My way

Lista lui Orban. Sau cand nu sunt de acord cu ce inseamna "prioritar"

Am citit ieri extrase din "lista lui Orban". Adica cele 60 de investitii prioritare pentru anul 2012 pe zona de investitii.Nu am sa public lista lor ( da, o puteti citi in linkul de mai sus) ci am sa fac citeva remarci + am sa imi exprim dezacordul.

Imensa majoritate a proiectelor sunt lucrari de infrastructura rutiera sau retele edilitare.
Argumente PRO :
1. Da, Romania are nevoie de imbunatatirea infrastructurii si a retelelor.
2. Da, aceste mega-investitii pot genera o mai rapida absorbtie a fondurilor europene.
3. Dpdv politic aceste investitii sunt benefice aratand unor populatii extinse teritorial interesul pe care guvernantii il au pentru ei. In mod direct si nemijlocit ( da, drumul trece prin fata casei). Plus ca ele pot fi si finalizate rapid ( electorii s-au cam saturat de lucrari inceput cu 1 luna inainte de campanie si lasate balta dupa ).
4. Lucrarile pot fi realizate de companiile care DEJA au destul de lucru. Inceperea lucrarilor PNDI le va asigura totusi 2-3 ani de activitate. Si nu vad in acest sector o mare crestere a locurilor de munca.

Argumente CONTRA :

1. La ce ne trebuie aceasta infrastructura daca la capitolul productie, servicii si economie productiva suntem aproape de colaps. Ce vom transporta de zor pe aceste autostrazi ? Ce mai producem ? Poplatia este asigurata financiar si capabila sa plateasca serviciile nou create ?
2. Stiu ca timpul este extrem de scurt dar nu puteam sparge aceste sume in fonduri destinate investitiilor IMM-urilor creand noi axe prioritare cu finalizare rapida ( gen investitii in largirea capacitatii de productie).
3. Electorii pot merge la vot pe un drum proaspat asfaltat. Dar daca in buzunar nu au nici un leu bucuria drumului nou este patetica.
4. In situatia actuala as prefera domeniile care genereaza locuri de munca. Programele operationale prevedeau o proportie de 25.000 eur finantare pe fiecare loc de munca nou creat.

 

As putea continua discutia dar m-as rezuma la doua idei principale pe care le sustin :
a) Autoritatile publice din Romania ar trebui sa aiba in cap o singura idee : cresterea sustenabila a BAZEI DE IMPOZITARE. A nu se trece prea usor peste "sustenabil".
b) Absorbtia rapida si cu rezultate benefice pe termen scurt, mediu si lung poate fi facuta de catre IMM-uri focalizate pe cresterea productiei/productivitatii.

Sunt de acord cu faptul ca este absolut necesara o infrastructura publica puternica dar drumuri perfecte care duc catre localitati izolate/ineficiente economic nu aduc rezultate benefice. Exista un mix intre cele doua idei: sa dezvoltam drumurile care genereaza crestere economica si care duc spre investitii private/publice generatoare de venituri, de locuri de munca si care, implicit, cresc baza de impozitare a autoritatilor publice. Banii investiti ar trebui sa genereze bani.

Nu sunt impotriva programelor de formare profesionala daca pregatesc oameni pentru o piata care cere locuri de munca. Nu sunt impotriva refacerii drumurilor care genereaza profit prin exploatarea lor. Sunt insa de parere ca trebuie NU sa "ardem urgent banii UE" ci sa ii "ardem" cu cap si in domenii generatoare de venituri.Someri suprapregatiti deja avem.

Daca voi fi catalogat ca fiind a "cold-hearted bitch" ..pick a number. Aud asta aproape saptaminal.

But again.. who am I to say something ?

 

 

Marketing stories worth reading 7

Our lesson learned was how to improve email marketing. Our challenge wasn’t so much the opt-in database, but getting the folks in that base to read (open/click on) the newsletter and the stories in it. Our first move was to create a sense of involvement or empowerment for the recipients. We provided them an opportunity (raffle for five) for a discount on a significant service, which many of them already utilized, for those who responded with suggestions/requests for topics about which they’d like to read. We offered the respondents the chance to be credited with the topic suggestion, which would give their business promotion to our audience.
This improved our click through rates on the newsletters by more than 25% (a rate maintained after the second issue with these changes implemented). It improved our click through rates into the stories  (usually two stories per issue) by more than 30%. Our second move was to switch the TO line to be from the company, not an individual. This, implemented two issues after the above change, had an  immediate impact with open rates improving another 15%.
Our third change was to the subject line, changing it to highlight the main story in the following format: NEWSLETTER TITLE: You asked for: TOPIC. From this, we saw another 8% increase. Our fourth change was to follow up more thoroughly with those who clicked through and opened the newsletters and the stories. We were establishing patterns from the recipients that suggested additional services in which they’d be interested. We found that specific and personal emails to these people by email and phone resulted in improved customer service at a minimum. Some of the recipients did not necessarily jump at
new offerings, but many had questions/concerns about existing services or even services they were  getting from other vendors. Now they’re more engaged and more satisfied/impressed.

Michael Beresford, President, NetScope, www.net-scope.com

Marketing stories worth reading 6

When it comes to career choices, trust your instincts. In January of last year I left the agency side of marketing to re-enter the corporate world. Company stability was a priority on my list. When a friend
asked me to join him at his start-up software company I was hesitant. While funded at the time, some of the executive management had a history of starting tech companies and selling them off. However, my friend assured me that this company was on a track of managed growth and I was impressed with the company’s president, who had a track record of growing successful companies.
Two months into the job there was a sudden change in regime. The board replaced the president and within two weeks the company direction turned 180 degrees. I saw red flags and started exploring other
employment opportunities. My friend implored me not to leave, promising that even if the company were sold, I would make plenty of money. The idea of possibly riding out the slow economy on the potential money I could make was appealing, but my instincts told me it was too good to be true.
So I forged on with my job search and was fortunate to land another job offer in a few weeks with a company that had been around for 15+ years and had managed to be successful while remaining small — real managed growth. I was at a crossroads where I could ride out the wave at the start-up or take a safe route with the other job. I decided to take the safe route and accept the other job.
Shortly thereafter the start-up company secured millions of dollars of additional funding. I immediately questioned if I had made the right decision. I was happy with my new position but also wondered if my
aversion to risk taking had been a mistake.
A few months ago my former company went under. No one made the fast dollar they had been banking on. I was relieved that I trusted my instincts and remembered that the economy, while improving, is still not what it used to be. I’m glad I followed my instincts to safer pastures.

Corrine Solomon, Marketing and Communications Manager, Time America Inc.

Marketing stories worth reading 5

Metrics don’t lie! After trying to teach our business Web-best practices, we implemented a new metrics program for our online campaigns. The new metrics graphically illustrate what links visitors clicked on and give us a funnel analysis of where users dropped off the conversion path. Backed by hard data, our business was ready to listen and reevaluate the way they design their campaign landing pages.

Teri Ann Helfrich, Internet Marketing Manager, Becton Dickinson & Company, www.bd.com

Marketing stories worth reading 4

For those of you who, like me, are riding the range as independents/freelancers/business owners, I urge you to stick by your guns financially speaking. Case in point: I have (or maybe by now it’s had) a small client in late ’03 for whom I wrote a monthly HTML newsletter.
Good project, good profitability, etc. I got a signed contract and a down payment before beginning the first issue — really did all the right things.
The problem came later when I loosened up my contractual terms and began releasing finished issues without being paid first as my own contract stipulated. By the time of only the second issue it was becoming obvious that this client would be a slow payer. I continued nonetheless. By the third issue it was already too late to stand on principle. Bottom line: I’m out almost $5,000 right now and even after a recent heart to heart with the President of the company, don’t feel particularly confident that I will EVER see that money. Worse yet, I can never get back the time that I spent doing work for free. If that happens, I have nobody but myself to blame. Contracts and agreements exist for a reason. It isn’t
mean to enforce them. Just fair.
Dan Regan, Vice President, The Lightbulb Lab Inc., danregan@comcast.net

TinaR se lanseaza online.

Articol preluat din Business Magazin- editia online :) "Retailerul de imbracaminte Tina R a lansat pe 1 decembrie primul magazin virtual al companiei. Prezenta online, spera brand managerul Ramona Popa, va consolida brandul si va mari vizibilitatea acestuia in randul consumatorilor. "Comertul online in Romania se dubleaza de la an la an, ceea ce inseamna ca romanii au depasit bariera psihologica, teama de a comanda si plati produse prin internet si incep sa observe ca este mult mai comod si mai rapid sa cumpere din fata calculatorului", motiveaza Ramona Popa de ce Tina R s-a extins virtual. Proiectul, care implica investitii in jur de 50.000 de euro, conform unei declaratii anterioare a Ramonei Popa, a fost realizat in colaborare cu E Invest Marketing Romania, companie specializata in online development si marketing. In afara de magazinul de pe www.tinar.ro, reteaua Tina R numara si 13 magazine "offline". Compania, care si-a schimbat anul acesta actionariatul, dupa ce a vandut 49% din actiuni fondului olandez de investitii Middle Europe Opportunity Fund II, administrat de Middle Europe Investment (MEI), spera pentru 2007 la o crestere a veniturilor cu 50%, fata de peste 4 milioane de euro anul trecut. Piata totala de comert online ar putea ajunge anul acesta la aproximativ 200 de milioane de euro, in crestere cu aproximativ 400% fata de anul trecut, conform unor estimari anterioare ale lui Marius Ghenea, presedintele FitDistribution, detinatoarea platformei de comert online PCFun. Potrivit estimarilor integratorului de plati online Gecad ePayment, din totalul celor care tranzactioneaza prin ePayment, sub 1% vand confectii online. Pe zona de fashion, valoarea medie a unui cos de cumparaturi ajunge la 120 de euro pe comanda, estimeaza Madalin Matica de la DotCommerce - dar cifra are relevanta relativa, pentru ca achizitiile nu se fac neaparat pe Internetul romanesc. "