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<title>Best Way to Find New Targeted Subscribers for Your Email Marketing Campaign</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/best-way-to-find-new-targeted-subscribers-for-your-email-marketing-campaign,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/best-way-to-find-new-targeted-subscribers-for-your-email-marketing-campaign,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:21:47 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://umsyams.info/?p=55</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In the world of internet marketing, the most important asset is a target market. With the help of targeted email marketing, you can increase your online sales and profits as you can build a list of email subscribers who are interested in what you have to offer. In today’s lesson, I will provide you information [...]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[ In the world of internet marketing, the most important asset is a target market. With the help of targeted email marketing, you can increase your online sales and profits as you can build a list of email subscribers who are interested in what you have to offer. In today’s lesson, I will provide you information about the elements of targeted email marketing, and how you can use it to build a list of email subscribers.First of all, you should know that, even before the formation of your email campaign marketing, you should gather the target market. You can do this by way of surveys. This will provide you with information about the target market’s interests. You can create different emails, and send them out to the target market in the form of surveys.When the email was sent in the form of a survey, you can ask them about their opinion about certain topics, and offer them the solution in order to solve their problems.The survey has been used in email marketing for years. However, in these surveys, you have to ask a lot of questions to get a wide range of information. This can be expensive and time-consuming.There are several companies or individuals that have decided to develop software for the purpose of email marketing targeted marketing. This software can do the task in a fraction of the time. These products have a wide range of uses in targeted marketing. One use is the use in the process of targeted marketing. In this, you can collect data and formulate a marketing strategy based on the collected data. This targeted marketing software is the most effective tool in email marketing targeted marketing.In email marketing targeted marketing, you should make sure that your list of email subscribers is targeted. That is to say, it is a list of email subscribers who are interested in your product or service. In order to attract a target market, you should create a marketing strategy that appeals to that individual. If you do this, you will attract a large target market.In today’s lesson, I will show you how you can use targeted email marketing to improve sales and profits. In this lesson, I will provide you with techniques that you can employ in your business. If you implement the techniques shown in today’s lesson, you will be able to improve your profits and sales.The first thing that you have to do is to make sure that you make the email marketing targeted marketing, and that is to make sure that you get permission from your subscribers. You should always ask permission from your subscribers. If you don’t, you will be violating CAN-SPAM law, and you may also be breaking other laws. This is also a part of your emails, and you should put it on all your emails.That is because, in the United States, CAN-SPAM will penalize you with an $11,000 penalty. This penalty will appear in your income for the previous 2 years. And in Canada, it will penalize you with a $5,000 penalty. And in the previous countries, it has penalized you with a 2,500 penalty. This is a law of the United States of America, and it is enforced. It will also appear in your sales and profits.Therefore, you will be in trouble. So it is always better to ask permission from your subscribers. The second thing that you should always include in your emails is for them to give up their email addresses. In that way, you will be able to send your emails to only people who have told you they want to receive emails from you. In that way, you will be able to improve your emails to only those people who want to receive emails from you.You do this by getting the subscribers to give up their email addresses. If you ask for permission to send emails to their inbox, they can always unsubscribe. And that way you will be able to better concentrate on your customers who want to receive email marketing promotions.
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<title>Technology is Disruptive – And Empowering</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/technology-is-disruptive-and-empowering,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/technology-is-disruptive-and-empowering,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:55:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://umsyams.info/?p=53</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Technology changes the way we work, live our lives, and have fun. Technology can empower businesses with improvements in productivity, faster development and production cycles, superior decision making by employees, and enhanced customer service. But deriving these benefits from incorporating new technology is not always a smooth process. Technology is often, at first, disruptive before [...]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Technology changes the way we work, live our lives, and have fun. Technology can empower businesses with improvements in productivity, faster development and production cycles, superior decision making by employees, and enhanced customer service. But deriving these benefits from incorporating new technology is not always a smooth process. Technology is often, at first, disruptive before it becomes empowering.Although the ideas developed in this article may have general applicability, they are mainly intended to relate to the incorporation of new information and communications technologies into business processes. Information technologies involve computers and their peripheral equipment as well as the data flow across local area networks. Communications involve any voice and video activity including the telephone system and related equipment as well as the communications pathways creating the wide area networks.Technology Changes Business ProcessesEvery action conducted within a business is part of one process or another. Sometimes the processes are easily defined and readily observable, as in the path of a purchase order. At other times, the process is not so clear but nevertheless it still exists even if by default.New technologies are introduced into business to:
Speed up existing processes 
Extend the capabilities of existing processes 
Change the processes 
In changing the processes, the new technologies will often allow new ways of conducting business that were not previously possible.Other than simply speeding up existing processes, new technologies will be disruptive when first introduced. This results from having to change patterns of behavior and/or relationships with others. When disruption occurs, productivity often suffers at first, until such time as the new processes become as familiar as the old ones. At this point, hopefully, the goal has been achieved of reaching a higher level of productivity than the level at which it started before the introduction of the new technology.Therefore a common cycle that occurs with the introduction of new technologies includes:
Disruption 
Lower productivity, and, finally, 
A higher plateau of productivity than the starting point 
The obvious goals for introducing new technologies are to: 
Minimize the disruption 
Minimize the time it takes to increase productivity 
Maximize the gain in productivity 
In achieving these goals it is helpful to understand the: 
Context in which the processes operate, that is, who will be impacted by changes in the specific processes affected 
Democratizing potential of technology 
Types of people that will react in very different ways to new technologies 
The processes by which a company operates and the introduction of new technologies do not exist in isolation. Both of these exist within a context that may be a part of and affect: 
The social relationships within an organization and possibly with companies with whom you conduct business 
Political (power) structures within an organization 
How individuals view themselves and their abilities 
Technology can be democratizing. If it is used to create and disseminate information useful to the mission and goals of the business, it can be a great equalizer between “levels” of management and staff. The key word is “disseminate.” If access to the information is decentralized, and easy communication of the information is allowed, then “front line” workers can improve the quantity and quality of decisions they make without having to involve layers of management.Types of People from a Technology PerspectiveFrom a perspective of introducing new technology into your company, you may find it helpful to understand the following four types of people:
Innovators/embracers 
Enthusiasts 
Acceptors 
Naysayers 
Innovators/embracers will investigate new technologies on their own. They will sometimes be helpful to introducing new technologies that would otherwise not have been known to the company. They will sometimes be a “thorn” in pushing for new technologies they think will be useful (or just “neat” to have) but do not fit the company’s agenda or objectives. These people will embrace new technologies when introduced by others, will often be the first ones to fully incorporate and make use of it, and could help others to fully utilize new technologies.Enthusiasts will accept new technology enthusiastically. They won’t usually seek it out but will be eager to incorporate it into their processes where appropriate. As a result of their openness, they will often readily learn how to use the new technology and may also be useful in assisting others through the learning process.Acceptors will accept new technology because it is required. They will not seek it out. In fact, they will often try to avoid it at first until they are forced to accept it. Once they understand the new technology is here to stay, they will willingly learn how to benefit from it or, at least, live with it.Naysayers habitually oppose new technologies and often are very vocal about their opposition. They often gripe about any changes and will often never change if they don’t have to or they quit before they are made to change “the way they do things.”The productivity vs. time curve will look different for each of these types of people. Think of how each person in your own organization fits into these four types. Think of how that impacts deriving the full benefits that you’ve carefully targeted. Think of how that impacts your ability to discover additional benefits once the technologies are implemented. Understanding the differences can help smooth out the rough spots during and after the implementation process.Lessen the Disruption; Increase the EmpowermentUnderstanding the context in which processes exist, the democratizing potential of technology, and the types of people will help you achieve the goals stated above for a more rapid payoff from a smoother introduction of new technologies.In addition, make the new technologies transparent to the user or, at least, make them as intuitive to operate as possible. Extra time in pre-planning the introduction of new technologies and training employees in the use of the technologies can provide a return many times greater than the hours spent in planning and training. You can achieve faster increases in productivity, reduced impact on customers, and lower burdens on support staff.With proper planning and training, the productivity curve will increase at a faster rate and to a higher level than it might otherwise have achieved
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<title>There is an excessive amount of traffic coming from your Region.</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/there-is-an-excessive-amount-of-traffic-coming-from-your-region,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/there-is-an-excessive-amount-of-traffic-coming-from-your-region,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:12:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internet Marketing]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://umsyams.info/?p=51</guid>
<description><![CDATA[#EANF#]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[#EANF#
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<title>Corporate Governance and Small Businesses</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/corporate-governance-and-small-businesses,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/corporate-governance-and-small-businesses,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Mar 2023 12:39:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://umsyams.info/?p=48</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Let’s start with some review of what types of companies primarily drive the US economy. We know that there are about 16,000 publicly traded companies represented on the NASDAQ, NYSE and the AMEX. The key economic driver in the US is the 27 million small businesses. The Small Business Administration 2008 Presidential Report on The [...]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Let’s start with some review of what types of companies primarily drive the US economy. We know that there are about 16,000 publicly traded companies represented on the NASDAQ, NYSE and the AMEX. The key economic driver in the US is the 27 million small businesses. The Small Business Administration 2008 Presidential Report on The Small Business Economy clearly communicated “the economy generated 1.1 million net new jobs in 2007. In the first quarter of 2007, 74 percent of the net new jobs were in small firms with fewer than 500 employees and 22 percent were in firms with fewer than 20 employees.” Yet, the gross amount of attention in the media and the federal bureaucracy is around what is happening in the Markets. This is understandable with the volumes of dollars transitioning in this public environment. The economic recovery program is not addressing the core of the economy, small businesses. More than ever the public market environment is being questioned about corporate governance. The new legislation being considered for public companies has sections that may very well trickle down and require the small businesses to adhere to similar if not exact rules on Corporate Governance.A simple definition of Corporate Governance for the small business: Corporate governance simply refers to the set of internal policies, rules, and procedures that a company follows on a regular basis to ensure that it operates in a fair, equitable, and appropriate manner for the benefit of the company, its management and its shareholders. A corporation usually has a board of directors and a senior “C” level management team. Most small businesses do not have these organizational entities clearly defined and functional. For private companies that are registered as a corporation and have investors, the various states require these entities to have a governing board. Yet many small businesses incorporate for tax issues and do not necessarily pay attention to the concepts of corporate governance. How does Corporate Governance apply to small businesses? All businesses should look at their organizational structure and continually assess what will allow the company to perform in an optimal way. The simplest way to implement this is to have an advisory board. The advisory board is non-paid individuals that have business or industry specific backgrounds that can contribute ideas or mentor management. In more formal and traditional cases a small corporation has a board of directors comprised of the founders, a spouse, an employee and maybe – just maybe an outside director. The focal point of corporate governance within small businesses is that all businesses need to set company strategic goals, provide the leadership to put them into effect, supervise the management of the business, and if the company has stockholders, report to the stockholders on their stewardship. For those small businesses that do not have the hierarchical structure in place to implement formal corporate governance plans, it is recommended that regular self assessment of the company will be the starting place for accountability, to enhance performance, grow the company and be a greater contributing force in the economy. At the end of the day, if you follow some set of policies and procedures and are reporting your stewardship of the company to someone even if it is your dog, then you have accountability that is key to corporate governance practices.Will the government impose its will and definition of Corporate Governance from the public markets into the small business environment?This imposition of government from the public market companies to privately held companies is making its way through the halls of congress. One idea being tagged onto present legislation is to extend Sarbanes-Oxley down to privately held companies. Anyone that knows anything about SOX is aware of the high cost to implement the documentation processes and the reporting. Pushing this down to the small business environment would be cost prohibitive and stunt economic growth. The general politics of mandated corporate governance is to wait and see how new legislation will affect the small businesses driving the US economy.As a final note, every company, no matter what size it is, will see the positive effects of implementing the principles of corporate governance. The facts remain that there are 27 million plus small businesses in the US who are the job creators and the drivers of the economy. The greatness of US business is that it performs the best when individuals come together in a free market environment to meet the needs of the economy and society. In the end, best practices of corporate governance can be freely implemented to benefit the company or corporate governance can be instituted by the government, which can cost more in resources, planning and profit. Take the time to assess how your small business views corporate governance and how this will enhance your growth in the market place.
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<title>The Branding Agency & AR (Augmented Reality) – Main Tips to Implement It</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/the-branding-agency-ar-augmented-reality-main-tips-to-implement-it,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/the-branding-agency-ar-augmented-reality-main-tips-to-implement-it,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2023 09:22:34 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://umsyams.info/?p=46</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In the past the brand design, branding agency concept ruled. Nowadays, after the physics became nonlinear and more quantum based, the branding agency has now become more experiential vs. just brand identity designs. So, in the past looking for an open market, placing your product and/or start intrusively shouting your offer was the best way [...]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[ In the past the brand design, branding agency concept ruled. Nowadays, after the physics became nonlinear and more quantum based, the branding agency has now become more experiential vs. just brand identity designs. So, in the past looking for an open market, placing your product and/or start intrusively shouting your offer was the best way to do marketing, moving forward to the industrial era it became more cold call system than strategy itself. As time goes by we have been living a phenomenon of exponential acceleration of things and thanks to that exponential theory (Moore’s law) the more it moves forward the wider the leap in time, it correlates and side by side with cosmos enlargement theory by astrophysics.Having into account our daily lives and daily routines, if we manage to remember, back in 1938, Mr. Buckminster Fuller for the first time introduced a very quirky word called ephemeralization which means among other meanings, the trends of “doing more with less”, a term mostly used in chemistry, health and obviously the industrial field. Stanislaw Ulam, little bit later in 1958, wrote a publication which was based on a conversation he had with John von Neumann where the main topic was the acceleration progress of our technology and how it influences human life. Later on, Hans Moravec was the first one to generalize Moore’s law in order to make predictions about the future of artificial life, Hans was computer scientist and futurist. Moore’s law talks about exponential growth patterns within and in the complexity of integrated semiconductor circuits. Based on Moore’s ideas, Moravec extend the scope to it into other modern and future forms of technology, particularly Robots and how they evolve into an ever more intelligent specie, moving further to the mere integrated circuit theory.Because technology and religion (beliefs not dogmas) influence the way people see the world and indeed shapes our attitude and as some other sociologists say it helps create, maintain or make disappear entire cultures and this way civilization we can see the level of current technology influence is so high that sometimes we cannot notice, otherwise you might remember James Burke and his TV series Connections (1978), later on: sequels Connections² (1994) and Connections³ (1997) where it was mentioned for the first time the conventional linear and teleological view of historical progress. It’s just today and now we must discuss based on quantum and other theories that look forward to connect to other forms of perceptions, linking this way senses and technology until it goes to more subtle levels we cannot understand yet.Branding and marketing are facing nowadays new ways to integrate messages into people’s perception and the graphic design agency is this way searching for more interesting brand marketing strategies. The new branding strategy agency will be the one who can integrate marketing and branding via super tools to expand the stimulation of our senses and taking us to new level of perceptions. That will be the new creative marketing agency of the future.Top branding agencies are now betting for micromoments (thanks to Google!), not anymore, intrusive cold calls and/or direct sales. It is now the brand experience or micro moments, it is the journey through the purchasing process that has apparently more value than the purchase itself although is the opposite. The product branding strategy is simply following what the branding in marketing corporate branding strategy is dictating, therefore, the design and branding agency leverage the creative designs to bring forth new levels of experiences.The new “branding a company” will not merely want to be one of the best branding agencies, just branding a product. The branding advertising agency of the future will include positive values into their brand marketing strategy, therefore, we will not only do branding and identity just for the sake of doing branding but in order to leave a transformational message to the mankind and help them grow.Ideas to implement AR to branding.In the past, branding a business with the help of a branding and design corporate branding agency started by creating a brand of course and this is something any creative design agencies, design branding agencies or corporate branding companies used to do.
It should and exclusively start by understanding ourselves. An honest and sincere understanding of who you are, your strengths, weaknesses, potentialities. This require deep and systematic silence in order to penetrate deep levels of inner intelligence and understanding both of our inner nature and nature around us. Great changes happen in silence, never amidst the noise. 
Observe nature. Mother nature is the best teacher we can have in order to create similar experiences via artificial devices. Most of us, almost all startups I know, are so focused on generating profits that they even forget to honestly take care of themselves; sadly, enough, once they achieve their financial, material goals, etc. (if they manage to achieve it) they are sick and can’t enjoy what the results. 
We are always jumping up and down between either artificializing nature or humanizing artificial things, say, devices, isn’t this a contradiction? Best idea in this is to understand the real value of nature and the real value of human nature and the real value of that interaction. 
Therefore, the brand design company must adjust as much as possible the new advertising agency branding paradigm: The human being as the main subject not the product, service or idea itself. Understanding the human being behind the device is of utmost importance, nowadays we talk about UX or user experience, it should go beyond that UX, beyond the simple subject-object interaction. Just like physics classification has different shares of categories from a gross into a subtler levels or covers, just like onion rings, this way we should see this whole thing from a holistic point of view.
Brand marketing companies must delve more into the heart and soul of the brand identity work. Marketing and branding companies and even top advertising agencies must not think only of the money but of a more transcendent work that goes beyond a simple brand positioning strategy. 
Augmented Reality enable the end user to position or place any life-size 3D model into any specific environment either with trackers or not. Therefore, it enriches our cameras feed and fill it with any contextual information released by the source. So it aligns reality with your mobile, laptop, etc. Great study cases to carefully analyze is the British Museums’ Ancient Egyptian trail or The Augsburg Display Cabinet at the John Paul Getty Museum. 
Does it take lots of resources to implement (budget)? Are you or your advertising and branding agency following a marketing branding strategy? Disney for example, is using AR for interactive book coloring series and for promotional purposes such as the Star Wars Weekends (SWW). 
Is this experience looking forward to engaging more or creating more brand awareness as part of a defined brand strategy consulting outlook? AMC Theatres use AR in order to engage moviegoers and this way interact with different engaging items such as promotional movie posters by using their phones or tablets. 
In what stage fit AR in the sales and marketing funnel? How can it boost that specific stage? Volvo for example used AR in order to nurture their prospects base before launching XC90 in 2015. Volvo wanted to show the cutting-edge design behind this model by letting know the most important and interesting capabilities of the XC90. The wanted prospects download the “Volvo Reality” app in order to end users check and delve inside of the car system, go for a virtual drive highlighting its main and nice features along the way.
What you offer must be something, outer nature doesn’t have, otherwise is a waste of time. For example, City University London has implemented cARe. As a Jisc-funded project, the idea behind is to provide a simulated clinical training to nurses to support patient care. You must download the cARe app an iPad that is usually loaned and a headphone splitter so students can concurrently access and listen to a resource. The resources that students had access to were adapted, converted and further developed from the CeTL website (a City University resource that offers learning resources related to clinical and communication skills).
Get yourself centered. Yes, you first. Do research, plan, execute, measure, learn and try again. 
Branding and marketing companies, brand management consulting agencies, marketing and advertising firms, brand consulting firms, branding corporate identity specialists and creative advertising agencies can use advertising and branding AR in order to engage its target to more premium packages by using AR branding strategies in virtual marketing. For example, Marriott gives you the experience of teleportation. Teleporter VR Program uses a 4D sensory experience in order to immerse into travelers’ real travel experiences. The database is full of different travelers’ personal stories and experiences when traveling different destinations around the world. Therefore, the story created by the user’s experiences is in a shareable mode.
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<title>Search Results</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/search-results-2,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/search-results-2,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:37:55 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
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<title>Search Results</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/search-results,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/search-results,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:36:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://umsyams.info/?p=42</guid>
<description><![CDATA[#EANF#]]></description>
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<title>Domestic Players and the Sustainable Development of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry</title>
<link>https://umsyams.info/domestic-players-and-the-sustainable-development-of-the-nigerian-oil-and-gas-industry,html</link>
<comments>https://umsyams.info/domestic-players-and-the-sustainable-development-of-the-nigerian-oil-and-gas-industry,html#comments</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:34:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://umsyams.info/?p=40</guid>
<description><![CDATA[INTRODUCTIONThe Nigerian oil and gas industry is the primary source of revenue for the government and has an industry value of about $20 billion. It is Nigeria’s main source of export and foreign exchange earnings and as well a major employer of labour. A combination of the crash in crude oil price to below $50 [...]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[ INTRODUCTIONThe Nigerian oil and gas industry is the primary source of revenue for the government and has an industry value of about $20 billion. It is Nigeria’s main source of export and foreign exchange earnings and as well a major employer of labour. A combination of the crash in crude oil price to below $50 per barrel and post-election restiveness in Nigeria’s Niger-Delta region resulted in the declaration of force majeure by many international oil companies (IOC) operating in Nigeria. The declaration of force majeure resulted in shutdown of operations, abandonment or selling of interests in oil fields and laying off of staff by foreign and indigenous oil companies. Although the above occurrences contributed to the drag in the Industry, perhaps, the major cause is the unfruitful presence of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) as the dominant player in the Industry (owning about 55 to 60 percent interest in the OMLs).While, it is unfortunate that many IOC’s playing in the Industry divested their interests in oil mining leases (OMLs) and oil prospecting leases (OPLs) granted to them by the FGN; on the flip side, it is a positive development that indigenous companies acquired the divested interests in the affected OMLs and OPLs. Hence, domestic investors and companies (Nigerians) now have the opportunity and significant role to play in the sustainable growth and development of Nigerian oil and gas industry.This paper x-rays the roles expected of Nigerians and the extent that they have successfully discharged same. It also looks at the challenges that are inhibiting the sustainable development of the industry. This paper finds that the chief factor limiting domestic investors from efficiently playing their role in the sustainable development of the industry is the overbearing presence of the FGN in the Industry and its inability to fulfil its obligations as a dominant player in the Industry.In the first part, this paper discusses the roles of domestic investors, and in the second part, this paper reviews the challenges and factors that inhibit domestic investors in sustainably performing the identified roles.THE ROLE OF DOMESTIC INVESTORS/COMPANIESThe roles domestic investors play in promoting sustainable development in the oil and gas industry include:
Providing Capital
Enhancing Personnel and Technical Capacity Development
Promoting Technological Capacity and Transfer
Supporting Research and Development
Providing Risk Insurance
Capital Injection/ProvisionOil and gas projects and services are capital intensive. Hence, financial capacity is essential to drive growth in the industry. Given the increased participation of domestic investors in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, naturally, they have been saddled with the responsibility to provide the capital required to drive industry growth.As at 2012, Nigerians had acquired from IOC’s about 80 of the OMLs/OPLs (30 percent of the licences) and about 30 of the oil marginal fields awarded in the Industry. Dangote Group is currently undertaking a $14 billion refinery project, partly sponsored by a consortium of Nigerian banks. Another Nigeria company, Eko Petrochem & Refining Company Limited, is also undertaking a $250 million modular refinery project. In the midstream sector of the industry, there are many indegenous owned transport vessels and storage facilities; and in the downstream sector, domestic investors are actively involved in the marketing and sale of refined crude oil and its by-products through the filling stations located across Nigeria, which filling stations are mostly owned and funded by Nigerians.Capital is also required to fund education and training of Nigerians in the various sectors of the Industry. Education and training are vital in filling the gaps in the country’s domestic technological and technical know-how. Thankfully, Nigeria now has institutions solely for oil and gas industry related studies. Furthermore, indigenous oil and gas companies, in partnership with IOC’s, now undertake pieces of training for Nigerians in different areas of the industry.However, funding from the domestic investors is not adequate when compared to the financial needs of the Industry. This inadequacy is not a function of financial incapacity of domestic investors, but due to the overbearing presence of the FGN through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a player in the industry; in addition to regulatory bottlenecks such as pump price regulations that inhibit the injection of capital in the downstream sector.Personnel and Technical Capacity ImprovementOil and gas projects are often highly technical and complex. As a result, there is a high demand for technically skilled professionals. To sustain the growth of the industry, domestic investors have to fill the capacity gap through training, hands-on experience in the execution of industry projects, management or operation of already existing facilities and obtaining the necessary international certifications such as ISO certification 2015 and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) certification. There are currently domestic companies that undertake projects such as exploration and production of crude oil, engineering procurement construction, drilling, fabrication, installations, oil by-products shipping and logistics, offshore fabrication-vessel building and repair, welding and craft sales and marketing. Recently, Nigerians participated in the in-country fabrication of six modules of the Total Egina Floating Production Storage Offloading (PSO) vessel and integration of the modules on the FPSO at the SHI-MCI yard.Technological Capacity and TransferTechnological capacity in the oil and gas industry is primarily related to managerial competence in project management and compliance, the assurance of international quality standards in project execution and operational maintenance. Hence to build technological competency starts with in-country development of management capacities to grow the pool of skilled personnel. A particular research found that there is a vast knowledge gap between domestic companies and IOC’s. And ‘that indigenous oil companies suffered from fundamental lack of quality management, limited compliance with international quality standards, and poor preventive and operational maintenance attitudes, which lead to poor maintenance of oil facilities.’To effectively play their role in enhancing the technological capacity in the Industry, domestic companies started partnering with IOC’s in project construction and execution and operational maintenance. For instance, as mentioned earlier, domestic companies partnered with an IOC in the successful completion of in-country fabrication of six modules of the Total Egina Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel and integration of the modules on the FPSO at the SHI-MCI yard. Other instances include: the first assembled-in-Nigeria Subsea Horizontal Xmas Tree and the fabrication; installation of subsea equipment like flexible flowlines, umbilicals and jumpers on Agbami Phase 3 project; Installation of 32km 24″ Sonam to Okan NWP pipeline; the fabrication and load-out of the Okan PRP Topsides; Bridge Fabrication of Okan PRP jacket, amongst others.It is common knowledge that since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010, all projects executed across the sectors of the Industry have had the active involvement of Nigerians. The Act ensured an increase in technological and technical capacities, but also a gradual process of technology transfer from the IOC’s to Nigerians. The Act in its Schedule reserved specific Industry services to domestic companies. The rate of involvement and the quality of services of Nigerians has increased tremendously with the result that there are now many domestic oil servicing firms.Research and DevelopmentThe building of technological capacity and the ability to generate innovations that will drive an industry forward are hinged on research and development (R&D).Domestic investors are yet to pay attention to R&D. Nonetheless, the Nigerian Content Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has indicated its intentions to set up R&D for the oil and gas industry covering engineering studies, geological and physical studies, domestic material substitution and technology adaptation. It is hoped that domestic investors will pick up the slack in their support for R&D in the Industry.Risk InsuranceThe risks in the Industry are vast and substantial, especially in respect of capital assets. It is possible to reinsure pipelines and facilities against sabotage, depreciation, drying up of an oil well or such hazards that disrupt the operation of an offshore or onshore facility, including transportation.Initially, Nigerian insurance companies were not able to underwrite huge risks in the Industry. However, since the release of Insurance Guidelines for the oil and gas industry in 2010, Nigeria underwriters have been recapitalised. Each of the underwriters now has a minimum capital base of between N3 billion, N5billion and N10billion. The underwriters have taken steps to increase their technical capacity through training and retraining, to acquire the needed technical expertise to assess risks accurately and also to avoid the incidence of an underwriter exposing itself to risks that are beyond its capacity.Interlude: The drag in the oil and gas industry and the playersRegardless of the foregoing points that illustrate the efforts made by domestic investors in the Industry, there are still substantial limitations to the growth of the Industry, especially with reference to the upstream sector which is the soul of the Industry. The major reason is that domestic investors/companies are a fraction of the Industry players, particularly the upstream sector where they control about 30 percent of the OMLs/OPLs. Therefore, regardless of how well the domestic investors play their role in the sustainable development of the Industry, their efforts will still be undermined by the actions/inactions of the other players. The other players are the IOC’s and the NNPC/FGN, with the NNPC/FGN holding majority interests in upstream sector: noting that activities in the downstream sector are specifically reserved for Nigerians under the Schedule to the NOGICD Act, while the indigenous investors and companies have a fair share of participation in the midstream sector which is contractually regulated.The FGN operates in the Industry through the NNPC. The NNPC carries out its operations in the Industry through business relationships with its partners using any of the following three arrangements: participating joint venture (JV), production sharing contract (PSC) and service contract (SC). The most used of the three is the JV, whereby the NNPC/FGN holds majority interests, and to an extent dependent on which company is the JV partner (NNPC/FGN owns 55 percent of JVs with Shell, and 60 percent of all others).What is clear from the above is that the complementary roles of the dominant player, the NNPC/FGN, is very significant to the sustainable development of the industry, the efforts of domestic investors/companies notwithstanding. The NNPC/FGN has two main obligations of funding and policy direction for the Industry but has consistently fallen short of these roles. Therefore, the failure of the NNPC/FGN to play its role, diminishes the efforts of domestic investors.Factors inhibiting the role of domestic investors/companies in the sustainable development of the IndustryFirst, exploration activities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry are mostly operated through JV agreements between the NNPC (owning 55 or 60 percent interest as the case may be) and private companies. The JV arrangement is such that the NNPC/FGN has only funding responsibilities while the other partners have the responsibility of exploration and production of oil. Hence, the JV partners provide the technical and technological capabilities in construction, operation and maintenance of the facilities. Historically, the JV partners have kept good faith with their obligations, but the NNPC/FGN have consistently breached its obligation when called upon to remit its contribution.The NNPC/FGN have a chronic habit of either failing to pay or underpaying its JV funding obligations. It allegedly owes the JV partners about 6 years cash call arrears of $6.8 billion (negotiated to $5.1 billion in 2016) and $1.2 billion cash call debt for 2016 alone. This has resulted in waning JV oil production for some years. There are two sides to the issue of the FGN’s debt obligation to the JV partners. First is that the FGN, most of the time, does not have the financial capacity to meet its JV cash call obligations. Secondly, the bureaucratic bottlenecks involved in the approval of the FGN portion of the cash call which is funded through budgetary allocations and therefore exposed to the whims and caprices of politics and inordinate delays.Second, the JV partners usually wait for unduly long periods to obtain the consent of the FGN to execute projects from as low as $10 million, notwithstanding the urgency of project and which project may be incidental to ongoing JV operations.Third, the lack of clarity about the policy direction of the FGN is even more worrisome. The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has been stalled in the National Assembly since 2008 and there does not seem to be any commitment to expedite the legislative process on the key areas of the PIB. Noting the vital nature of the industry to the health of the Nigerian economy, it is surprising that the current government is yet to indicate its policy direction in respect of the PIB and other issues bugging the Industry.RecommendationsEither of the two recommendations made below can position the Industry for sustainable development and profitability for the long-term:
FGN should transfer its interest to domestic investors/companies; or
Convert the JVs to PSCs.
Indigenous companies and investors have shown capacity and potential to shoulder the responsibilities of the Industry; it will be a good business decision for the FGN to deregulate the Industry and transfer its interest to domestic investors. This would promote corporate ethical standards and attract more investments to the Industry. More so, it would grow domestic capacity and the profitability of the Industry. With this arrangement, FGN/NNPC will focus attention on sound and timely policies for the Industry.In the alternative, the FGN/NNPC may decide to convert the JV arrangement to PSCs. Unlike the JV’s where the FGN has a funding obligation, and JV partners are required to wait for the long process of JV receipts to recover its operational cost; under the PSC, the FGN would be the sole holder of the OML while the JV partners would be converted to contractors. Hence, the contractor will obtain the necessary funding, execute the project and the cost will be recovered from oil production. The challenge with this recommendation seems to be that the contractor may not be entitled to the profit made from the sale of the crude oil.The domestic investors can only drive sustainable growth and development if they operate in a business environment bereft of the difficulties and poor business habits of the NNPC/FGN as a business player.
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<title>An Inside Look at the Importance of a Smile in Sales</title>
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<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2022 06:26:13 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[If you’re in sales, then you’ve probably heard all sorts of advice, from “don’t oversell” to “focus on solving problems.” However, one of the best pieces of advice that many forget is to smile! After all, your smile is one of the first features people notice about you, and it plays an essential role in [...]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[If you’re in sales, then you’ve probably heard all sorts of advice, from “don’t oversell” to “focus on solving problems.” However, one of the best pieces of advice that many forget is to smile! After all, your smile is one of the first features people notice about you, and it plays an essential role in the first impression you make. Keep reading to learn all about the importance of a smile in sales (as well as how cosmetic dentistry can help!).
Smile: Your Sale Depends on It!
Knowing your product and knowing your audience are key in sales. However, you don’t get far if your client doesn’t trust you or believe you. That’s why it’s so important to make a good first impression! Here are a few ways a smile can help:
• Smiling is more powerful than you might think – One study found that smiling has the same effect on our brain as $25,000 in cash!
• Smiling communicates your state of mind – Smiling is a non-verbal cue that you are happy to be where you are, that you are confident in your product, and that you are ready and willing to help.
• Smiling creates a ripple effect of positivity – Have you ever seen a friend yawn and done the same? Or seen someone take a sip of water and immediately realized you’re thirsty? Thanks to the mirroring neurons in our brains, we naturally mimic the behavior of those around us.
But What If You Don’t Like Your Smile?
If you don’t like your smile, don’t worry – that’s where cosmetic dentistry comes in. Whether you’re struggling with misaligned, misshapen, cracked, or otherwise imperfect teeth, your smile goals aren’t out of reach. The first step? Scheduling an appointment with a skilled cosmetic dentist. For both my father and myself, providing high-quality, personalized, and judgment-free dentistry is a passion. There’s truly nothing better than seeing someone walk out of our office with a dazzling, confident smile! So, don’t wait to make your dream smile a reality – it could make all of the difference when it comes to your personal and professional life!
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<title>The Best Job In The World?</title>
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<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2022 06:25:21 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[1999 was probably the worst year of my professional life. Unsatisfying office jobs followed by long periods of unemployment and claiming benefits. I’d also missed out on an opportunity to train as a Microsoft certified programmer because I was unable to find a placement. The dream of making my way into the world of employment [...]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[1999 was probably the worst year of my professional life. Unsatisfying office jobs followed by long periods of unemployment and claiming benefits. I’d also missed out on an opportunity to train as a Microsoft certified programmer because I was unable to find a placement. The dream of making my way into the world of employment had turned into an absolute nightmare, at times I felt like a total failure.
Towards the end of 1999 an opportunity arose for me to work in a casino. I’d always loved card games after seeing the glitz and glamour of casinos in James Bond movies. Dissatisfied with life in Northern Ireland, at the age of just 20, I packed a couple of suitcases and ended up going to the Isle of Man to train as a croupier (casino dealer) in January 2000. 18 months later I was working on my first cruise ship, and 18 months after that I was boarding the QE2 (the most famous ship of them all) to do a world cruise.
For a young man from a housing estate in Antrim, Northern Ireland this was beyond even my wildest dreams. On a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool in 1997, I’d once seen a pontoon table and croupier and dreamt what it may be to work as a casino dealer on the high seas.
Everything aboard the QE2 was as you would expect, starting with Captain Ron Warwick, who looked exactly what the captain of the QE2 should look like (Google the name if you don’t believe me). Passenger facing crew were immaculate in their appearance. I could probably have shaved with the crease on my pressed tuxedo shirts, and on a number of occassions when I had been sunburnt in port, I could feel the creases cutting into my tender skin as I dealt the cards that evening in the casino.
The great thing for croupiers on cruise ships is that they only work when the ship is in international waters, in port, the casino must close, and casino staff are free to do pretty much whatever they want. Casino staff have a cabin steward who cleans their cabin and takes away their dirty laundry and brings it back fresh each day. We did a 103 day world cruise which included stops in places like Hong Kong, Sydney, Cape Town, Hawaii, Mauritius, Nagasaki, Tahiti and Singapore to name a few. I managed to do some amazing excursions like diving in the great barrier reef, quad biking in the Namibian desert, and dining in all sorts of fine restaurants, trying delicacies like Springbok, Kangaroo, Crocodile and Kobe beef. We made stops in 5 continents, crossed the equator and even experienced living a Tuesday in consequetive days when we crossed the world timeline. Imagine that, you go to bed on Tuesday night, wake up the following morning and its Tuesday again, but this was far from groundhog day.
The role in the casino was not about taking passengers’ money like in a land-based casino, it was about providing them with fun and entertainment. The passengers were friendly and pleasant, many of them being extremely successful people (I understand the lowest cabin cost for a world cruise on the QE2 was about $50,000 in 2003). A lot of the passengers had never played in a casino and were fascinated to learn and experience the one onboard. Just getting to know some of these people was an experience in itself, and a large part of the role in the casino was simply to entertain them whilst they were in the casino.
There were also celebrity passengers. We would finish work and go to the crew/members bar where we would have guest entertainers like the late Des O’Connor and the magician, the late Paul Daniels down to have a drink. God bless them both.
Was my job the best job in the world? Maybe not for everyone, but it was beyond even my wildest dreams and the 6 month experience, as well as the amazing people I met will be something I treasure forever. I was very lucky to have lived this experience and will always be incredibly grateful for it.
Many years have passed since then and I’ve always missed the buzz of casinos which is how Fun 21 Casino Hire was created in 2021. My celebrities now are anyone who hires the No Money Fun Casino that I provide for parties and celebrations, and I aim to give the same experience that you would expect onboard the QE2.
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