Top Franchise Trends for 2013 - Small Business Trends

2013 could turn out to be a terrific year to enter the world of franchise business ownership. ?If you?re thinking about exploring the idea of being your own boss, three things are in your favor if you decide to move forward.

1: Commercial Space Availability

A lot of businesses have had to close their doors during the last couple of years, so there?s an abundance of decent space available in most areas of the country. With a franchisors help, you should be able to find a great location to set up shop.

2: They?re Dealing

Franchise company executives have had to get rather creative to entice would-be franchise owners to sign on as franchisees. Most of the time, this ?creativity? comes in the form of a franchise fee discount.

But, here?s the thing: a discounted franchisee fee should by no means be the reason for buying a particular franchise. But, if you?re seriously interested in a particular franchise and it just so happens to be one that?s offering a ?deal,? you could come out a winner. Just make sure that you?ve done great research.

3: Interest Rates

Small business loan rates (as of this writing) are generally in the 3-5% range. The caveat: with approved credit. That means that you have to qualify, which may not be so easy. (See below) But, if you do qualify, that?s really cheap money for a franchise business startup, and interest rates will eventually go back up. ?Check out SBA.gov for up to date small business loan information.

franchise

With those three things in mind, let?s take a look at the top franchise trends for 2013:

Financing

I was really hoping that things would be better by now for would-be franchise business owners. And, as much as I hate repeating the same things over and over again, when it comes to the state of small business start-up lending, this is one drum that I must continue beating. ?Now, one would think that with small business loans backed by the Small Business Administration reaching record levels ($30.5 billion ? 61,689) it would be easier for potential franchise owners to borrow money.

But, it?s not.

To combat the continued lack of significant lending to franchises, a few franchisors have decided to take matters in their own hands. It sure beats waiting for the major banks to loosen their underwriting requirements up. Forbes.com offers some great examples of franchisors getting into the finance game.

For 2013, look for more franchisors to start aggressively looking outside of the more traditional lending sources for small business loan capital.

Frozen Treats

We love our ice cream. And unless you?ve been avoiding retail plazas for the past couple of years, we obviously like our frozen yogurt, too. But why?

For one, yogurt is considered to be a healthy dessert. Well, kind of. Read what The Food Network thinks. ?Secondly, there are around 25 different franchisors currently offering frozen yogurt franchises. That fact alone has made some of us in the franchise industry wonder how long the frozen yogurt craze is going to last. ?Restaurant industry analysts are wondering the same thing.

On the other hand, I?d be willing to wager that the franchise development teams at Menchie?s, Red Mango, Yogurtini, and Yogen Fruz aren?t thinking about a slowdown in frozen yogurt franchising at all. As a matter of fact, they?re probably working extra hours just to keep up with all the inquiries they?ve been getting from prospective franchise owners.

I expect interest in becoming the owner of a frozen yogurt franchise to remain strong. At the same time, there won?t be too many new frozen yogurt franchise concepts entering this increasingly crowded market.

Disaster Cleanup

One of the biggest news events in 2012 was Superstorm Sandy, and the historic impact it had on cities and towns in the Northeast. ?Cleanup efforts will go on for months in areas hit hardest by this huge storm. ?And, some scientists are predicting that powerful storms like Sandy will become more commonplace in the months and years to come.

This could be a great time to get into the disaster cleanup and restoration business.

And, please don?t suggest that I?m encouraging you to go into business to take advantage of the pain and misery that?s experienced by others when large-scale disasters happen. ?Here?s an old sales axiom that may help you understand where I?m coming from:

?Fish where the fish are.?

In other words, if you?re going to invest your hard-earned money in a franchise business, any type of business for that matter, look to the ones that provide products and services that are actually needed. ?Here?s a partial list of franchises that focus on cleanup and restoration:

Franchises in this segment are starting to get noticed more, and if we continue to get episodes of extreme weather in the next year, they?ll really be on the radar screens of franchise buyers.

Education

When the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act was signed into law in 2001, tutoring franchise operators quickly filled out the necessary state paperwork required to be approved as vendors. ?That?s because part of the NCLB act included government funds for after school tutoring from approved vendors. ?And having money coming in from the government was a pretty nice alternative to the original tutoring model which required, (and still does) payment from parents for the services.

Currently, though, there?s an ongoing debate about NCLB, and the funding that it receives. It could end up that funding for after-school tutoring programs will decrease. If that happens, the tutoring industry could take a pretty big hit.

Except that I actually don?t think that the tutoring industry, especially the franchise segment of tutoring, will be impacted all that much if a lot of the government funding disappears.

Here?s why: ?A lot of kids struggle with the science and math of today. Whether or not government funding is available doesn?t change the absolute need for tutoring services to exist. One has nothing to do with the other. That?s why tutoring franchises like Tutor Doctor continue to grow rapidly. ?Some of the other tutoring franchises include:

For 2013, more tutoring franchises will start taking advantage of readily available online learning technology. Franchisees will start offering their customers online tutoring as an option, and at a lower price point than traditional face-to-face tutoring.

Technology Services

Today?s small business owners are embracing technology-and its power, like never before. They know that it?s almost impossible to remain competitive these days without it. ?But, busy business owners don?t always know what the best tools are for their individual needs. And, they can?t keep up with every new and improved technology that comes down the pike.

That?s where franchise businesses like Teamlogic IT and CMIT Solutions come into play. Franchisees have the opportunity to offer some of the latest products and services that are designed to help businesses run more efficiently-and safely. ?But, businesses can?t run at capacity unless their technology is working. Sometimes, things break.

Computer Troubleshooters is just one of several franchises that provides repair services for computers and other types of technology located at work-or at home. Others include:

Franchises in this sector will add numerous mobile technology products and services for their franchisees to offer their customers in 2013. That?s because today?s small business owners need to reach and sell to their clients and customers where they are these days ? on their smartphones and tablets.

Thousands of different franchise opportunities are available today, with new concepts rolling out all the time. The trick is to choose one that makes sense for you?which allows you to utilize your best skills.

Once you?ve done that, make sure that you have several conversations with current and former franchisees of the concept you?re looking into as part of your due diligence. Then, run the numbers, but don?t forget to include what I call, ?set aside money.? You?ll need to have enough money set aside to take care of your living expenses for several months, while your new business gets up and running.

Finally, continue to do what you?re doing right now ? getting educated about franchise industry trends and learning how to go about purchasing a franchise.

Who knows? Maybe 2013 will be the year that you take control of your career, and become an owner.


Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/12/top-franchise-trends-2013.html

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Innovative Tech Company Businessfriend Launches New Social ...

Send me a message on Businessfriend

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Businessfriend, a start-up internet company located in Southern California, is ready to take on the giants of social media, with what they believe is the latest professional social networking utility ? www.businessfriend.com.

Back in the latter half of 2011, a small team of just ten people got together to kick start the development and design of their new product. Inspired by a new vision for professional networking based on what they felt was lacking in the industry, the small team of digital experts got to work. Just one year later, in June 2012 (having recruited just one more team member), they quietly launched a Beta version of the site.?

?When you have a site that?s dedicated as much to social identity as it is to professional productivity, you want to be sure you achieve a good balance,? says Freddie Pierce, the VP of Product Development. ?Young professionals and experienced professionals have different needs and desires and we?re trying to accommodate all of that.?

While still in the first stages of funding, Businessfriend has no misgivings about going up against well-funded and well-staffed public companies.?

?We get it. We?re going up against social media giants at home and abroad. That?s what fuels us,? says Rhonda Marable, the Communications Director for the start-up. ?There?s always room for something new at the table and I think we?re bringing that.?

The registration-based Businessfriend platform combines social networking with common business utilities like email, calendar, and CRM tools, housed in their unique ?drawers?. Additionally, the cloud based storage and sharing system, the Doc Manager, provides each member with 1G of storage for free.?

?By Christmas, we?re going to begin active testing of our recruitment tools to be launched and marketed in early 2013. Businessfriend Jobs is going to be a major game-changer next year,? says Freddie.

?We?re working with hiring managers and a variety of companies to make sure that we get our recruitment manager right,? Rhonda adds. ?I have 2500 free job posts to give away and I?m not afraid to use them.?

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At Technology Digital we would love to hear what you think about this new social business platform. Join the discussion on Twitter, Facebook and of course Businessfriend!

For more information about Businessfriend, please visit?www.businessfriend.com

About Businessfriend

Businessfriend??is a professional networking site that operates under their signature BUSI? platform. A Business Utility with a Social Identity, Businessfriend provides members with the opportunity to meet contacts, collaborate, and communicate in an environment that melds social networking with software-like tools to conduct business online.

Source: http://www.technology-digital.com/social_media/innovative-tech-company-launch-new-social-platform

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Restaurant Industry Will Grow, Outpace National Job Growth in 2013 ...

Washington, DC ? While the operating environment will remain challenging, America?s 980,000 restaurants are expected to post record sales and continue to be a leading job creator in 2013, according to the National Restaurant Association?s (NRA) 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast released today. Total restaurant industry sales are expected to exceed $660 billion in 2013 ? a 3.8 percent increase over 2012, marking the fourth consecutive year of real sales growth for the industry.

In addition, 2013 will be the 14th straight year in which restaurant industry employment will outpace overall employment. Restaurants will employ 13.1 million individuals next year as the nation?s second-largest private-sector employer, representing 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce.

?Despite a continued challenging operating environment, the restaurant industry remains a strong driver in the nation?s economy,? said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. ?Ours is a resilient and flexible industry that continually finds new ways to keep growing, relying on the creativity and innovation exhibited by the entrepreneurial spirit. In 2013, restaurant operators will continue to explore ways of navigating the rocky economic landscape to find the road to success.?

?The fact that the restaurant industry will continue to grow in an operating environment that presents substantial challenges is a testament to the essential role that restaurants play in our daily lives,? said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president, Research & Knowledge for the National Restaurant Association. ?Restaurants are offering products and services that consumers actively seek out and enjoy; an activity in which consumers are selecting to engage despite cash-on-hand restraints because it is an important component of their lifestyle.?

Workforce Outlook

Total U.S. employment grew at a rate of 1.4 percent in 2012, while restaurants added jobs at a strong 3.0 percent rate ? more than double the overall rate. In 2013, the NRA expects the restaurant industry to add jobs at a 2.4 percent rate, nearly a full percentage point above the projected 1.5 percent gain in total employment.

Looking ahead, the NRA expects restaurants to add 1.3 million new positions in the next decade, pushing industry employment to 14.4 million by 2023.

Because of this strong growth in restaurant employment, labor challenges will start to reemerge next year. Recruitment and retention, which was a top challenge pre-recession, will make its way back onto restaurant operators? radar as the U.S. labor pool is starting to become shallower; restaurant operators in all segments expect recruitment and retention to be more challenging in 2013 than in 2012.

Challenges and Opportunities

While the restaurant industry is expected to grow in 2013, operators will continue to face a range of challenges. The top challenges cited by restaurateurs vary by industry segment, and include food costs, the economy and health care reform.

After increasing steadily in the last three years, wholesale food costs will continue on an upward trajectory through 2013, putting significant pressure on restaurants? bottom lines as about one-third of sales in a restaurant goes to food and beverage purchases. Because of these prolonged cost pressures, restaurant operators will continue to use creativity and innovation to drive out cost inefficiencies and increase productivity to not pass along the increases to consumers at the same rate.

The sluggish economic and employment recovery impacts consumers? cash-on-hand situation, which in turn impacts restaurants as there is a strong correlation between consumers? disposable income and restaurant sales. There is currently substantial pent-up demand for restaurant services, with 2 out of 5 consumers saying they are not using restaurant as often as they would like; with improving economic conditions, that demand is likely to turn into sales.

Preparing for the implementation of health care reform will put additional cost pressure on some restaurant operators in the near future. One-third of a typical restaurant?s sales go toward labor costs, so significant increases in those costs will result in additional cost management measures to preserve the already slim pre-tax profit margins of 3-5 percent on which most restaurants operate.

Consumer Trends

Consumers? interest in technology continues unabated. Restaurant operators recognize that technology can enhance customer service and appeal to consumers, but they are not fully meeting consumer demand in this area yet.

At tableservice restaurants, more than half of consumers say they would use tableside electronic payment options and 44 percent would use a tableside ordering system. Nearly one-third would use mobile payment options, four in 10 would use tablet menus (such as iPads), and 50 percent would use a smartphone app for viewing menus, ordering or making reservations. Less than one in 10 tableservice restaurants currently offer these options, but 54% say they will invest more resources in customer-facing technology in 2013.

At quickservice restaurants, 44 percent of consumers say they would use self-order terminals, two in five would use smartphone apps to place orders or view menus, and more than one-quarter would use mobile payment options. Currently, less than 2 percent of quickservice restaurants offer these technologies, though 48 percent say they plan on investing more in customer-facing technology next year.

Also among the strongest consumer trends for 2013 are local sourcing and nutrition. More than seven out of 10 consumers say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally produced menu items, and more than six out of 10 said locally sourced menus are a key attribute for choosing a restaurant. Currently, a majority of tableservice restaurants offer locally sourced produce, meat or seafood, with availability being highest in the fine dining segment.

In addition, more than seven out of 10 consumers say they are trying to eat healthier at restaurants now than they did two years ago; women more so than men (75 percent vs. 66 percent). Similarly, about three-quarters of consumers say healthy menu options are an important factor when choosing a restaurant (80 percent of women vs. 71 percent of men). Restaurants are responding to this increasing demand for nutritious options, as 86 percent of consumers say that restaurants are offering a wider variety now than two years ago.

For more information about the NRA?s 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast, including graphics and video, visit Restaurant.org/Forecast.

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Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 980,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of more than 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry?s largest trade show (NRA Show May 18-21, 2013, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF?s ProStart, including the National ProStart Invitational April 19-21, 2013, in Baltimore, Md.); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids? menu options. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

Source: http://usajobzoo.com/2012/12/13/restaurant-industry-will-grow-outpace-national-job-growth-in-2013-despite-sustained-challenges/

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Panetta in Afghanistan to meet with Karzai

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Afghanistan on Wednesday for an unannounced visit to consult with top commanders and President Hamid Karzai.

The visit comes at a difficult juncture in the Western coalition's efforts to shift more security responsibilities to Afghan forces so the combat mission can end in December 2014.

While security has generally improved lately, the Afghan government's ability to effectively govern and to root out corruption is in great doubt. Peace talks with the Taliban are on a back burner.

Earlier Wednesday in Kuwait, Panetta said President Barack Obama will decide in the next few weeks how many U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan after the combat mission ends.

Panetta did not reveal what options Obama is considering, but officials have said he may settle on a figure between 6,000 and 10,000. There currently are about 66,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The post-2014 mission is expected to focus on counterterrorism and advising Afghan security forces.

Before flying to Afghanistan, Panetta spoke to about 100 U.S. service members inside an aircraft hangar at a desert base west of Kuwait City. He thanked them for their service and emphasized that the U.S. is winding down its involvement in lengthy wars.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-afghanistan-meet-karzai-101325692--politics.html

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Venezuela's Chavez in delicate state after surgery

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in delicate condition after his latest surgery for cancer, the government said on Wednesday in a somber assessment that may indicate an end to his 14-year leadership of the South American OPEC nation.

Looking grave-faced in an address to the nation the day after Chavez's six-hour operation in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro urged Venezuelans to unite in prayer for the 58-year-old president and keep faith he would return soon.

"Yesterday's operation was complex, difficult and delicate, so the post-operation process will also be a complex and tough process," Maduro said, flanked by ministers who flew in to Caracas overnight after accompanying Chavez in Cuba.

Maduro spoke of "difficult" times ahead.

Chavez's downturn opens gaping uncertainty about the future of his self-styled socialist revolution in a nation of 29 million people with the world's largest oil reserves.

A frequent critic of the United States, Chavez has spearheaded a resurgence of the left in Latin America, galvanized a global "anti-imperialist" alliance from Iran to Belarus and led a decade-long push by developing nations for greater control over natural resources.

A close ally, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, sought to put a more positive spin on the news, telling reporters in Quito that Chavez was doing all right.

"He is fine, even though the surgery was complex," Correa said, but he added that the future was not certain.

"If the gravity of his illness meant he could not continue to lead Venezuela, the revolutions must continue, in Venezuela, in Ecuador, in Argentina, in Bolivia."

At home, Chavez has won cult-like status among the poor with his charisma and oil-financed largesse from health clinics to free homes. But he has alienated business with frequent nationalizations and angered many Venezuelans by putting ideological crusades over basic services.

Maduro, whom Chavez has named as a preferred successor should he be incapacitated, offered no medical details but urged Venezuelans to stay hopeful.

PRAYER VIGILS

Supporters have been holding prayer vigils, while opponents also sent Chavez best wishes for a successful recovery. Senior government ministers and military commanders attended a Mass to pray for Chavez's health, which was broadcast live on state TV.

"He is fighting for life," the head of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, told the congregation.

In a plaza near the center of Caracas, neighbors came to write well wishes for Chavez on a white cloth. But government officials appeared to be cautiously preparing the president's supporters for the worst.

Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said in a statement that Venezuelans should view Chavez's situation like that of an ill relative and have faith that he will return.

"If he doesn't, our people should be ready to understand. It would be irresponsible to hide the delicate nature of the moment we are currently living," he wrote.

One government source said Chavez was in critical condition early on Wednesday, but since then his vital signs had improved.

State media showed hours of homages to the president, and of rank-and-file supporters around the country gushing with admiration. "He is a second Jesus Christ," one woman beamed.

The stakes also are enormous for allies around Latin America and the Caribbean who rely on generous oil subsidies and other aid from Chavez. President Raul Castro's communist government in Cuba is particularly vulnerable because of its dependence on more than 100,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela.

Wall Street investors are also watching closely in the hope that Chavez's intransigent socialism will give way to a more market-friendly administration.

Venezuela's global bonds, which usually rise on bad news about Chavez's health, saw a muted reaction on Wednesday.

The operation was Chavez's fourth in Havana since mid-2011 for a recurring cancer in the pelvic region.

Opposition leaders have criticized the government for lack of transparency, pointing out that other Latin American leaders provided detailed reports of both diagnoses and treatments.

The president is due to start a new, six-year term on January 10 after his October re-election.

REGIONAL ELECTIONS LOOM

The Chavez health saga has eclipsed the buildup to regional elections on Sunday that will be an important test of political forces in Venezuela at such a pivotal moment.

Of most interest in the 23 state elections is opposition leader Henrique Capriles' bid to retain the Miranda governorship against a challenge from former Vice President Elias Jaua.

Polls have been mixed with one showing Capriles way ahead and another giving Jaua a 5 percentage point lead.

Capriles must win if he is to retain credibility and be the opposition's presidential candidate-in-waiting should Chavez's cancer force a new election. Even though it may be premature, many Venezuelans already are asking themselves what a Capriles versus Maduro presidential election would be like.

Capriles, who favors a Brazilian-style government promoting open markets with firm welfare safeguards, won 44 percent in the election, a record 6.5 million votes for the opposition.

Although past polls have shown Capriles more popular than all of Chavez's allies, that would not necessarily be the case against a Maduro candidacy imbued with Chavez's personal blessing and with the power of the Socialist Party behind him.

"Capriles is probably the only potential opposition candidate with sufficient national presence, name recognition and organization to defeat a sympathy-buoyed Nicolas Maduro in a short campaign," Credit Suisse said in a research note.

(Additional reporting by Marianna Parraga, Eyanir Chinea, Mario Naranjo, Efrain Otero and Daniel Wallis in Caracas, and Eduardo Garcia in Quito; Editing by Kieran Murray and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelans-crave-clarity-chavezs-post-op-condition-143442305.html

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The AIG Bailout Is Over But Please Say a Prayer for the Vulture Victims

by John Darer

Jim Millstein, the Treasury?s former chief restructuring officer,? partly summed up the 2008 bailout best when he stated December 10, 2012 "?No taxpayer should be pleased that the government had to rescue this company, but all taxpayers should be pleased with today?s announcement, ending the largest of the government?s financial industry bail-outs with a profit to the Treasury Department,? [Source: Insurance Journal/Reuters]

Following its sale of the remaining stake in American International Group Inc. which will fetch $7.6 billion, the government will have made? a total profit of $22.7 billion from the bailout.

In total the US government gave AIG up to $182 billion in support.

When one looks back on the certain sub-species of opportunists from the structured settlement secondary market who preyed "in your face" and exacerbated contemporaneous fears of the structured settlement annuitants of American General Life and other AIG subisidiaries, possibly to their detriment, I would like to believe that the leadership of the National Association of Settlement Purchasers as well as the companies in question who are not members of NASP, has taken account of themselves.

? Vultures feeding on carcass

Certain structured settlement factoring companies aggressively pecked away at the financial security of AIG structured settlement annuitants while things were bloody at the parent company in the Fall of 2008 and its aftermath.

The parent company's wounds have healed. Time has shown that the only financial losers with respect to 2008-2009 era AIG structured settlements are those who sold their structured settlement payment rights due to succumbing to the fear induced by the vulture-like behavior of certain factors.

Photo: Wikipedia

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Source: http://structuredsettlements.typepad.com/structured_settlements_4r/2012/12/the-aig-bailout-is-over-but-please-say-a-prayer-for-the-vulture-victims.html

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Shazam for iPhone gets new listening screen, offline use, Google support, and more

Shazam, one of the most popular music apps that identifies music for you, has been updated with a new tagging screen, Google+ support, improved offline tagging, and more.

The new Tagging screen in Shazam is now a blue Shazam dial that responds to the music you're trying to identify and will find a successful match after as little as one second. The functionality of the tagging screen hasn't really changed, but it sure does look cooler! When the music (or TV show if you're in the US) is identified, Shazam will now display larger album artwork when displaying the results.

An awesome new feature of Shazam is that if you're trying to tag a song with little or no internet connectivity, Shazam will automatically find a match when you have connection and send you a notification reminding you.

Other new features of Shazam for iPhone include the ability to share tags to Google+, search your tags for artitist titles, tag dates and locations, and a "magic tap" for VoiceOver users that will start tagging immediately with a two-finger double-tap from anywhere in the app.

Shazam users, what do you think of the new update?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/yjNoaCFUEA8/story01.htm

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Business Development Executive - JobStreet.com Malaysia

With offices in 60 locations in 24 countries worldwide, Avanade provides business technology services that connect insight, innovation and expertise in Microsoft? technologies to help 600 customers across all industries realize results.

Business and technology consulting isn't just your career?it's your passion. And that means more than just working with new innovations. It means using technology to solve business problems in ways that make a real difference to you, your customers, and the world.

At Avanade, we:
? Are passionate about pushing the limits of Microsoft technologies to help our customers achieve their goals
? Thrive on open dialogue and debate. We share best practices and solve problems through teamwork.
? Are committed to growth - as an organization and for each individual.

Business Development Executive
Kuala Lumpur

Responsibilities:

At Avanade, business and technology consulting isn't just your career?it's your passion.? And that means more than just working with new innovations.? It means using technology to solve business problems in ways that make a real difference to you, your customers, and the world.
?
At Avanade, we:

  • Are passionate about pushing the limits of Microsoft technologies to help our customers achieve their goals
  • Thrive on open dialogue and debate. We share best practices and solve problems through teamwork.
  • Are committed to growth - as an organization and for each individual

?

Position Purpose

?

The Business Development Executive (BDE) is responsible for generating sales and driving revenue through prospecting, acquiring, developing, and expanding customer relationships. He/she provides leadership and program oversight, which includes account planning and management, territory planning, pipeline development and sales management. This position also is responsible for developing partner relationships and overseeing competitor intelligence research and reporting. Responsible for optimizing cross-functional teams to achieve stated objectives.
?
The primary responsibilities of the BDE are to:


Generating business leads to achieve short and long term revenue and profitable growth through:

  • Executing on Business Development programs (contact management, demand generation programs, etc.)
  • Leveraging Strategic Partners (Microsoft and Accenture)
  • Developing and executing a Business Development Strategy
  • Develop and maintain a high level understanding of:
    • Avanade Offerings
    • Microsoft product suite and implementation services for those products
    • Accenture industry solutions
    • Local competitive environment
  • Manage overall Business Development process from pre to post-sales
  • Develop Territory and Account plans and execute against them
  • Support Regional Opportunity Pipeline Management Meetings that lead to accelerated business closure
  • Develop and maintain an opportunity pipeline through the Customer Relationship Management System including support for Area Opportunity Pipeline Management Meetings, Forecasting, Opportunity Management, and Business and Technical Proposal Reviews
  • Support Regional Marketing Programs for brand development, market awareness, market positioning and market demand generation involving media, analysts and active participation in the IT community by our technical consultants
  • Proposal creation and delivery (written and oral participation with engagement team)

?

Team Management

    • Oversee territories, targets, and go to market assignments for each member of the location sales team.
    • Coach, development and maintain a high performance Sales team by leveraging the Solution Selling Methodology and the Team Selling structure.
    • Oversee establishment of Development and Performance plans for each member of the Regional Sales Team which drive Technical, Solution and Business Acume

Provides strategic direction in the following focus areas:

    • Account Planning
    • Account Management
    • Territory Planning
    • Opportunity Pursuit/Sales
    • Parent/Partner Relationships
    • Sales Management
    • Competitor Intelligence

Requirements:

Years of Experience

?

12+ years of services sales or professional consulting experience and 5 + years consulting or related services sales experience with Microsoft products

?

Management Experience

?

5+ years of management experience

?

Education

?

Bachelor's degree in business, sales or marketing recommended

?

Other Skills/Knowledge

?

Minimum Requirements

  • Proven successful technology sales manager experience
  • Strong client interface and presentation skills
  • Solid understanding of the concepts around Microsoft technologies
  • Excellent interpersonal skills - 'Customer Focus'
  • Strong technical and Business acumen
  • Good written and verbal communication skills

Interested candidates kindly submit your detailed resume at:-

http://www.avanade-jobs.com/job/Graduate-Recruiting-Malaysia-Job/1986477/

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

For more information about our Company, please visit our webpage at www.avanade.com

Avanade (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (525973-U)

Source: http://www.jobstreet.com.my/jobs/2012/12/a/10/1814242.htm?fr=21

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Experiment finds ulcer bug's Achilles' heel

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 10-Dec-2012
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Contact: Andy Freeberg
afreeberg@slac.stanford.edu
650-926-4359
DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

X-rays pinpoint drug target for bacteria that affect hundreds of millions worldwide

Experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have revealed a potential new way to attack common stomach bacteria that cause ulcers and significantly increase the odds of developing stomach cancer.

The breakthrough, made using powerful X-rays from SLAC's Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), was the culmination of five years of research into the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is so tough it can live in strong stomach acid. At least half the world's population carries H. pylori and hundreds of millions suffer health problems as a result; current treatments require a complicated regimen of stomach-acid inhibitors and antibiotics.

"We were looking for a means to disrupt H. pylori's own mechanism for protecting itself against stomach acid," said Hartmut "Hudel" Luecke, a researcher at the University of California, Irvine, and principal investigator on the paper, published online Dec. 9 in Nature. With this study, he said, "We have deciphered the three-dimensional molecular structure of a very promising drug target."

Luecke and his team zeroed in on tiny channels that H. pylori uses to allow in urea from gastric juice in the stomach; it then breaks this compound into ammonia, which neutralizes stomach acid. Blocking the channels would disable this protective system, leading to a new treatment for people with the infection.

Solving the structure of the protein to find the specific area to target wasn't easy. The channels are formed by the protein embedded in the bacterium's cell membrane, and membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to crystallize, which is a prerequisite for using protein crystallography, the main technique for determining protein structures. This technique bounces X-rays off of the electrons in the crystallized protein to generate the experimental data used to build a 3-D map showing how the protein's atoms are arranged.

The challenge with membrane proteins is that they are especially hard to grow good quality crystals of, and for this experiment, said Luecke, "We needed to grow and screen thousands of crystals."

"We collected over 100 separate data sets and tried numerous structural determination techniques," said Mike Soltis, head of SSRL's Structural Molecular Biology division, who worked with Luecke and his team to create the 3-D map of the atomic structure. The final data set was measured at SSRL's highest brightness beam line (12-2), which produced the critical data that met the challenge.

"This is the hardest structure I've ever deciphered, and I've been doing this since 1984," Luecke said. "You have to try all kinds of tricks, and these crystals fought us every step of the way. But now that we have the structure, we've reached the exciting partthe prospect of creating specific, safe and effective ways to target this pathogen and wipe it out."

###

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the UC Irvine Center for Biomembrane Systems and the US Veterans Administration. SSRL is supported by DOE's Office of Science, and the SSRL Structural Molecular Biology Program by DOE and NIH. The research team also included scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (Greater West Los Angeles Health Care System).

The research paper is available online from Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11684.html

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, California, SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. To learn more, please visit www.slac.stanford.edu.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.


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[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 10-Dec-2012
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Contact: Andy Freeberg
afreeberg@slac.stanford.edu
650-926-4359
DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

X-rays pinpoint drug target for bacteria that affect hundreds of millions worldwide

Experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have revealed a potential new way to attack common stomach bacteria that cause ulcers and significantly increase the odds of developing stomach cancer.

The breakthrough, made using powerful X-rays from SLAC's Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), was the culmination of five years of research into the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is so tough it can live in strong stomach acid. At least half the world's population carries H. pylori and hundreds of millions suffer health problems as a result; current treatments require a complicated regimen of stomach-acid inhibitors and antibiotics.

"We were looking for a means to disrupt H. pylori's own mechanism for protecting itself against stomach acid," said Hartmut "Hudel" Luecke, a researcher at the University of California, Irvine, and principal investigator on the paper, published online Dec. 9 in Nature. With this study, he said, "We have deciphered the three-dimensional molecular structure of a very promising drug target."

Luecke and his team zeroed in on tiny channels that H. pylori uses to allow in urea from gastric juice in the stomach; it then breaks this compound into ammonia, which neutralizes stomach acid. Blocking the channels would disable this protective system, leading to a new treatment for people with the infection.

Solving the structure of the protein to find the specific area to target wasn't easy. The channels are formed by the protein embedded in the bacterium's cell membrane, and membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to crystallize, which is a prerequisite for using protein crystallography, the main technique for determining protein structures. This technique bounces X-rays off of the electrons in the crystallized protein to generate the experimental data used to build a 3-D map showing how the protein's atoms are arranged.

The challenge with membrane proteins is that they are especially hard to grow good quality crystals of, and for this experiment, said Luecke, "We needed to grow and screen thousands of crystals."

"We collected over 100 separate data sets and tried numerous structural determination techniques," said Mike Soltis, head of SSRL's Structural Molecular Biology division, who worked with Luecke and his team to create the 3-D map of the atomic structure. The final data set was measured at SSRL's highest brightness beam line (12-2), which produced the critical data that met the challenge.

"This is the hardest structure I've ever deciphered, and I've been doing this since 1984," Luecke said. "You have to try all kinds of tricks, and these crystals fought us every step of the way. But now that we have the structure, we've reached the exciting partthe prospect of creating specific, safe and effective ways to target this pathogen and wipe it out."

###

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the UC Irvine Center for Biomembrane Systems and the US Veterans Administration. SSRL is supported by DOE's Office of Science, and the SSRL Structural Molecular Biology Program by DOE and NIH. The research team also included scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (Greater West Los Angeles Health Care System).

The research paper is available online from Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11684.html

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, California, SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. To learn more, please visit www.slac.stanford.edu.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/dnal-efu121012.php

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Video: Record setting snow blankets the Twin Cities

>>> the weather in our country is making news tonight just in terms of shear confusion. depending on where you live, you may already know winter has arrived in places not used to seeing it, while it's late or a no show entirely in a lot of places that should be feeling it all right. weather channel meteorologist mike siedel is in minneapolis tonight. look what they got over the weekend.

>> reporter: yesterday they picked up 10 1/2 inches of snow officially ending the snow drought in the twin cities . it was also their fourth biggest december snowstorm. other records were set in near by st. paul and eau claire , wisconsin. in western minnesota they had 50-mile-per-hour winds and a foot and a half snow piled up leading to white-out, blizzard conditions. that shut down many roads, and, in fact, more than 650 accidents were reported statewide in the storm. in chicago it was 70 last week. they missed this one and they did have a few flakes today. if you look hard enough, you may see snow in chicago. even a plow showed up, but it didn't keem them from breaking the record for the longest streak without snow for 280 days. down south the same storm system spawned twisters. here in birmingham an ef-1 tornado. it was on the ground for a mile. that took a roof off a home and damaged 20 others along with several businesses and a church. in the twin cities many mope for more of this in the coming months after a very warm winter last year that only dropped 20 inches of snow. tonight it's the coldest night of the season aahead, brian. temperature right now is 7, windchill is 7 below zero , and we're heading down to zero or below by early tomorrow morning.

>> that sounds more like a twin cities winter. mike in the twin cities for us tonight. thanks.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50152353/

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