Welcome to blog about management, marketnig and random (not)interesting stuff.

As you might guess from blog title, I will post some basic management and marketing tools aswell as info about managerial skills needed to be a sucessful manager. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Yours sincerely, BojanCo

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Marketing And The Instruments Of The Marketing Mix

Hello again dear followers,
today I am going to write a few words about marketing mix as an important strategic and marketing tool.

So, what is marketing, you may ask?

Marketing is the process of planning, and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create and exchange value, and satisfy individual and organisational objectives.

Given the marketing objectives and goals, the target segments and the market position that has to be defended, the tools of the marketing plan have to be decided upon. The marketer has a number of tools to hand - the instruments of the marketing mix. Traditionally, these instruments are divided into four categories, called the 4Ps of the marketing mix. In table below some of the tools of the marketing mix are shown.



The product tool consists of three layers. The core product is the unique benefit that is being marketed. In fact, it is the position, the unique place in the mind of the consumer, that will be focused upon. Often the brand is a summary, a visualisation of this core benefit and all the associations it leads to. The core product has to be translated into tangible product. Product features, a certain level of quality, the available options, design and packaging are important instruments by which a core benefit can be made tangiable. Finally, the augmented product gives the tangible product more value and more customer appeal. The augmented product can be defined as the 'service layer' on top of the tangible product. It includes elements such as prompt delivery, installation service, after-sales service and management of complains.

Price is the only marketing instrument that does not cost anything, but provides the resources to spend on production and marketing activities. The list price is the 'official' price of a product. However, discounts and incentives of all kind can be used to make the product more attractive. Systems of down payments and payment periods, combined with attractive intrest rates, can also be used to make the offering more attractive and ensure that the immediate budget constraint is less of a problem for the consumer. The price instrument is an ambiguous tool. On the one hand, price cuts are en effective way to attract costumers. On the other, price cuts mean loosing margin and profit. Futhermore, the customer gets used to discounts and may gradually be educated to buy on price and be a brand-switcher. The regular use of price instrument is incompatible with building a strong possition and a strong brand on the basis of product benefits. Therefore, good marketing can be defined as avoiding the price tool as much as possible.

By means of place and distribution, the company manages to process of bringing the product from the production site to the customer. This involves transporting the product , keeping an inventory, selecting wholesaleres and retailers, deciding on which types of outlet the product will be distributed in, and the assortment of products to be offered in the various outlets. Distribution strategy also implies maintaing co-operatin between the company and the distribution channel, and finding new ways to distribute products, such as infomercials and e-commerce.

Promotion and marketing communications (MC) are the fourth and most visible instruments of the marketing mix. They involve all instruments by means of which the company communicates with its target groups and stakeholders to promote its products or the company as a whole.

Good marketing is an integrated marketing. Marketing instruments have to bee combined in such a way that the company's offering is consistently marketed. In other words, all marketing instruments have to work in the same direction, and not conflict with each other. 

Thats it for now, see you next time.
BojanCo

Saturday, July 16, 2011

P.E.S.T Analysis

Hello again people. Today we are going to have a look at PEST analysis. No, its not a rat and critter analysis, it is actually one of the most important strategic tools in management and marketing.

So, what PEST means? It is acronym from words POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL and TECHNOLOGICAL. When first letters of these words are combined, we get its name. In a word, PEST analysis is an analysis of political, economic, social and technological factors in a specific region or country. This analysis is a foundation for all means of strategic planning and also for some other analysis, for ex. SWOT analysis.

POLITICAL

- Current political situation (level of political risk)
- Political factors that can have a effect on our business.
- Is political climate suitable for developing new competitors?
 etc.

ECONOMIC

- General economic situation in a region
- Wealth of the nation
- Buying power in a region
- Degree of market and econ. growth
etc.

SOCIAL

- Population
- Level od education in a region
- Social attitudes
etc.

TECHNOLOGICAL

- Infrastructure
- Level of technological sophistication in a region
- Potential for technological growth
etc.


There are also two more analysis in addition to PEST.
These are LEGISLATION and ENVIROMENT analysis but they are not used as often. With these two, the full neme would be PESTLE analysis.

Thats all for now, see you soon.
BojanCo

Saturday, July 9, 2011

S.W.O.T Analysis 101

Hello everyone, today we are going to see one of the most basic management and marketing tool - the SWOT Analysis. Keep in mind that this is only some basic info and that i will publish more detailed info later in the year.

SWOT analysis represents a marketing and strategic tool which is used to examine strenghts and weaknesses of the company in a relation to its chances and risks on the market. It consists of 4 elements: STRENGTH, WEAKNESS, OPPORTUNATY and THREAT. When first letters from these words are combined, we get its name - SWOT.

STRENGTH - this element gives us answer to a question: "what does make our company so successful on a specific market?" Also, some other questions are asked, such as:
- What advantages do we have over our competitors?
- Why our buyers value our company?
- What makes us unique?
- Do we have an original corporate image? and other questions regarding our STRENGHTS as a company.

WEAKNESS - here we need to face the ugly truth about waknesses of our company. Also, some questions must be answered.
- What are we doing wrong and how can we improve it?
- In what business aspects are our competitors better than us?
- What are the drawbacks of our business?
- Do we lack in certain marketing activities? and other questions regarding our WEAKNESSES.

OPPORTUNITY - this element represents opportunaties for growth on a specific market. Some questions are crucial.
- Did we fully cover our primary market and if not, what part we didnt?
- Can we expect some new laws and policies that we can use in our advantage?
- Are there any opportunaties for vertical integration of our company? and other question regarding OPPORTUNAIES on a specific market.


THREAT - this element will point out threats that our company is subjected to on a cpecific market. Here also, we need to take a look at some questions.
- Can we expect new competitors and substitutes in our market?
- Did the laws changed affecting us negatively?
- Is suppliers negotiating power rising?
- Can we expect new economic crisis? and other questions regarding THREATS that our company is subjected to.

When making SWOT analysis it is crucial to be realistic!
Thats it for now, more detailed info about SWOT will come later.
Cheers!

Friday, July 8, 2011

New blog theme and look

As you can see, I changed the look of my blog and also the blog theme. Hope you like it! Cheers!

Fun And Mostly Useless Facts - Part 3

It's trivia time! You know that you will never need them, but they are good to know. :)

- In 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of retired dentist Dr. Barney Clark, who lived 112 days with the device.

- A murder is committed in the US every 23 minutes, which makes about 22852 murders each year.

- About 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens each year.

- In 1845, President Andrew Jackson's pet parrot was removed from his funeral for swearing.

- "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson was the first video to air on MTV by a black artist.

- Americans consume 29 billion, or 58 percent, of the 50 billion aspirin tablets which are taken worldwide each year.

- Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where it was first developed.

- Laser stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." Developed 1950s - 1960s.

- There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.

Thats it for now, hope you enjoyed these useless facts. :)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Types Of Insurance

Hey people, today im going to write a few words about insurance. 

There are different types of insurance. Some types of insurance are required by law(such as vehicle insurance), while the others are voluntary.

There are certain situations when some institutions demand that you have insurance in order get credit, travel abroad, take car on lease and so on. The most common types of insurance (in no particular order) are:


- Property insurance, (buildings, equipment, houses and possessions),which provides protection against most risks, such as fire, theft or damage caused by weather or flood.

- Car insurance which provides protection against damage to your car resulting from theft or accident

- Insurance against accidents, securing people in case of unexpected events while performing their regular work, or during free time, ensuring the payment of pre-agreed amount of money in the event of disability or death of the insured person.

- Voluntary health insurance that covers medical expenses, or provide payment of all or part of the agreed sum insured if there is a serious illness or surgery.


- Life insurance provides benefits for the  family of the deceased or another designated beneficiary. There are two basic types of life insurance: insurance against death and a mixed insurance (insurance which provides life insurance with savings features).

Annuity insurance, which provides payments in advance of the contracted amount of money continuously, immediately after a single premium payment or after the contract period.

Some insurance policies (eg, insurance against accident, life, health insurance) may be group or individual.


Group insurance is usually offered through employers or organizations (eg, travel agencies, banks). All employees or members eligible for insurance may participate in group policy, regardless of age or physical condition. The premium for group insurance is calculated based on the characteristics of the group as a whole, such as average age and degree of job risk. It is usually cheaper than individual insurance.


If you can not access group insurance, consider buying individual insurance. Unlike group insurance, buying individual insurance is done directly from insurance companies or through agents or intermediaries.


The degree of risk determines whether you qualify for and how much insurance will cost you.


There are many kinds of products for each type of insurance. They offer different levels of protection and price vary considerably. It pays to investigate different insurance offers not only due to the cost of insurance, but also because of the level and scope of insurance coverage that you need.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

15 years of .mp3 format

Yup, 15 years have passed! Cool, huh?
Patented in 1987, but it was named ".mp3" in 1995.

.mp3 was developed in institute "Fraunhofer" in Erlangen, Germany. There, the scientists were looking for best compression alogorithm, and the song used in experiments was Suzanne Vega - Tom's diner. :)

The idea was to separate and compress only parts of the song that can be registered by human ear. (Because every song has a lot of frequencies that can not be registered) Using this metod, thay "tricked" the ear by only playing registerable parts thus reducing the size to only 10% of the original size.

The name was given in a poll!

First .mp3 player was made in 1994, and when it was made, all major electronics manufacturers belived that it was too complicated and that will never catch on... Oh my, what a mistake...

In 1995, poll was taken among employees in order to name this extension... The original name was (and still is) ISO MPEG Audio layer 3, but it was too long and complex, so they came up with name ".mp3".

So for listentng to our favorite music in mp3, we need to thank "zee Germans"!


Monday, June 6, 2011

Fun and mostly useless facts - part 2

Its trivia time! This time mainly about science and super bowl!

- A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court.

- Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.

- Ten per cent of the salt mined in the world each year is used to de-ice the roads in America.

- The Chinese were using aluminum to make things as early as 300 AD Western civilization didn't rediscover aluminum until 1827.

- The only rock that floats in water is pumice.

- As of 2006, the cost of a 30-second commercial on average is $2.5 million. The first famous Super Bowl commercial was a 1974 ad for Noxzema featuring Super Bowl legend Joe Namath.

- No network footage exists of Super Bowl I. It was taped over, supposedly for a soap opera.

- Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest U.S. food consumption day, following Thanksgiving.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Stock or Bonds in 2011? That’s The Wrong Question


I found this very informative text, so i tought to share it with you. It is written by Charlie Farrell, well known investment advisor.

"If you’re wondering whether you should invest in stocks or bonds in 2011, that’s like wondering if you should breathe air or drink water in 2011. Stocks and bonds are as different as air and water. It’s not one or the other, it’s both, and that seems to be a point that most investors still don’t understand.

I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read suggesting that investors load up on stocks and dump bonds this year. They approach the stock vs. bond question as if it’s only an issue of which will provide the better return in 2011. That’s not the way to analyze these two options.

First, there’s no proof that any market strategist can consistently predict market returns each year. Yes, ask 1,000 analysts, and someone is bound to be close for the year on stock and bond market returns. But you can’t find one who gets it correct each year. So why would you load up on stocks or bonds based on what one of these strategists thinks? They’re just guessing, and if they’re wrong, which they usually are, then you have to live with the consequences.

Second, on average, stocks should do better than bonds in any given year. Why, because stocks are riskier and investors should be rewarded over the long term for taking on that risk. So predicting stocks should do better than bonds is nothing more than predicting what should happen.

But here’s the problem. Stock returns are not guaranteed. That’s why they’re risky. If stock market returns of 10% were guaranteed, then of course there would be no reason to have bonds; nobody would buy them. The reason prudent investors use high-quality bonds is to hedge against the possibility that stocks might go down in value for periods longer than anticipated.

For bonds, let’s just look at the safest type of bond you can buy, which is a US Treasury bond. If you buy a 10 Year US Treasury bond today, you’re guaranteed to receive about 3.35% interest each year for 10 years and then you get all of your money back. Don’t expect anything more.

Compare that to stocks. If you invest in stocks today, you’re guaranteed return for the next 10 years is what? There isn’t one, and that’s the point. If you load the boat on stocks, you don’t have any idea what your retirement plan will be worth in the future. For individuals, there’s a value in having some portion of your retirement money in guaranteed investments (bonds).

This is especially true as you get closer to retirement. While the odds are in your favor with stocks (as they always are), you don’t get to invest in 1,000 historical cycles and then pick the average cycle for your returns. You get one cycle, and that’s why you should consider always holding some high-quality bonds.

For a sober reminder about stock market returns, consider for the last 10 years the US stock market has gone down in value. Bummer, the odds are that’s not supposed to happen. Then consider that the Japanese stock market has been going down for 20 years. It has gone from about 39,000 to 11,000 over those two decades. Ooops, the odds are that’s really not supposed to happen.
The reason to look at Japan is to understand that major, sophisticated stock markets can decline in price for decades. That’s all you really need to know about the risk.

A healthier way to view the stock vs. bond debate is to think of them like air and water. You need both at the same time, all the time. A balance between stocks and high-quality bonds serves as the fundamental building block for a prudent retirement portfolio.
Now, the bond market is very big and complex. But for individual investors, there are simple ways to invest in safe fixed income securities. You can use either individual US Treasury bonds or FDIC insured CDs. If you start to venture into other areas, like high-yield (meaning junk bonds) or emerging market debt, then you’re introducing bigger risks that you won’t be paid back and thus are defeating the purpose of owning the bonds. If you’re not sure how to invest in safe bonds, then look to get some help.

If I were you, I would ignore the push to abandon bonds or load-up on stocks in any given year, and figure out for yourself what percentage of your money you want guaranteed and what percentage you want to risk in equities. Then stick with that allocation through all market cycles.

Bottom line. Stocks and high-quality bonds aren’t substitute investments. You should consider having some of your money in each asset class every year."

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Want To Become A Stockbroker?

Instructions

Things You'll Need

  • Financial Calculator
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Men's Suits
  • Paper And Pencils
  • Brokerage Accounts
    • 1
      Begin to prepare for your career in high school by taking courses in math, economics and business. And with even a small starting sum, you can manage your own stock portfolio (in a parent's name if you are under 18) to learn about different investments and their return.
    • 2
      Join an investment club, which compares different investment opportunities, analyzes results and jointly invests its funds.
    • 3
      Go to college. Most brokers are college graduates with a degree in finance, economics or business.
    • 4
      Pass the General Securities Registered Representative Examination (Series 7 exam), administered by the National Association of Securities Dealers. Most states also require the Uniform Securities Agents State Law Examination (Series 63 exam) and the Uniform Investment Advisor Law Exam (Series 65 exam).
    • 5
      Take advantage of on-the-job training, offered by most brokerage firms, to prepare for the above exams, a process that takes four to six months. Upon passing the required exams, a broker becomes a registered representative of his or her sponsoring firm.
    • 6
      Expect a competitive work environment after being hired. Firms often hire a plethora of recent college graduates with the expectation that a large percentage will 'wash out' during the grueling early months of training and building a clientèle.
    • 7
      Emphasize your studies and work experience (if any) in finance, economics and/or business when writing your resumé. A professional, aggressive image is crucial at the interview, where prospective employers will be evaluating your tenacity along with your business savvy.

Monday, May 30, 2011

How To Hide Folders On Your Computer

Hello people,
today we are going to see how you can hide your folders from curious eyes.

STEP 1
First, right click on a folder (or icon) and select "Properties".
Then check in the "Hidden" checkbox.
Click "Apply".

















STEP 2
Click "Organize" and then click "Folder and Search Options"














STEP 3
Click on the "View" card and then check "Do not show hidden files and folders". Then, click "Apply".

















You are done! To unhide the folder, just reverse the procedure!
NOTE: This is for VISTA, i presume that is more-less the same for WIN 7.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Difference between Stocks and Bonds

 Today, in this post, we are going to see the difference between stocks and bonds.


We all know that the problem is not the money but how to spend it. In an investor's case, the problem is how to invest it. For the new investor, watching going through an investment newsletter can be a daunting task. Trying to figure out the difference between stocks and bonds from all the financial jargon can be a headache.Stocks in their simplest form represent part ownership in a company. For example if you own 10 shares in a company that has 100 shares, you will own 10% of the company. If the company is doing well, so are you. If it is doing poorly, so are you. Companies have realized that it is cheaper to raise funds for their activities by offering part ownership in their companies.
Bonds on the other hand are a loan that you give to a company. The company or government will pay you interest for using your money for their activities. For example, if you bought a bond for 100 pounds with an interest rate of 5% over 5 years. The company owes you the interest plus the 100 pounds.
A company must pay back any funds that accrue to a bondholder. However, the shareholder (owner of stock), does not have to be paid anything. The shareholder is taking a risk that the company will do well and even in bad times, he will continue holding the stock in the hope that things will get better. The bondholder on the other hand does not care about the bad or good times in a company; he only wants his investment paid back plus the interest.
When deciding whether to invest in shares in a company or bonds, you should note that bond returns are fixed while the returns on shares can fluctuate and are not guaranteed. You should also note that in case a company winds down or is bankrupt, the bondholders are paid first and the shareholders last.
A good investment portfolio contains both stocks and bonds. If you are investor only interested in short term returns, then you should have more bonds than stocks in your investment portfolio. Bonds will provide you with a consistent income and in cases of market fluctuations, they offer a great cushion.
However, if you are planning on investing your funds for longer than 10 years, then your investment portfolio should have more stocks as companies will tend to increase in value in the long term.
As a rule of thumb, the younger you are, the more you should invest in stocks than bonds in your investment portfolio. Most investment managers recommend 70% stocks and 30% in bonds for anyone under 30 years. The older you get, the lower the percentage of stocks you should hold, as you are more interested in income than growth in your portfolio. Discuss these issues with your investment advisor and you are likely to do very well in the stock market.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The History Of Computers

"Who invented the computer?" is not a question with a simple answer. The real answer is that many inventors contributed to the history of computers and that a computer is a complex piece of machinery made up of many parts, each of which can be considered a separate invention.


Prehistoric man did not have the Internet, but it appears that he needed a way to count and make calculations. The limitations of the human body’s ten fingers and ten toes apparently caused early man to construct a tool to help with those calculations. Scientists now know that humankind invented an early form of computers. Their clue was a bone carved with prime numbers found in 8,500 BC.
The abacus was the next leap forward in computing between 1000 BC and 500 BD. This apparatus used a series of moveable beads or rocks. The positions changed to enter a number and again to perform mathematical operations. Leonardo DaVinci was credited with the invention of the world’s first mechanical calculator in 1500. In 1642, Blaise Pascal’s adding machine upstaged DaVinci’s marvel and moved computing forward again.
In 19th century England, Charles Babbage, a mathematician, proposed the construction of a machine that he called the Babbage Difference Engine. It would not only calculate numbers, it would also be capable of printing mathematical tables. The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA (near San Diego) built a working replica from the original drawings. Visitors can see in the device in operation there. Unable to construct the actual device, he earned quite a few detractors among England’s literate citizens. However, Babbage made a place for himself in history as the father of computing. Not satisfied with the machines limitations, he drafted plans for the Babbage Analytical Engine. He intended for this computing device to use punch cards as the control mechanism for calculations. This feature would make it possible for his computer to use previously performed calculations in new ones.
Babbage’s idea caught the attention of Ada Byron Lovelace who had an undying passion for math. She also saw possibilities that the Analytical Machine could produce graphics and music. She helped Babbage move his project from idea to reality by documenting how the device would calculate Bernoulli numbers. She later received recognition for writing the world’s first computer program. The United States Department of Defense named a computer language in her honor in 1979.
The computers that followed built on each previous success and improved it. In 1943, the first programmable computer Turing COLOSSUS appeared. It was pressed into service to decipher World War II coded messages from Germany. ENIAC, the brain, was the first electronic computer, in 1946. In 1951, the U.S. Census Bureau became the first government agency to buy a computer, UNIVAC .
The Apple expanded the use of computers to consumers in 1977. The IBM PC for consumers followed closely in 1981, although IBM mainframes were in use by government and corporations.
  • 8,500 BC Bone carved with prime numbers found
  • 1000 BC to 500 BC Abacus invented
  • 1642 Blaise Pascal’s invented adding machine, France
  • 1822 Charles Babbage drafted Babbage Difference Engine, England
  • 1835 Babbage Analytical Engine proposed, England
  • 1843 Ada Byron Lovelace computer program to calculate Bernoulli numbers, England
  • 1943 Turing COLOSSUS the first programmable computer, England
  • 1946 ENIAC first electronic computer, U.S.A.
  • 1951 UNIVAC first computer used by U.S. government, U.S.A.
  • 1969 ARPANET Department of Defense lays groundwork for Internet, U.S.A.
  • 1968 Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce found in Intel, U.S.A.
  • 1977 Apple computers for consumers sold, U.S.A.
  • 1981 IBM personal computers sold, U.S.A.
  • 1991 World Wide Web consumer Internet access, CERN, Tim Berners-Lee Switzerland/France
  • 2000 Y 2K Bug programming errors discovered
  • Current Technologies include word processing, games, email, maps, and streaming

Friday, May 27, 2011

Fun and mostly useless facts - part 1

Here is some trivia i found:


- Male hospital patients fall out of bed twice as often as female hospital patients.

- The first toilet being flushed in a motion picture was in the movie Psycho.

- The average person walks the equivalent of twice around the world in a lifetime

- You can start a fire with ice.

- The word 'News' is actually an acronym standing for the 4 cardinal compass points - North, East, West, and South! 

- When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles per hour.

- When young and impoverished, Pablo Picasso kept warm by burning his own paintings.


- The Muppet Show was banned from Saudi Arabian TV becuase one if its stars was a pig.       

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Are you emotionally intelligent?


In order to answer this question first we need to define emotional inteligence.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is an ability and skill to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups.
 There are two main models of emotional inteligence:

- Ability EI model
- Mixed model of EI


Ability EI model

The ability-based model views emotions as useful sources of information that help one to make sense of and navigate the social environment. The model proposes that individuals vary in their ability to process information of an emotional nature and in their ability to relate emotional processing to a wider cognition. This ability is seen to manifest itself in certain adaptive behaviors. The model claims that EI includes four types of abilities:

  1. Perceiving emotions – the ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces, pictures, voices, and cultural artifacts—including the ability to identify one's own emotions. Perceiving emotions represents a basic aspect of emotional intelligence, as it makes all other processing of emotional information possible.
  2. Using emotions – the ability to harness emotions to facilitate various cognitive activities, such as thinking and problem solving. The emotionally intelligent person can capitalize fully upon his or her changing moods in order to best fit the task at hand.
  3. Understanding emotions – the ability to comprehend emotion language and to appreciate complicated relationships among emotions. For example, understanding emotions encompasses the ability to be sensitive to slight variations between emotions, and the ability to recognize and describe how emotions evolve over time.
  4. Managing emotions – the ability to regulate emotions in both ourselves and in others. Therefore, the emotionally intelligent person can harness emotions, even negative ones, and manage them to achieve intended goals.
Mixed model of EI

The mixed model focuses on EI as a wide array of competencies and skills that drive leadership performance. Mixed model outlines four main EI constructs:

  1. Self-awareness – the ability to read one's emotions and recognize their impact while using gut feelings to guide decisions.
  2. Self-management – involves controlling one's emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances.
  3. Social awareness – the ability to sense, understand, and react to others' emotions while comprehending social networks.
  4. Relationship management – the ability to inspire, influence, and develop others while managing conflict.
Did you know?

  • Emotional Intelligence is a learnt skill.
  • Research shows that emotional competencies are controlled by a different part of the brain to technical and cognitive skills.
  • Emotional Intelligence has been proven to be twice as important as IQ for job performance.
  • The importance of emotional intelligence increases as one climbs the career ladder.
  • Teams with high emotional intelligence as well as skill are faster, more productive and more innovative.
  • EQ allows teams to think more clearly under pressure, are calmer and less stress as they spend less energy on internal emotional turmoil.
  • Leaders with high emotional intelligence have been rated the the best bosses that talented people want to work for.
  • Emotional intelligent work environments have less turnover, adapt to change quicker and are more innovative.
  • Emotional Intelligent organizations have less customer complaints and increased customer trust and loyalty.
So,are you emotionally intelligent?

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

First computer virus

SCA virus was the first virus ever created in order to infect the Commodore Amiga computers.
It appeared in November 1987. and it was a boot sector virus (part of HD's, floppies or other storage device that contains code for booting programs). SCA contained an interesting text message that appeared in every 15-th rebooting: 
 
The text was: "Something wonderful has happened. Your AMIGA is alive! and, better yet ... Some of your discs are infected with the virus! Yet another masterpiece Mega-Mighty SCA!"

"SCA" is actually an acronym for the Swiss Cracking Association, a group formed with the aim of removing the security software, so the virus homeland is actaully Switzerland. The virus was probably created by a member of SCA, also known under the nickname "Chris".


SCA will not by itself harm the drive, but will infect other floppy disks. If you use common blocks (such as games), the discs become unusable. If the user does not know how to remove the SCA (which could make the command "install df0: FFS FORCE" to recover a 'fast filesystem' floppy), this virus will destroy the newer system files.

Of course, the mega-powerful SCA has produced the first Amiga virus checker that destroyed SCA virus. This may have been a response to estimates that as many as 40% of all Amiga computer somewhere, on a disc, had the virus (another proof of the great "rise" of piracy in this period).


Inspired by the SCA harmless virus,  later were produced a much more dangerous and destructive viruses, such as Byte or Byte Bandit Warrior.

BMW 328 Hommage Concept

Here is a treat for all car lovers (especially BMW lovers, like myself)
This is a concept car from BMW, made in the honnor of the most sucsessful and the most attractive sports car from 1930-1940.
The famous 328 this year celebrates 75th birthday.

 
BMW 328 Hommage Concept is made in carbon fiber in order to reduce weight and increase performance (they are still unknown). The weight is 780 kilos and it is powerd by a 3.0L petrol straight 6.







I don't know about you, but i think it looks fantastic and woudn't mind having one in my garage. :)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Greetings fellow Bloggers!

Greetings!
First of all, let me introduce myself.
My name is Bojan, i'm 21 and i am from Belgrade, Serbia.
I'm a full time student on university of Sheffiled on which I am attending postgraduete course - MSc in Management.
As you can see from above, I will post here everything from business to everyday topics and also topics that i find of interest to me and this community.
Moreover, I would like to express my personal satisfaction for being a part of this community.
Sincerely yours,
Bojan



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