Fewer “crazy signs.” More karaoke.
That could be the future for Club Med, the French resort operator,
which said Monday that it had received a $700 million buyout offer led
by its two largest shareholders, an investment unit of the French
insurer AXA and a Chinese conglomerate called Fosun International.
The proposed deal gives a Chinese company an unusually visible role
in the acquisition and development of a prominent Western brand, which
was founded in 1950 by a Belgian water polo player and for years defined
the packaged exoticism of beach vacations for Europeans and North
Americans. Now, though, the ascent of the Chinese tourist is helping
reshape the world’s idea of the ideal getaway.
Club Méditerranée
has long been known for the blend of escapist fun and Frenchness in its
vacation formula — including the staff’s frequent performance of
synchronized, heavily gesticulated dance moves set to pop music.
With Chinese co-ownership, Club Med cannot help becoming a bit less
French. It has been hit hard by the euro crisis, during which its name
has been borrowed by economists as an epithet for the debt-ridden and
austerity-ravaged countries of Southern Europe.
Club Med is looking to emerging markets, especially China, for new customers and new resorts, which it calls villages.
Read More : http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/club-med-targeted-in-700-million-privatization/?ref=business
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Tampilkan postingan dengan label family business. Tampilkan semua postingan
Selasa, 28 Mei 2013
Rabu, 16 November 2011
Convert your Arts and Crafts Hobby into a Business
Hobbies like arts and crafts offer a good business opportunity for those who really like spending their time creating artwork or unique craft items. With a little investment and some information on how to start an arts and crafts business, you will soon be ready to start selling your products successfully...
Each of us has a hobby, engaging in which gives us a feeling of satisfaction. Arts and crafts are a favorite hobby of many people, which also offers a lot to explore. This hobby can be and is often converted into a business that has low risk, low investment and can give a good amount of profit. Many experts recommend this idea to beginners and those looking for small business opportunities to increase their total monthly income. So, if you are starting an arts and crafts business, then here are some things to consider before you start it, and ways to work it out well.
Things to Consider Before Start-Up
If you have never been part of a business, the points given below will tell you how to start an arts and crafts business successfully.
* You need to plan the business well to avoid any situations where the investment cost is more than the profit earned, the order is delayed, or the customer is not satisfied.
* Start reading about the basics of small business management, to convert your arts and crafts hobby into a successful business.
* From the wide range of arts and crafts, you need to decide which type of products you will be selling.
* Make a list of easy crafts to make and sell and find out which items have the maximum demand among your target customers.
* In order to make your business score more among your competitors, try to have a set of products not sold by others.
* When you start planning when and how to start an arts and crafts business, you need to have a certain amount of money for the initial expenses, which mainly includes the cost of raw material.
* Open a separate bank account for your business. This will separate the entire cost and profit details from your personal account and let you know the exact numbers.
Starting Your Arts and Crafts Business
You can have the business setup right in your house or backyard. This is one of the advantages of turning your arts and crafts hobby into a business. When you start your business, the first step is letting people know about the same. Start with your friends and neighbors. Moreover, you can look for simple and low-cost ideas to advertise your business. This includes paper posters and small pamphlets. Photographs of ready artwork and craft items work best in this case. You can e-mail these to your friends, add them to your social networking profiles and post them on free classified advertisement websites.
Finding a market to buy the raw material is a very important part of this business. You need to browse through online websites, nearby stores and wholesale dealers to find good shops selling the basic material required for making arts and crafts at the cheapest rates.
Remember that you might not achieve sales that will level your investment cost, for a few months at least. Hence, you must expect 'no profit' for the first few months, until your business is set-up well, marketed properly, and gains popularity.
Dedicating enough time for your business is very essential, at least in the initial stage. Even if you are a working individual, make a time-table to distribute your tasks properly through the day, week and month, hence, avoiding any problems and meeting deadlines.
Taking Your Business to The Next Level
Once people are aware of your business and you have started getting enough orders to meet the production cost, it is time to take your business to the next level. Well, that is not as difficult as you might think! Promoting your products and increasing the variety of products you sell, is a good way to attract more consumers. You can contact shops which sell artwork and craft items and sell your products to them instead of finding direct customers.
You can also have an exhibition-cum-sale of your products, say once in 3 or 6 months. Put up your items for sale on online shopping websites to attract more customers with minimum efforts. Taking good photographs of your work is very essential for this step.
Well, there are no really any strict rules to be followed while turning your hobby into a business. All you need is planning, dedication towards your work, good communication skills, and ideas to grow your consumer base. Explore areas that are not common and give importance to each part and step while you set-up your arts and crafts business.
By Mamta Mule
Published: 11/16/2011
Read More:
http://www.buzzle.com/
Each of us has a hobby, engaging in which gives us a feeling of satisfaction. Arts and crafts are a favorite hobby of many people, which also offers a lot to explore. This hobby can be and is often converted into a business that has low risk, low investment and can give a good amount of profit. Many experts recommend this idea to beginners and those looking for small business opportunities to increase their total monthly income. So, if you are starting an arts and crafts business, then here are some things to consider before you start it, and ways to work it out well.
Things to Consider Before Start-Up
If you have never been part of a business, the points given below will tell you how to start an arts and crafts business successfully.
* You need to plan the business well to avoid any situations where the investment cost is more than the profit earned, the order is delayed, or the customer is not satisfied.
* Start reading about the basics of small business management, to convert your arts and crafts hobby into a successful business.
* From the wide range of arts and crafts, you need to decide which type of products you will be selling.
* Make a list of easy crafts to make and sell and find out which items have the maximum demand among your target customers.
* In order to make your business score more among your competitors, try to have a set of products not sold by others.
* When you start planning when and how to start an arts and crafts business, you need to have a certain amount of money for the initial expenses, which mainly includes the cost of raw material.
* Open a separate bank account for your business. This will separate the entire cost and profit details from your personal account and let you know the exact numbers.
Starting Your Arts and Crafts Business
You can have the business setup right in your house or backyard. This is one of the advantages of turning your arts and crafts hobby into a business. When you start your business, the first step is letting people know about the same. Start with your friends and neighbors. Moreover, you can look for simple and low-cost ideas to advertise your business. This includes paper posters and small pamphlets. Photographs of ready artwork and craft items work best in this case. You can e-mail these to your friends, add them to your social networking profiles and post them on free classified advertisement websites.
Finding a market to buy the raw material is a very important part of this business. You need to browse through online websites, nearby stores and wholesale dealers to find good shops selling the basic material required for making arts and crafts at the cheapest rates.
Remember that you might not achieve sales that will level your investment cost, for a few months at least. Hence, you must expect 'no profit' for the first few months, until your business is set-up well, marketed properly, and gains popularity.
Dedicating enough time for your business is very essential, at least in the initial stage. Even if you are a working individual, make a time-table to distribute your tasks properly through the day, week and month, hence, avoiding any problems and meeting deadlines.
Taking Your Business to The Next Level
Once people are aware of your business and you have started getting enough orders to meet the production cost, it is time to take your business to the next level. Well, that is not as difficult as you might think! Promoting your products and increasing the variety of products you sell, is a good way to attract more consumers. You can contact shops which sell artwork and craft items and sell your products to them instead of finding direct customers.
You can also have an exhibition-cum-sale of your products, say once in 3 or 6 months. Put up your items for sale on online shopping websites to attract more customers with minimum efforts. Taking good photographs of your work is very essential for this step.
Well, there are no really any strict rules to be followed while turning your hobby into a business. All you need is planning, dedication towards your work, good communication skills, and ideas to grow your consumer base. Explore areas that are not common and give importance to each part and step while you set-up your arts and crafts business.
By Mamta Mule
Published: 11/16/2011
Read More:
http://www.buzzle.com/
Minggu, 25 September 2011
Cash-Strapped Americans Can't Break the Overdraft Habit
Overdraft fees are like a movie monster that just won't die. No amount of public outrage or regulation can slay the beast.
But the banks aren't the only ones casting overdrafts in financial sequels: Truth is, consumers who don't properly manage their accounts, or who have money problems, keep breathing life into the overdraft dragon.
"Overdrafts are part of the small advance and loan market," explains G. Michael Moebs, CEO of Moebs Services. Other parts of that "market" include credit card cash advances, transfers from deposit accounts or small lines of credit, payday loans, pawn loans, even gifts and loans from family and friends -- and at the extreme, loan sharks. "The surprise is, no matter how much government tries to regulate and legislate away this small loan market, it keeps coming back," says Moebs. "People want and need a funding safety net."
According to Moebs Services, a consulting firm for the banking industry, overdraft revenue in the second quarter of 2011 was up b $700 million (from $30.1 billion in the first quarter to $30.8 billion) at both banks and credit unions. The average number of overdrafts per household remained fairly even.
In the majority of cases, overdrafts are accidents, something that happens when people don't keep track of their transactions. However, a surprisingly large fraction -- 26%, according to Moebs -- are intentional. The Moebs study found that 34 million Americans use overdrafts to fill a shortfall of funds, while 19 million of them go to payday lenders. "People have short term needs: medical, auto repairs, relative in trouble, or they are just short cash in some pay periods," says Moebs.
With median overdraft fees at $28, the cost of those accidents and choices adds up. Worse still, Moebs estimates that typically, 90% of overdraft fees are paid by the poorest 10% of customers.
The Pros and Cons of Overdrafts
Linda Sherry, director of National Priorities for Consumer Action, points out that there's more than one type of overdraft, and says the good and bad varieties of overdraft protection shouldn't be lumped together.
"While overdrafts can serve as a short-term loan, we have some important caveats," she says. "We are not talking about 'automatic' overdraft or bounce protection. We are talking about the kind of overdraft protection that you apply for and it covers your overdrafts and charges you only a reasonable transaction fee and any interest on the loan. This one spares you overdraft fees altogether. Most reputable banks offer this."
"Banks also offer the kind of overdraft protection that we don't believe in -- when people overdraft they pay the overdraft but still charge a hefty overdraft fee of $30 or so. We urge caution in allowing a bank to do this," says Sherry.
Moebs argues though, that increased regulation of overdrafts does more harm than good. "Those Americans that rely on overdrafts and advance payday loans, do not have the FICO score to qualify for a line of credit or credit card," said Moebs, in a prepared statement. "By creating unintended consequences, such as predatory lending from loan sharks, adding limits to overdraft volume or price will do more harm than good."
"Regulators should get out of and stay out of the short term money needs of consumers -- they cause more problems than solutions. Instead of trying to tell consumers what they need and how to manage their money, let the market do it," says Moebs, whose clients include banking and savings institutions.
"The huge mistake that many make when looking at overdrafts, payday loans and pawn loans, is trying to measure it by large loan standards -- namely APR. It's like bringing a baseball speed gun used to measure the velocity of a pitch to measure the speed of a college or NFL football player. Overdrafts are measured by fee amounts, not rates."
Consumers Still Need Protection
Regulators clearly disagree with that: Overdraft fees remain high on their agenda. In 2009, the Federal Reserve stepped in with new rules to make overdrafts and fees more transparent. Since then, some banks have gone even further and eliminated the overdraft option on ATM and debit transactions. Other banking regulators have either proposed or issued supervisory guidance governing the banks that they oversee.
The newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, too, is taking on overdrafts. "The Bureau will carefully assess how we can best ensure that the overall market for short-term credit is fair, transparent, and competitive," said Raj Date, special advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for the CFPB, in a recent speech at the Lessons Learned from the Financial Crisis: The Need for the CFPB event in Philadelphia. "We will be monitoring the impact of the recent regulatory and supervisory interventions. If we find that these interventions are not working as intended, we will adjust. And if we find that additional action is needed, we will act."
What's the best advice for consumers? Says Moebs, "Have your checking account at a community bank or credit union, because the price is less and you will get the short-[term] funding you need and want."
See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/nfEnwx
&
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/23/cash-strapped-americans-cant-break-the-overdraft-habit/
But the banks aren't the only ones casting overdrafts in financial sequels: Truth is, consumers who don't properly manage their accounts, or who have money problems, keep breathing life into the overdraft dragon.
"Overdrafts are part of the small advance and loan market," explains G. Michael Moebs, CEO of Moebs Services. Other parts of that "market" include credit card cash advances, transfers from deposit accounts or small lines of credit, payday loans, pawn loans, even gifts and loans from family and friends -- and at the extreme, loan sharks. "The surprise is, no matter how much government tries to regulate and legislate away this small loan market, it keeps coming back," says Moebs. "People want and need a funding safety net."
According to Moebs Services, a consulting firm for the banking industry, overdraft revenue in the second quarter of 2011 was up b $700 million (from $30.1 billion in the first quarter to $30.8 billion) at both banks and credit unions. The average number of overdrafts per household remained fairly even.
In the majority of cases, overdrafts are accidents, something that happens when people don't keep track of their transactions. However, a surprisingly large fraction -- 26%, according to Moebs -- are intentional. The Moebs study found that 34 million Americans use overdrafts to fill a shortfall of funds, while 19 million of them go to payday lenders. "People have short term needs: medical, auto repairs, relative in trouble, or they are just short cash in some pay periods," says Moebs.
With median overdraft fees at $28, the cost of those accidents and choices adds up. Worse still, Moebs estimates that typically, 90% of overdraft fees are paid by the poorest 10% of customers.
The Pros and Cons of Overdrafts
Linda Sherry, director of National Priorities for Consumer Action, points out that there's more than one type of overdraft, and says the good and bad varieties of overdraft protection shouldn't be lumped together.
"While overdrafts can serve as a short-term loan, we have some important caveats," she says. "We are not talking about 'automatic' overdraft or bounce protection. We are talking about the kind of overdraft protection that you apply for and it covers your overdrafts and charges you only a reasonable transaction fee and any interest on the loan. This one spares you overdraft fees altogether. Most reputable banks offer this."
"Banks also offer the kind of overdraft protection that we don't believe in -- when people overdraft they pay the overdraft but still charge a hefty overdraft fee of $30 or so. We urge caution in allowing a bank to do this," says Sherry.
Moebs argues though, that increased regulation of overdrafts does more harm than good. "Those Americans that rely on overdrafts and advance payday loans, do not have the FICO score to qualify for a line of credit or credit card," said Moebs, in a prepared statement. "By creating unintended consequences, such as predatory lending from loan sharks, adding limits to overdraft volume or price will do more harm than good."
"Regulators should get out of and stay out of the short term money needs of consumers -- they cause more problems than solutions. Instead of trying to tell consumers what they need and how to manage their money, let the market do it," says Moebs, whose clients include banking and savings institutions.
"The huge mistake that many make when looking at overdrafts, payday loans and pawn loans, is trying to measure it by large loan standards -- namely APR. It's like bringing a baseball speed gun used to measure the velocity of a pitch to measure the speed of a college or NFL football player. Overdrafts are measured by fee amounts, not rates."
Consumers Still Need Protection
Regulators clearly disagree with that: Overdraft fees remain high on their agenda. In 2009, the Federal Reserve stepped in with new rules to make overdrafts and fees more transparent. Since then, some banks have gone even further and eliminated the overdraft option on ATM and debit transactions. Other banking regulators have either proposed or issued supervisory guidance governing the banks that they oversee.
The newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, too, is taking on overdrafts. "The Bureau will carefully assess how we can best ensure that the overall market for short-term credit is fair, transparent, and competitive," said Raj Date, special advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for the CFPB, in a recent speech at the Lessons Learned from the Financial Crisis: The Need for the CFPB event in Philadelphia. "We will be monitoring the impact of the recent regulatory and supervisory interventions. If we find that these interventions are not working as intended, we will adjust. And if we find that additional action is needed, we will act."
What's the best advice for consumers? Says Moebs, "Have your checking account at a community bank or credit union, because the price is less and you will get the short-[term] funding you need and want."
See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/nfEnwx
&
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/23/cash-strapped-americans-cant-break-the-overdraft-habit/
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