Press Releases & News

Chicago, Illinois January 3, 2009 — A new free booklet helps business owners navigate the often complex activity of choosing internet marketing services.  The “Consumer Awareness Guide to Buying Internet Sales and Marketing Services” written by internet marketing expert Raynay Valles is available at
www.fasttrackinternetmarketing.com/freeguide/

“The average business owner who has a website is needlessly wasting thousands of dollars on internet marketing ripoffs.  As a result, these companies make millions of dollars and mislead business owners to believe, ‘The Internet doesn’t work.’”

These controversial words come from one of the nation’s leading internet marketing experts and business advocates, Raynay Valles and address a growing problem as more businesses try to increase sales using internet
marketing.

Focusing on step-by-step solutions to the concerns of business owners, this guide covers:

-Why 99% of the internet marketing services used by most companies are a waste of time and money
-How to avoid traffic-building scams and rip-offs
-How most business owners are asking the wrong question about their website
-5 costly misconceptions about getting business from the web
-The 3 most effective ways to find your customers online
-7 questions you need to ask before buying any internet sales and marketing services

About Raynay Valles:

Internet marketing specialist and author Raynay Valles is president of Jawdrop, Inc. a Chicago online marketing consulting firm.  Her articles have appeared in numerous online magazines, newsletters and blogs.  She speaks
to local business groups on the subject of succeeding with  internet marketing.  Available for interviews, Raynay welcomes questions
from writers and business owners alike.

Contact:

Raynay Valles, President
Jawdrop, Inc.
773-539-9309
http://www.FastTrackInternetMarketing.com

The fact that people in Austria now feel truly Austrian is in part due to a German car - the Volkswagen Beetle. That is the first finding of an Austrian Science Fund FWF project that is examining the extent to which consumer goods have influenced the formation of the Austrian nation. The project reveals that, in the decades crucial to the nation’s creation, the Volkswagen became an object of identification and integration for the Austrians. The next stage will investigate the influence foodstuffs have had on this process.

It would be difficult to find much evidence that foundering car sales in the current financial crisis are shaking the Austrian national identity to the core. However, a project by the Department of Social and Economic History at the University of Vienna on “Products and the construction of the Austrian nation” is now demonstrating that the strong presence and wide distribution of a particular brand of car in the post-war decades lent significant support to the construction of a shared feeling of Austrian identity.

The car that achieved this was the German VW Beetle - a product that neither originated in Austria nor was “made Austrian” through the use of country-specific advertising, for example. Nevertheless, the Beetle was the first car that vast swathes of the Austrian population could afford and was therefore responsible for integrating a large proportion of the country’s inhabitants into the motorisation process. For the Austrians, this in turn generated a sense of collective identification with “their” Volkswagen, which also strengthened the general feeling of unity.

A SYMBOL ON FOUR WHEELS

“After the war, Austria wanted to adopt all the trappings of a modern, Western nation and chose the U.S., the consumer nation, as its inspiration. That meant that the motor vehicle, and the passenger car in particular, served as a collective symbol of social and technological progress. Making cars available to the masses became proof of the fact that the country was on its way to becoming a middle class nation with high purchasing power”, explains project leader Dr. Oliver Kühschelm.

In 1957, the Austrian market saw the launch of its very own “Volkswagen” - the Steyr Puch 500, Fiat model, an affordable car produced on home soil. This car, said to be particularly well suited to tackling the Alpine landscape, was intended to assume this symbolic identity for the entire nation. But the Austrian car par excellence, the true “people’s car”, remained the Beetle, as this project shows - in 1958, its best year and just shortly after its market launch, the Steyr Puch achieved a share of only around 12 percent of new registrations, while the Beetle retained a fifth of new registrations for a considerable period and, in its heyday, enjoyed up to 27 percent.

GERMANY - IN OR OUT?

That made the VW Beetle by far the most widely used car in Austria and its strong presence on the roads resulted in it becoming a symbol for Austria, as Dr. Kühschelm explains: “The Beetle became a collective symbol of the population’s shared driving experience and also the achievements made by the country as a whole, and was thus a key pillar in supporting the construction of the national identity. At the same time, it embodied the ambivalence of the process behind the formation of the Austrian nation. At first glance, this rests on distancing itself from Germany, but on closer inspection, it nevertheless incorporates a marked appreciation of things German.”

So far, the project has focused primarily on the significance of cars, the acquisition of which is generally preceded by an intensive period of deliberation. In the next stage, attention will turn to foodstuffs - relatively cheap products that are required on a daily basis. In the future, the FWF project will reveal how coffee from Julius Meinl, Almdudler and fast food from McDonald’s have helped to define the national consciousness of the Austrians.

Image and text will be available online from Monday, 24th November 2008, 09.00 a.m. CET onwards:

http://www.fwf.ac.at/en/public_relations/press/pv200811-2en.html

Scientific Contact:
Dr. Oliver Kühschelm
University of Vienna
Department of Social and Economic History
Maria-Theresien-Straße 3
1090 Wien, Austria
T +43 / 1 / 4277 - 413 33
E oliver.kuehschelm@univie.ac.at

Austrian Science Fund FWF:
Mag. Stefan Bernhardt
Haus der Forschung
Sensengasse 1
1090 Wien, Austria
T +43 / 1 / 505 67 40 - 8111
E stefan.bernhardt@fwf.ac.at

Copy Editing & Distribution:

PR&D - Public Relations for Research & Education
Campus Vienna Biocenter 2
1030 Wien, Austria
T +43 / 1 / 505 70 44
E contact@prd.at

Vienna, 24th November 2008

America’s middle class is not the only one hit by the economical crisis; wealthy people too are starting to feel it. Experts of the yacht industry are really worried after data show that a large number of rich people, whit an average income of 20 million or plus per year, are starting to sell their yachts. For example John Devaney, founder of united Capital financial advisers, put his 20 million yacht for sale along whit his 16 million second house in Aspen.
Simkowitz’s yacht management, is a company specialized on fractional ownership, which means that organize groups of people to buy one yacht an then manage schedules, costs, times of use for each person of the group. According to this company the number of rich people selling half of their yacht is rising up after the subprime’s crisis. Fractional buyers are rising on luxury things:
Wealthy people start making pools to buy their Ferrari and Lamborghini, to purchase airplanes or helicopters. In general a recent survey shows that Americans are cutting off purchases of luxury goods, and this is true especially for ultra affluent persons.
For example the owner of the Alibellla, a 50 meters luxury yacht, is ready to offer like ten million Euros of discount to a costumer ready to do the transaction in less of one month.
Alibella is one of the most exclusive yacht of recent building, with marble finish and an helicopter on the stern, and is one of the many mega yachts that have seen their price fall down after the explosion of the subprime’s crisis and the beginning of the economical recession.
Edmiston & Company, the London based yacht company who is try to sell the Alibella, has seen this as an opportunity to make good deals and started to sell used yacht to prices never seen on yacht market. Who has the money in this period can make affairs in every business sector, included yachts.
The Midlandia, a 50 meters luxury yacht whit bullet proof glasses, according to Edmiston & Company brokers, has seen his price reduced from 27 million Euros to 19.9 million.  We’re talking of 7.1 million in least of ten days. The Thunder B is another luxury yacht, whit a pool on board, before the crisis its cost was 18.9 million, now can be yours for just 13.7. Now the market is just for used yachts buyers, no more shipyards production. No more projects, no more crazy prices, only discounts and bargain prices.
So the yacht industry too is starting to experience the consequences of subprime’s crisis and wealthy people too have been hit from recession. If nothing is going to change in the short period we can expect a earthquake in shipyards and nautical sales firms. Many people will lose their jobs, and many ship and nautical company will be forced to close. So the main concern is not just that many people will be forced to sell their boats; the worry is that the system will collapse in short, if things don’t change soon, and this will create another large fracture in our fragile economic system.
That’s the real problem.

A unique training initiative targeting local bus drivers and inspectors in the Greater Belfast area is beginning to deliver some impressive results.

The ‘You Are the Difference’ campaign aims to assist Metro and Ulsterbus staff in delivering high levels of customer satisfaction by offering tips and techniques and using driver and passenger feedback to boost service standards.

Just three months since its launch, there has already been an increase of over 35 per cent in the numbers of compliments received from passengers about Metro and Ulsterbus drivers. Moreover, customer care-related complaints from passengers have fallen by 36% over the same period.

According to Billy Gilpin, Central Area Operations Manager, the initiative is much more than just a routine training exercise: “These latest results are extremely encouraging and demonstrate just how successful the campaign has been to date.

“Our recent independent monitoring results show that customer satisfaction is already at an all time high across our bus network. This can be attributed to new modern vehicles improving comfort and frequency, more routes increasing accessibility and this initiative which is another proactive step taken by Translink to improve services and put both customers and our staff at the heart of all we do.

“‘You Are the Difference’ enables effective three-way communication between local bus drivers & inspectors, management and passengers. It empowers staff by providing a platform for constructive feedback on performance and allows them to suggest ideas for positive change. The project not only helps staff improve their customer care techniques but also educates passengers on how they can help us to help them.”

Approximately 700 drivers and 70 bus inspectors, supervisors and managers have experienced ‘You Are the Difference’ training to date.  The training consists of a series of role plays in which staff interact with professional actors in a range of typical scenarios and requires role improvisation under the direction of the trainee audience.

This innovative approach aims to illustrates possible outcomes of a number of actions and reactions to some basic issues identified through pre-course research* carried out with Belfast passengers. The real life scenarios are simulated within a training environment and then reviewed to enable staff to prepare themselves for eventualities in the real world.

“The technique of simulating real-life situations really helps to clearly communicate key campaign messages to our staff and feedback so far has been very positive,” continued Mr Gilpin. “They have found it both enjoyable, informative and a great tool for ideas generation. We are looking forward to continuing to rollout the initiative and implement many of the good ideas** that have been identified.”

Passengers are also being asked to follow simple guidelines identified by the campaign that aim to make travel experiences more positive both for them and our employees. Guidelines include: having correct change for bus drivers; using a Smartcard; clearly signalling at bus stops for drivers and avoiding dropping litter on buses.

Mr Gilpin concluded that learning through observation and focusing on meeting the needs and expectations of both staff and passengers is key to building a more sustainable and successful business.

“With the goodwill of our passengers and the focus of our staff we intend to ensure Metro and Ulsterbus services are the best in the British Isles,” he said.

For further information please contact

Media contact: Bob Little Tel + 44 (0)1727 860405; Email: bob.little@boblittlepr.com
Sales contact: David Hill Tel + 44 (0)20 8568 1500; david@echelonlearning.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

• * In developing ‘You Are the Difference’ – which began to be delivered to Ulster Bus and Metro staff in August – Echelon Learning, the initiative’s designers, took over 70 bus trips in Belfast, interviewed more than 100 passengers and also spoke, at length, to Ulster Bus and Metro staff.
• ** To date, during the training sessions, staff have identified over 600 ideas for service improvement and the target is to reach 1,000 by the end of the year
• The initiative’s logo and the main focus of the training are based around the three colours of a set of traffic lights. Each colour signifies a choice of behaviours that might be selected:

- Selecting Red ensures we stop and reflect before reacting and selecting appropriate behaviours.
- Selecting Amber means we pause and respond in the way we have been taught.
- Selecting Green suggests we react quickly and often instinctively.

About Echelon Learning Ltd

Echelon is an organisation development consultancy with a 20-year track record of delivering targeted communication, training and performance support solutions that really make a difference to corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations and professional bodies.

The company helps its clients create and sustain improved operational performance by developing high levels of employee engagement and competence that leverage their ability to achieve outstanding results, particularly in times of change.

Echelon publishes a wide range of self-development solutions that support lifelong career development: www.learningmatters.com

Clients include:

Channel Tunnel Rail Link
London Overground Rail (LOROL)
Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply
Department of Work and Pensions
Festival Housing Association
NHS
Royal Town Planning Institute
T-Mobile
Vodafone

This month sees Workplace Ministry in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire (WMHB) - the ecumencial body that oversees the work of workplace ministry in these two counties - launch a recruitment drive for people to serve as workplace chaplains.

Chaplains – who give up a number of days each month to visit people at work - are drawn from practising Christians, either lay or ordained, who are connected to a recognised church.

Candidates need good social skills; should enjoy meeting people; be able to listen effectively; be cheerful, and be willing to learn how an organisation works. They also need to be able to work as part of a team and be sensitive to the many issues that arise in the workplace.

“Chaplains offer friendship and a listening ear to individuals and to organisations,” explained the head of WMHB, the Rev Michael Shaw. “They need to be available to all, regardless of religion or race, and they support staff of any faith - and none.

“In the current economic crisis, which is affecting the lives of all of us, workplace chaplains are more important than ever,” he added.

WMHB’s chaplains operate anywhere where people work but, primarily, they operate within the emergency services - in police stations, among fire and ambulance teams and so on - in the manufacturing industry; especially at Vauxhall Motors in Luton; in the ‘town centre retail’ environment, and at London Luton Airport.

If you would like to volunteer to become part of the chaplaincy team, contact WMHB at 41 Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1HE (tel 818144) or email workplace.ministry@stalbans.anglican.org.

End

Notes for Editors

About Workplace Ministry

WMHB is an ecumenical outreach through chaplains who take Christian values into the workplace. It operates anywhere where people work.

Chaplains visit people at work on a regular basis. They offer friendship and a listening ear. They are equally available to all – regardless of religion or race - supporting staff of any faith or none.

About Workplace Ministry in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire (WMHB)

WMHB:

· Encourages a positive connection between faith and economic life.
· Aims to provide high quality services and support to the workplace and to present workplace issues and opportunity to the Church.
· Works with other faith communities to create coordinated faith centred responses to current issues and needs.
· Provides a Christian presence that contributes to the whole of economic life in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
· Has a Christian basis, founded on the principle that Christ’s love is for all people. This principle inspires, underpins and permeates WMHB’s work in today’s diverse society.

Further information from:

The Rev Michael Shaw, Workplace Ministry in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, 01727 818144 (Ansaphone) or email workplace.ministry@stalbans.anglican.org

Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405, bob.little@boblittlepr.com