Really looking forward to this weekend, since we will be having a little celebration of sorts. So, I’m thinking of taking monday off, to make it a really nice and long weekend. If I am able to complete all my pending work early then it might just be possible. Nothing like the possibility of a holiday to make you work harder and faster, right?
Bad weather=higher online sales
Hitwise reports that online shopping saw a spike over the past weekend in the UK due to the bad weather. The spike was especially prominent for retail and travel websites that received the highest number of visitors in the past two months. House and garden websites were the biggest gainers overall. Searches for the word ‘weather’ also increased by 20%. I do tend to spend more time online in bad weather, and there’s nothing better than to do some shopping online right?
ValueVision Media announced that it has launched a new website for ShopNBC.com. The new site will be located at ShopNBC.TV and will link video content from ShopNBC to products and a shopping cart. About 35 million online shoppers are expected to visit who were earlier not able to do so via its television format. This new platform is exploring a market that is called ‘v-commerce’, by combining TV and the Internet. So shoppers at this site can shop, watch videos which they can pause or view as a full screen version.
Methods of learning are constantly changing, as are methods of teaching and coaching. It has been found that consumers today are more responsive to what is called ‘appreciative coaching’ or coaching methods that encourage and emphasize positive aspects. There is a new book out called ‘Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change’ which has been co-authored by Sara Orem a faculty member at Capella University, one of the leading universities in the US where students can get online degrees. In a variety of studies it has been found that people respond better in environments that focus on achievements and human ideals. Besides being a faculty member at Capella, Sara Orem is the principal in her own coaching firm and has presented programs at the National Organization Development Network and International Coach Federation conferences. This post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.
Finished reading both my books
Finished reading both the books that I have been trying to finish for a long time. Both were really great books that made it all the more harder to not be able to read them. It’s probably the longest I’ve ever taken to read a book, so long that I’m embarrassed to even mention it. I try to read at least an hour a day but lately it just hasn’t been happening, and I’m hoping that I will be able to take time out to continue with my reading in the future.
Nike: caught on the wrong foot?
Uh, oh, Nike is not doing too good at keeping up with trends. The company has been rather slow on the uptake with the trend for streamlined sneakers that came up to only the ankle instead of those that come up to mid-calf. Nike as a brand has always focused on performance rather than fashion, although it usually stays within the realm of being fashionable. Let’s see how this progresses…
How about living in South Beach in Florida? It’s an option that a lot of people are taking up, as the area is considered to be one of the finest and most happening spots in the country. Real estate in South Beach and Miami Beach is of course booming. With the kind of celebrity crowds that South Beach gets, it’ll always be booming. I think a good way to approach it is to rent a condo and see if it is a place that you could live in. With the kind of condos available in South Beach, you’ll have a hard time staying away. Head on over to South Beach Florida real estate to get the best information on where and what to rent and buy in South Beach. With a variety of luxury and pre-construction condos, they have all the best options on offer.
Leading online retailer CDW is to be bought over by Madison Dearborn Partners, a private equity firm for $7.3 billion. Internet Retailer lists CDW as the #8 retailer in its Top 500 Guide and is listed as #3 for the computers and electronics segment. The company retails mostly to government agencies and businesses and had online sales of over $2 billion, an increase of 13% over the previous year’s sales. CDW and its investment bank Morgan Stanley have the right to solicit other offers in the next 30 days, which is sure to do.
The number one requirement in this globalized world is the knowledge of the English language, which is the world’s foremost business language. To get ahead in business and make contacts with companies from across the world is impossible unless you speak and understand English. Interestingly, even those who speak English in countries like the UK and US, need to undergo accent training to rid them of local slang and accents. Executive Language Training or ELT is recognized as the best system for accent reduction classes when it comes to speaking professional English. For those from non-English speaking countries, the system works to improve their American accent so that they can work better in a global environment.
360-degree street view with Google maps
Google is updating its maps and has added new mapping technology that allows users to locate places from street level. These 360-degree maps are available for San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Denver and Miami as of now, but will be expanding to other cities as well. The maps will let users to pan and zoom views just like in Google Earth. Google is still behind other companies such as Microsoft, when it comes to mapping, but is fast catching up. The company is also developing mapplets, which are mini-applicatations with a variety of information on a specific area of the map. Click the street view button at the top of the map to see actual views of the street in those locations.
