video on the Internet to market your practice. The first is adding video clips to your existing website and the second is building a direct marketing video website from scratch.



Thursday, May 22, 2008

Work Activities of a Retail Buyer

A retail buyer has a considerable amount of responsibility and autonomy in what is often a pressured environment. Typical work activities can vary according to the season. This is particularly true for those working in fashion. For example: out of season, the majority of the time will be spent in the workplace (in the office and on the shop floor); during the buying season, a significant amount of time will be spent away from the workplace in order to assemble a new collection of merchandise. Throughout the year, tasks typically involve the following:
  • Analyzing consumer buying patterns and predicting future trends;
  • Regularly reviewing performance indicators with sales;
  • Managing plans for stock levels, reacting to change in demand and logistics;
  • Meeting suppliers and negotiating terms of contract;
  • Maintaining relationships with existing suppliers and sourcing new suppliers for future products;
  • Liaising with other departments within the organization to ensure projects are completed;
  • Attending trade fairs, in the country and abroad, to select and assemble a new collection of products;
  • Participating in promotional activities;
  • Writing reports and sales forecasts, and analyzing sales figures;
  • Liaising with shop personnel to ensure product/collection supply meets demand;
  • Seeking merchandise feedback from customers;
  • Training and mentoring junior staff.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Toyota shares slide after bleak profit forecasts

Shares in Toyota Motor Corp skidded on Friday after the world's biggest automaker forecast its first annual net profit decline in seven years as it faces a triple blow of a stronger yen, rising materials prices and a slowing U.S. economy.

Toyota's shares which have roughly followed movements in the dollar-yen rate this year that ended down 3.3 percent at 5,300 yen, wiping $6 billion from its market value to $177 billion. They lost, as much as 4.7 percent shortly after trade opened on 9th May 2008.

News of Toyota's bleak outlook and the dollar's fall below 104 yen sent shares of other Japanese automakers downhill. Honda Motor Co lost 3.9 percent, Nissan Motor Co shed 1.6 percent and Mazda Motor Corp sank 4.4 percent.

Many analysts viewed Toyota's guidance for a 27 percent fall in net profit this business year to be an ultra-cautious one that factored in the manifestation of every possible risk, and held onto their assessment that it was better-positioned than many to weather the headwinds.

"At the moment, Toyota is assuming the worst possible scenario," said Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments. He added that the shares' fall was likely tempered by optimism that Toyota would lift its forecasts in mid-year.

"Although it looks negative at first sight, we see the new guidance as a minimum level that factors in every conceivable risk," he said in a report, keeping his rating at "buy".

Still, Toyota executives on Thursday did little to quell concerns about the increasingly tough environment in the United States, where it makes just under half of its profit.

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Promotion and Relegation

In many sports leagues around the world with North American and Australian professional leagues being the most notable exceptions, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season in which teams are transferred between divisions. The best-ranked teams in each division are promoted to the next-highest division, and at the same time the worst ranked teams in the higher division are relegated or demoted to the lower division. This process may continue down through several levels, with teams being exchanged between levels 1 and 2, levels 2 and 3, levels 3 and 4, and so on.

The number of teams exchanged between each pair of divisions is normally identical, unless the higher division wishes to change the size of its membership or has lost one or more of its clubs and wishes to restore its previous membership size, in which case fewer teams may be relegated from that division, or accepted for promotion from the division below. Such variations will almost inevitably cause a knock-on effect through the lower divisions. For example, in 1995 the English Premier League voted to reduce its numbers by two and achieved the desired change by relegating four teams instead of the usual three, whilst only allowing two promotions from the Football League First Division.

The system is seen as the defining characteristic of the "European" form of professional sports league organization. Promotion and relegation have the effect of maintaining a hierarchy of leagues and divisions, according to the relative strength of their teams. They also maintain the importance of games played by many low-ranked teams near the end of the season, which may be at risk of relegation; in contrast, a low-ranked North American team's final games serve little purpose, and in fact losing may even be beneficial to such teams, yielding a better position in the next year's draft. The downside of relegation, however, is the potential severe economic hardship or even bankruptcy for demoted clubs. Some leagues most notably English football's Premier League offer "parachute payments" to its relegated teams for the following year(s), sums which often are higher than the prize money received by some non-relegated teams, in order to protect them from bankruptcy. There is of course a corresponding bonanza for owners of promoted clubs.

Teams in line for promotion may have to satisfy certain non-playing conditions in order to be accepted by the higher league, such as financial solvency, stadium capacity, and facilities. If these are not satisfied, a lower-ranked team may be promoted in their place, or a team in the league above may be saved from relegation.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Tele Marketing

Telemarketing is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson uses the telephone to solicit prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent face-to-face or Web conferencing appointment scheduled during the call.

Telemarketing can also include recorded sales pitches programmed to be played over the phone via automatic dialing. To most, telemarketing is a disturbing annoyance. However, while there are many methods in which to block telemarketing calls, most residents with a telephone number receive these calls.

Categories and Sub-Categories
The two major categories of telemarketing are Business-to-business and Business-to-consumer.

Subcategories
  • Lead Generation, the gathering of information
  • Sales, using persuasion to sell a product or service
  • Outbound, proactive marketing in which prospective and preexisting customers are contacted directly
  • Inbound reactive reception of incoming orders and requests for information. Demand is generally created by advertising, publicity, or the efforts of outside salespeople.
Negative Perceptions and Criticisms of Telemarketing
Telemarketing has been negatively associated with various scams and frauds, such as pyramid schemes, and with deceptively overpriced products and services. Fraudulent telemarketing companies are frequently referred to as "telemarketing boiler rooms" or simply "boiler rooms." Telemarketing may also be criticized as an unethical business practice due to the perception of high-pressure sales techniques during unsolicited calls. Telemarketing calls are often considered an annoyance, especially when they occur during the dinner hour, early in the morning, or late in the evening.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Get prepared before hunting for an Apartment

Because of the spiraling costs of the home ownership, many people looking forward to take the rented apartment and make it as what they dreamt of having their own home. Rented apartments existing today's have come a long way, in offering more than the four walls with a roof. Many resources are available today on the Internet for apartments in atlanta and many other. The following tips can keep you in good stead while you start finding your own apartment.
  1. Always carry your checklist while apartment hunting.
  2. Once you see an apartment that suits your tastes and looks like your dream, cannot let it go by letting someone beat you to it.
  3. Good apartments are hard to find in the first place and have a very short shelf life in the market. Be decisive, no point repenting later.
  4. Always collect all local rental information before you commence your first apartment sighting.
  5. You may need to fill out a few applications. They are simple and comprehensive and most of the owners of the apartment accept them.
  6. Keep your credit report handy, it will come in use to ward off competition and will give you an edge over the others.
  7. Having the credit reports with you at the time of searching an apartment impresses owners of the apartment because of your honesty and preparedness.
  8. You will also save money by not getting into needless mailing of credit report to every owner you come across.
  9. Owners of the apartment tend to shortlist and select from it, so make sure the first impression counts.
  10. Apartment owners generally look for: A renter who is able and responsible enough to pay rent at a stipulated time every month.
  11. A renter or tenant who will treat the apartment owner and the home with proper care and respect.
  12. A tenant who is quiet and does not disturb other tenants or neighbors.
Be punctual and try not to cancel any appointments with the owners and never get de-motivated, finding your dream las vegas apartments is not easy, but is worth the effort.