Editor's Focus on Business

By Oleg K. Temple, September 2009.

This month we're kicking off a new series of articles entitled "Editor's Focus" with the aim of illuminating the dark recesses of business to give you an insight of how experts navigating the dangerous waters of mid- and post-crisis economies are keeping their decks dry. Join me, Oleg K. Temple on a thrilling quest for clarity amidst the chaos and meet the giants that thrive atop the tough, green-leafed beanstalks of business.

Read further here.

The Bane Of Riga’s Restaurants

By Oleg K. Temple, September 2009.

Blatant malpractices and gross breaches of ethics cast a dark, ugly shadow on Riga's restaurant and bar scene threatening the welfare of honest establishments and marring their hard-earned reputations. The government has, thus far, maintained an aloof, taciturn approach to the issue and restaurant owners, whose business interests are at stake, now take matters into their own hands, determined to procure the elixir that stems and eradicates the escalation of fraud and lawlessness in the business.

Read further here.

BBC reports that the super-rich of Russia are losing their influence in politics as well as a large portion of their wealth due to the crisis. It's about time that Russia's oligarchs got a taste of the real world. Mr. Maxim Kashulinsky of Forbes Russian Edition says that they work better under pressure? I disagree, they get more done when no one's watching is more like it. In times of crisis when everyone (including the government) needs money, it is so much easier to get officials to bend the rules when it comes to things like public safety, waste management and environmental issues, taxes, import/export duties, etc. The courts are drowning in cases with everyone suing everyone. Quick deals are made behind closed doors, away from the prying eyes of the press and in all this chaos the gears of business turn smoothly greased along by "strategic investments" and "special favours". Yes, the oligarchs, even those who went from the status of billionaire to millionaire within a couple of months, can really get a lot done for a lot less. Yes, they work much better in this time of crisis when the officials are either off chasing their tails or sitting near their table on hind legs begging for tasty morsels. The crisis defines them, how else does one become a billionaire in less than 10 years? Many major actors, business people and hoteliers cannot claim that status after a lifetime or even a family history of achievement and people just from beyond the iron curtain say they earned that money honestly? I don't think so...

WANTED: Local Sales Representatives

Candidates with no corporate sales experience need not apply. We are looking for partners who currently own a media/marketing/sales company or have relevant telemarketing experience and a recommendation from a credible agency. Knowing HOW to sell is key. This job offer is open to candidates from Europe and North America only, work opportunities for partners in Asia and South America will become available in 2010.

CornerstonesWORLD.com is a dynamic International Business Directory aiming to bring small, medium and large businesses together, give them a common voice and chance to be noticed on the internet (without being eclipsed by big companies with marketing budgets of >100k). We now seek Country and State Sales Representatives who could serve CornerstonesWORLD.com Members in their region. This is a job any confident, disciplined, respectable, ambitious and organized person can do. With a couple of clever phone calls, followed by info emails, arrange meetings with company executives and illustrate the many benefits of paying the small yearly fee for a Membership and/or banners. Remuneration is commission-based, so representatives must be result-oriented: 20 – 40% of sales price.

We need people with a fire to get ahead in life and a genuine approach and understanding of business. An honest, organized and hard-working person can make a decent living working from home or part-time. Please send your CV and recommendation letters to our contact form and a representative will contact you within a week of your email.

Seems that the Grand Daddy of online scams is still very much alive and kicking gullible, gold-bedazzled gobblers hard in the waddle. Scambusters reports that the Financial Crimes Division of the US Secret Service receives approximately 100 telephone calls from victims/ potential victims and 300-500 pieces of related correspondence per day about this scam! The scam artists aim to delude the victim into thinking that this is a unique offer to participate in a very lucrative -- although morally questionable -- arrangement.

The NG Advance Fee Scheme mostly targets SMEs, as well as charities. This fraud (recently encountered in Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the US), involves the receipt of an unsolicited letter, wherein an NG citizen claims to be a senior civil servant or hail from a similarly exalted position and informs the recipient that he is seeking a reputable foreign company into whose account he can deposit funds usually over $10 million, which the NG govt. overpaid on some procurement contract. Terrible business, delete any such emails and whatever you do, NEVER, EVER get involved!

BBC News reports that Samoa, for logical, economic reasons induced by its geographic location, made a traffic switch to left-hand drive at 06:00am on the 7th of September 2009. Samoa's valiant attempt at this amazing feat was only made possible because Samoa has just 20 000 cars on its roads and 20% of these were already right-hand drive standardized. The Samoan government believes that vehicle prices will subside as it opens the door to used cars from New Zealand, Australia and Japan. And so, at dawn on Monday morn, a cacophony of blaring sirens and clanging church bells signaled the traffic redirection and mercifully, the drivers soberly complied and no chaos ensued. The latter perhaps a direct boon of the special two-day holiday declared by the government to ease traffic combined with a three-day ban on alcohol sales.

Not a popular move:
In April 2008 about 18,000 people - approximately 10% of Samoa's population - demonstrated against the change in the capital, Apia. Critics claim that the government failed to heed the wishes of the people or conduct any proper feasibility studies. Not all road signs have been modified to ensure safe driving conditions. Samoa's Chamber of Commerce estimated that the change cost at least $300m (£185m) in direct and indirect costs to the Samoan economy.
The change does not bode well with the local bus owners who are forced to either buy new vehicles or modify the existing ones.

Some Switcheroo did-you-knows:
One-third of the world drives on the left. All recent changes have been to the right. Sweden went right in 1967. Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Ghana went right in the 1970s.

Just a month has passed since the new and improved Cornerstones of World Business: international business, hotel & travel directory was opened to the public on line. So much has happened since we presented the revamped and heavily upgraded website, the long-awaited fruit of a two year-long brainstorm. A major improvement is the My Cornerstones user console where registered users and Members may edit their details and adjust their promotional corporate profiles thereby creating a living, interactive advertisement for their company. Databases are actively being updated, in the past month we have launched Croatia business directory, opened the Canadian accommodation section and upgraded the accommodation section of Poland. Japanese and Australian databases are in the making and Turkey will also follow soon. The article section is being updated with monthly culture, travel & business -related stories as well as interviews with prominent professionals from various business sectors. Quite aside from the new vibrant design and powerful content, The Cornerstones of World Business aims, as always, to bring together SMEs and give them a strong voice by providing access to cheap, long-term, manageable and dynamic tools that allow them to take charge of their marketing destiny. The Elite Business Directory also provides the business traveler and tourist with a wealth of free information about active companies with a strong affinity for new business.

We would love to hear your opinions and impressions, click here to contact us, tell us about your experiences and how we can improve the International Business Directory further to better meet your specific needs. What sector of business would you like to read about next in our articles section, the database of which country should we update or create in your opinion? Whatever questions or comments you have, let us know so that we take appropriate action - communication is key.