Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 4th Edition Download

Like the other holidays in the country, the celebration of the 4th of July is a great opportunity for business owners to gain more sales. This is 00004000 also a great time to launch a direct marketing campaign using 4th of July postcards. Have postcards with compelling content and eye-catching designs printed for your next marketing campaign and give your business the sales boost that it needs. Here are tips for effective prints:

Design Ideas for 4th of July Postcard Print

* Highlight the "Star-Spangled Banner" in your prints. Promote patriotism in your postcard marketing and inspire prospective customers to buy products or services centered on this theme. Your designs could include caricatures of Uncle Sam, fireworks and the stars and stripes.

* Include promo and give away product offers on your prints. You can tell your readers that if they present the print when they visit your shop, they can get items like a free flag, discounts or other memorabilia.

* Photos are important factors in creating effective postcard prints. For this theme, you can include a photo of someone holding the flag, a group of people celebrating with fireworks in the horizon, the liberty bell and even the Statue of Liberty. You can also include a photo of your limited edition products to highlight them.

* Create postcard prints as invitation for a 4th of July party or event happening or sponsored by your company. The prints should be enticing enough to attract attention and persuade recipients to attend the event. Offering incentives for those attending would be great.

* Be sure to include headlines that are catchy and can convey the thought of the entire print at a glance. You know that people are busy and they don't have much time to read prints in their entirety. Thus, they should be able to discern your ads even with just the headline.

The key in effective print advertising is having enticing designs and vivid representation. To make sure that your 4th of July prints will look exactly as you expected them, hire the services of a reliable full color postcard printing company. Also, the ideas above are few of the things that you can do to have successful direct marketing.

Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 4th Edition Dave Chaffey

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Literature and theories 3.0 Globalization of E-Commerce in Business 4.0 Research Methodology, Data Collection and Analysis 5.0 Future Research 6.0 Conclusion 7.0 References

1.0 Introduction

This paper examines how globalization of e-commerce is impacting business in general. With the increase of internet-based technologies, it has been the reason for recent stimulus globalization. In this Information Age, Internet commerce is a powerful tool in the economic growth of developing countries. While there are indications of ecommerce patronage among large firms in developing countries, there seems to be little and negligible use of the Internet for commerce among small and medium sized firms. E-commerce ensures better business in the SMEs and sustainable development of economics for developing countries. However, this is based on strong political will and good governance with a responsible and supportive private sector within an effective policy framework. As we know the complete definition of E-commerce is the use of electronic communications and digital information processing technology in business transactions to create, transform, and redefine relationships for value creation between or among organizations, and between organizations and individuals. E-commerce allows companies to increase their sales in domestic and foreign operations and the flexibility afforded by the technology also provides less costly opportunities to locate operations strategically. E-commerce not only reduces communication costs, but also increases flexibility in locating activities. Research point indicates that internet technology has led to an increase in international trade (Freund and Weinhold, 2002, 2004). This is the evidence of how it suggests profits from foreign operations have also increased in recent years (Hilsenrath, 2005). In the emerging global economy, e-commerce has increasingly become a necessary component of business strategy being a strong catalyst for economic development. Integration of information and communications technology (ICT) in business has evolved the relationships within organizations and those between and among organizations and individuals. The controversial current social and economic trends are globalization and the widespread adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Many argue that these two trends are closely associated, each driving the other forward, and both being driven by other common forces, such as trade liberalization, deregulation, migration, and the expansion of capitalism and democracy (c.f., Held et al., 1999). Pohjola (2002) argues that the twin forces of globalization and the ICT revolution are combining to create the so-called New Economy, marked by higher rates of economic and productivity growth. "Technology is both driven by and a driver of globalization, as both forces continually reinforce one another" cited by (Bradley et al., 1993).Specifically,the use of ICT for ecommerce in business has enhanced productivity, encouraged greater customer participation, and enabled mass customization, besides reducing costs.Prior to development in the Internet and Web-based technologies, the distinctions between traditional markets and the global electronic marketplace-such as business capital size, among others-are gradually being narrowed down. Strategic positioning is the ability of a company to determine emerging opportunities and utilize the necessary human capital skills (such as intellectual resources) to make the most of these opportunities through an e-business strategy which is simple, workable and practicable within the context of a global information and new economic environment. Together with the appropriate strategy and policy approach with e-commerce enables small and medium scale enterprises to compete with large capital-rich businesses. On another plane, developing countries are given increased access to the global marketplace, where they compete with and complement of the more developed economies. Most of the developing countries are already participating in e-commerce, either as sellers or buyers. However, to facilitate e-commerce growth in these countries based on globalization phenomenal, the relatively under-developed information infrastructure must be improved. Significantly, economic trend of the past decade is the growing use of the Internet for conducting business. Many firms are being driven toward greater adoption of e-commerce by pressure to compete at the global level. The Internet and e-commerce are part of the process of globalization. Globalization is generally regarded as the increasing interconnectedness of the world through flows of information, capital, and people facilitated by trade and political openness as well as information technology (IT). "Beyond this, however, the nature and impacts of globalization are highly contested" cited by (Held et al., 1999). Convergence theorists regard globalization as a universal process of homogenization in which countries tend toward a common way of producing and organizing economic life with resulting common social outcomes (Bell, 1973; Ohmae, 1990, 1995). Divergence theorists argue that national diversity in the pursuit of differing social and economic outcomes will prevail and prevent convergence from taking place (Berger & Dore, 1996; Boyer, 1996; Hirst & Thompson, 1996;Wade, 1996). Transformation theorists regard globalization as an uneven process involving elements of both convergence and divergence, in which countries around the world are experiencing a process of profound change as they try to adapt to a more interconnected but uncertain world (Giddens, 1991, 2000). Globalization is being intensified by the spread of the Internet, linking businesses and individuals around the world into a common electronic network. There is great excitement about the Internet's potential for removing geographical obstacles to economic growth and for achieving global integration in developing as well as in industrialized countries. A related concern is that uneven diffusion of e-commerce and the Internet is creating a "digital divide" and exacerbating the gap between rich and poor countries referred by Norris, 2001. Therefore, we are interested broadly in understanding the extent to which the Internet and e-commerce are diffusing among different countries, and the nature of their impacts on the globalization debate. However, in this article, we focus more narrowly on identifying the key factors shaping e-commerce diffusion globally in business. This paper examines that global forces such as competition and global production networks are common influences across different countries. Global forces are varied and uneven due to national characteristics such as information infrastructure, business innovation/entrepreneurship and consumer preferences and national policies that create different market and telecommunications regimesa"variously driving, facilitating or inhibiting adoption (Boyer, 1996; Wade, 1996;Dedrick & Kraemer, 1998). With reference to International Data Corp (IDC) that estimates the value of global e-commerce in 2000 at US$ 350.38 billion. This is projected to climb to as high as US.14 trillion by 2004. IDC also predicts an increase in Asia's percentage share in worldwide e-commerce revenue from 5% in 2000 to 10% in 2004 (See Figure 1 - Worldwide E-Commerce Revenue, 2000-2004). Asia-Pacific e-commerce revenues are projected to increase from .8 billion at year-end of 2001 to 8.5 billion by the end of 2004. Overall, this research makes several contribution, data collection primarily had been done in this paper to analyze on how globalization of e-commerce will benefits business moving forward in the future.

2.0 Literature and Theories

A review of principal and current literature on e-commerce is to explore the conceptual relationships of how globalization can give an impact to business electronically. Empirically, EaCommerce generally refers to the use of the internet for buying and selling activities including advertising, invitation to treat negotiation and conclusion of contracts (Rodgers, Yen and Chou, 2002; Chen and McQueen, 2008; Simpson and Docherty, 2004). EaCommerce adoption globally was first studied from the information systems perspective rather than the business perspective. The early studies identified critical success and failure factors on implementation of information systems studies on eacommerce adoption in business with specific geographic focus became popular in the last decade. Studies was conducted on worldwide firms such as Cisco Systems, Dell Computer and General Electric report impressive payoffs by making the Internet a key element in their strategies and business models, and by transforming their "brick-and-mortar" operations into e-commerce organizations. Cisco Systems and Dell Computer report in excess of 250% return on invested capital and over USD 650,000 in revenue per employee from their e-commerce operations. They had generated the highest gross profit margin in their respective industries. From a survey finding of over 400 information technology managers worldwide, relative to larger firms, smaller businesses who make effective use of Internet opportunities may also find that they are more innovative, faster in responding to environmental demands, and better able to quickly change or adapt business models to gain competitive advantage (Engler 1999). As a result, traditional firms, especially small organizations, are under increasing pressure to follow suit, and to achieve the often-cited benefits of e-commerce. Electronic commerce or e-commerce describes the use of electronic means and platforms to conduct a company's business quoted by Kotler, 2003. Electronic commerce, also known as e-commerce, is more specific than e-business, it means that in addition to providing information to visitors about the company, its history, policies, products, and job opportunities, the company or site offers to transact or facilitate the selling of products and services online cited by Kotler 2003. Ecommerce is the process of buying and selling goods and services electronically with computerized business transactions using the Internet, networks, and other digital technologies referred by Laudon and Laudon, 2005. E-commerce (EC) builds on the structures of traditional commerce by adding the flexibility offered by electronic networks. Existing research points out that EC can offer readily discerned benefits in comparison to traditional environments through reduced transaction costs and search costs, more competitive product prices (Bakos 1991) and improved transaction efficiency (Srinivasan, Kekre and Mukhopadhyay 1994; Lee and Clark 1996). In the e-commerce research literature, greater levels of e-commerce adoption have been linked with improved organizational performance (Kraemer, Gibbs and Dedrick, 2002). Companies that adopt internet technology in various activities are aware of this benefit and hope to improve competitive advantage, communication, and products and services when they adopt e-commerce (Berrill, Goode and Hart, 2004). Diffusions of Innovation theory (Rogers, 1995) has been used as a basis for exploring e-commerce adoption in multiple studies. Diffusion is defined as the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time (Rogers, 1995). In relation to e-commerce adoption, the adoption of and the success in e-commerce has been tied to organizationsa risk acceptance and tolerance of uncertainty (Featherman and Pavlou, 2003; Gibbs, Kraemer and Dedrick, 2003) It is important for businesses moving to the business to-business e-Commerce sector to evaluate all aspects of their organization and performance. Based on business need,the factors which will determine successful transformation, and then direct strategy and resources towards those factors.

The literature on e-Commerce adoption by businesses suggests that most research is based on four frameworks:

(1) The diffusion of innovation .

(2) The Technology-Organization-Environment Model

(3) Institutional theory

(4) Resource-based theory

3.0 Globalization of E-commerce in Business

Globalization of the buying behavior refer to organizations which are are open to suppliers from outside the local country.This type of organization are willing to consider foreign suppliers for the goods and services required for their business. Globalization of buying behavior could be highly global in which almost all the requirements of a particular category of goods and services which are sourced from abroad. It cannot be global at all with all services and goods being procured from within the home country as well as various other intermediate possibilities. There are few factors impacting globalization of e-commerce in business. In countries national environment perspective, we investigate each element and how it determines e-commerce diffusion across countries globally:-

1. Population and Demographic

With reference to (Table 1 -Demographic Overview and Urbanization)) and Table 2 (Population) below cited by W. Koenig, R.T. Wigand and R. Beck (2003); what we can summarized is that the German age distribution leans toward an aging population (Table 1) below. The number of inhabitants in Germany, and Europe, will continue to decrease until 2010, whereas in the U.S the population is increasing. In terms of consumer buying and the growth of the Web economy, the proportion of the relevant age group of 15-49 year olds, will decline quoted by [Zerdick et al., 2001]. Prior to (Table 2 - Forecast of Population Changes to 2010) as below, Table 2 shows that Germany's population will decline in this decade to approximately 78 million inhabitants. A lower population base means fewer consumers and, together with the aging phenomenon, fewer employees in the working age range. As a consequence, the use of e-commerce services and consumption may increase in Germany as well-educated people retire and are likely to experience physical difficulties in moving around.

2. Economy (Gross Domestic Product, GDP)

"Germany is deeply integrated in the global economy" cited from W. Koenig, R.T. Wigand, and R. Beck (2003). In recent years, however, the conditions for national political actions changed fundamentally due to globalization of markets, and will continue to change. For e-commerce, these changes imply that an open market exists for firms to hire employees. However, firms face legal requirements because of the formal representation of employees, typically through unions. German unions take on a considerably stronger role in a firm's well being compared to the U.S. Economic output in the U.S is growing rapidly, in spite of the lower economic output in Europe, led to a higher GDP in the U.S. in 1998. Germany was not able to pick up based on upward trend like the U.S. New consumer and investment indices predict a decline for 2001 and the first half of 2002. Refer to (Table 7-Average GDP growth 19915- 2001 for Germany) as above shows the average growth in GDP each year from 1995 to 2001.

6 principles to Guide the Development of Global E-Commerce in Business:

a) Adopt cautious approach to regulation: Allow global e-commerce a period of time to develop before determining which areas will require government action.

Two major threats to global ecommerce. One is to impose legal and regulatory frameworks before gaining a full understanding of the issues and needs involved. Cross border business-to consume 00004000 r transactions represent a brand new form of trade; the old ways of regulating trade will not work on the Internet. Innovative solutions ranging from international treaties to online dispute resolution may be able to meet the goals of regulationa" mitigating the risks to buyers and sellers. Global e-commerce faces many barriers including language, currency, and cultural differences; overseas shipping costs; and national brand identification. If nothing is done, the tendency will be for e-commerce to only happen into local zones, with consumers visiting only sites in their own country or a small number of countries with which they feel comfortable. In order to realize fully the benefits of global e-commerce, governments must help where necessary to reduce the risks of cross border transactions, but it will take time to determine when and where government action can be used effectively.

b) Increase global market access: Maximize opportunities for buyers and sellers to come together in marketplace

Empowering consumers and sellersa"especially small enterprisesa"by expanding market access should be the main goal of any government action (or forbearance of action) regarding global e-commerce. A larger market lower the marginal costs associated with running Internet based businesses, allowing the companies to spread their fixed costs over more customers, which lowers prices. E-commerce will become more efficient and less costly by gaining global economies of scale. Greater market access also gives small entrepreneurial ventures a better chance at success. Low cost access to global markets is especially important for ventures in developing nations, which can use the power of global e-commerce to "leapfrog" their economic development efforts and sell to an array of wealthier consumers. Second, a global Internet provides consumers with global choice. Automated buyer agents that seek out the best price on a given item are increasing in popularity and promise to bring tremendous efficiency to the pricing of goods and services on the Internet. Expanding from national to international, will encourage competition and reduce prices. Greater market access gives all of these businesses in whatever country they happen to be located, a better chance at success, and gives consumers of all nations a broader choice of goods and services. Finally, as the infrastructure and systems to facilitate global e-commerce develop, access will also be increased in a more important market: the marketplace of ideas.

c) Don't use regulations for protectionism: With the World Trade Organization

(WTO) or other multilateral trade agreements - should not be allowed to impose rules on e-commerce or the Internet with the intent of reducing online foreign competition.

Practice of protecting domestic producers through the use of seemingly unrelated regulations is an old one, but the growth of global e-commerce presents the opportunity to take it to a new level. The complexities of the technology, the legal issues involved, and the innovative business relationships between companies that conduct and facilitate ecommerce all lend themselves to regulations protecting domestic industries not only from foreign competitors, but from electronic commerce itself. As global e-commerce grows, the WTO will see more disputes about regulations aimed at the Internet and designed to give advantage to domestic industries. Examples include requiring Web sites to be delivered in the country's native language, requiring transactions to occur in the country's currency, requiring certain licenses or certifications to operate or use electronic equipment within the country, or requiring the use of nonstandard security protocol. The fear of the local government that a country is being left behind in the new world economy. The initial lead that the United States holds in e-commerce will create political controversies in other countries that are ripe for the use of nationalism as a tool to gain competitive advantage, or at least slow the incursion of foreign e-commerce to allow domestic industries to catch up: an electronic version of the McDonald's controversy in France. Countries that use such tactics might gain in the short run, but over the long run they will limit their standard of living and hinder global e-commerce.

d) Enforce regulations domestically: Governments cannot impose their laws on foreign companies unless those companies target their activities within the government's territory or a treaty is in effect.

In the off-line world, activities engaged in by citizens of one country don't normally affect the

citizens of another country unless those activities are specifically aimed at them (such as sending international mail). An online business based in one country cannot be expected to comply with the laws of other countriesa"such as privacy regulations or marketing restrictionsa"merely because their Web site is accessible in other countries. On the other hand, if the Internet seller targets its goods or services to citizens of another country, that seller should be prepared to comply with the laws of that country. Targeting must subject a seller to the targeted country's jurisdiction in order to prevent companies from relocating offshore to avoid local laws, a situation that would encourage the rise of cyber-havens. A government cannot exercise authority in another country when "reach out", but it can exercise authority if someone in another country "reaches in" to consumers in its jurisdiction.

e) Limit restrictions on social, cultural and political content: Government restrictions

on content cannot block trade in violation of World Trade Organization principles and must be enforced only within the restricting government's territory.

Given the wide variety of objectionable material available on the Internet, it is no surprise that some governments may seek to keep their citizens from accessing some content. These issues go to the very heart of national sovereignty. In the United States, where the constitutional guarantee of free speech has become ingrained in the culture, public sentiment is likely to come down on the side of more freedom, but the United States cannot impose that sentiment on other sovereign nations. Policies for global e-commerce should not be used as bargaining levers for these non-economic disputes over freedom and human rights; if Internet technology is made to bear responsibility for intractable social and political disagreements, it will not succeed. The first is that such controls must apply only to cultural, social, and political content, not trade. Nations that are signatories to the WTO have agreed to a set of principles to facilitate international trade and to a process for resolving disputes. Claims of cultural or political infringement should not be used as a back door method of discrimination against imports. If a country restricts global e-commerce on grounds A government cannot "reach out" and exercise authority in another country, but it can exercise authority if someone in another country "reaches in" to consumers in its jurisdiction. The second condition is that all content controls must be implemented domestically. In keeping with Principle above, governments cannot "reach out" to shut down Internet operators that reside outside of their jurisdiction. Governments must control content through laws and regulations that apply to their own citizens, such as requiring Internet Service Providers to filter certain content or punishing individual users for downloading prohibited content. Of course, exercising control over every citizen's Internet behavior, while technically possible requires control over the technology and communications infrastructure that only a few governments are likely to exercise.10 Inherent in the spread of Internet technology and the attendant economic benefits is a realization that the more time citizens spend in cyberspace, the less control their governments will have over them. This is why expansion of global e-commerce must be balanced with respect for sovereignty; if a government feels that the trade-off between commerce and social stability is not in its interest, the former is more likely to be rejected.

g) Take advantage of technology: Encourage innovation in the development of technological tools and industry best practices that solve public policy problems.

The Internet lends itself to creative solutions to policy problems precisely because software is a powerful tool to give people the ability to manage their own transactions. Many technological solutions are being developed to facilitate an efficient and trusted environment for both buyers and sellers. This consumer-empowering technology, when fully implemented, may help alleviate the desire for strict government controls on data privacy practices and facilitate easier negotiation between nations with different privacy regimes. Technology promises other solutions as well, in areas from language translation to content control to dispute resolution Policymakers should turn to technology whenever possible and, more importantly, they should think in terms of what technology could do in the future rather than what it can do now. In order to facilitate the growth of global ecommerce,

Policy Recommendations has been discussed and propose:-:

a stay within the current international trade framework;

a make the moratorium on tariffs for electronic transmissions permanent;

a treat digitally delivered products as intangible goods;

a eliminate tariffs on small-value transactions;

a work with third parties seeking to provide solutions;

a promote consumer education efforts; and

a draft and enact global treaties governing criminal activity on the Internet.

Some Opinions on speeding up the development of e-Commerce, in which the Government decided to take measures in six areas:

1. legal environment,

2. supporting industries,

3. enterprise information,

4. technical support,

5. education

6. international co-operation

4.0 Research Methodology/ Data Collection and Analysis

Research methodology

I had been adopting primary and secondary market research data to reinforce the statement of "Globalization of e-commerce in Business". The approach adopted is based on empirical research and analysis about the ongoing and foreseeable influence of various factors on e-commerce diffusion.

Data Collection and Analysis

Primary research data were collected through a structure questionnaire via online survey tool to answer the research questions. The objective is to determine the people acceptance on buying or selling behavior and pattern if they could accept e-commerce as the way that could contribute to business prior to globalization. The online survey was only sent to different age group level and different gender as we could analyzed through the pattern of acceptance based on various level. Total 72 responses sizes were received with each responses received was screened through for errors, incomplete and view only responses. However, 60 responses were considered complete and effective for data analysis. Respondent can be analyzed from the Summary Report - Mar 26, 2011 (Survey: Globalization of E-Commerce in Business - refer as attached). Total out of the total respondents 60% were males and 40% were females. Among the respondents only 1.7% were under 18 years old, 5% from 18 to 24 years old range, 56.7% informed that their age is belong to 25-34 age group, 35% is from 35-54 years old and finally 1.7% is from age above 55 years old. In term of working status, 3.3% is student, 3.3% is self-employed, 5% has their own business, 85% is working in Professional or Corporate bodies and 3.3% is not working. Regarding usage of internet everyday, 98.3% uses internet everyday and 1.7% is not based on total responses of 58 persons. Based on hours of internet login per-day with total responses of 57 persons, (3.5% login < 1 hour; 36.8% between 1-4 hours; 19.3% login < 6 hours and 40.4% states that they login >12 hours). In term of type of connection, (1.8% uses Cable/LAN; 15.8% is on ADSL/DSL; 14% uses Fiber optic (Unifi); 1.8% is on dial-up and majority with 66.7% respondents uses broadband/mobile/wireless internet).In term of location of login to the internet ( 43.6% login thru home; 50.9% login thru work or office; 3.6% login in hotspot area and 1.8% states they login thru internet cafA with total responses to this question is 55 persons). Prior to years of login to the internet ( 8.8% only uses internet service since 1-5 years; 36.8% is from 5 - 10 years and 54.4% uses internet more than 10 years with total responses of 57 persons). Total of 96.4% of respondents heard of e-commerce with 3.6% never at all (Total response is 56 persons). In term of visiting to e-commerce website with total response of 56 person: 89.3% states they had before and 10.7% indicates never. Buying or selling thru websites with total responses of 54 persons, 83.3% responded YES and 16.7% had answered NO. Those who responded YES with total response of 48 person, 29.2% say that they had buy or sell one week ago, 25% states one month ago, 35.4% indicates half a year ago and 10.4% states one year ago. Another questions about if they have an option to buy from local store or website (Total response is 55 person : 63.6% responded - Yes; 36.4% states - NO). 50% will still buy thru online/website and 50% thru local store even the price remain the same. Total of 83.6% says that they trust e-commerce website with only 16.4% indicates no (Total response is 55 persons). In terms of motivation of buy and sell thru e-commerce website, total respondent of 56 persons; 7.1% believe that detail and sufficient product information motivates them; 7.1% sates privacy and security; 48.2% response is because of convenience and save time; 1.8% is due to customer review availability; 5.4% is because of promotion and advertisement; 8.9% is due to product price and quality comparison and 21.4% response is due to variety of global product). The main focus is on the response if e-commerce will be the way to move forward in doing business globally, (Total response of 56 person: 96.4% responded YES and 3.6% say NO). In term of how they got to know e-commerce (Total response of 56 person: 8.9% is thru email/newsletter; 14.3% from friend; 48.2% is thru search engine; 25% is through social network and 3.6% is from newspaper or magazines. How will they rate browsing experience with total respondent of 56 person: 1.8% rate worst; 1.8% indicate bad; 26.8% stays neutral, 69.6% responded good. Finally, in term of rating experience of buying and selling through website with total response of 51 persons, 2% say worst, 19.6% remain neutral and 78.4% rate good. Prior to all the result of data collected and analyzed, the statistical result shown clearly indicates majority of the people agreed and even had experienced with trust to e-commerce that it is the way which will impact in business prior to globalization.

Secondary research data is use based on detailed case studies by scholars and experts in 10 countries to explore which factors in the framework appear to be playing a role at this early stage of e-commerce in each country. I compared the results of these case studies across the countries on each of the factors and found that some factors were important influences on adoption across countries and some were not. Identifying the commonalities and differences among the countries, determined which factors were barriers and drivers to ecommerce, and assessed whether these findings pointed to convergence or divergence in the factors shaping diffusion and, ultimately, sugges 00004000 ted convergence or divergence in ecommerce outcomes. This article presents as well the results from this cross-case analysis based on secondary research. (FIGURE 2 -E-commerce sales as % GDP with GDP per capita, 2000). Sources cited by IDC (2002), ITU (2001). The 10 countries in the studya"Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States were selected to include developed, newly industrializing, and developing nations, and to represent each major region of the world. Two types of data related to the countries are discussed in the article: (1) qualitative data, or findings, from the in-depth case studies prepared by scholars and experts in each country, and (2) statistical data compiled from the cases and secondary sources (IDC, ITU, UNDP, OECD) that enable cross-country comparison. (FIGURE 2 -E-commerce sales as % GDP with GDP per capita, 2000) illustrates this relationship between e-commerce sales as percent of GDP and 8 J. GIBBS ET AL. GDP per capita, with our 10 countries of focus in boldface type. The United States and Japan stand out as leaders in both e-commerce and GDP per capita. China, Brazil, and Mexico are lagging behind, while the other five countries fall somewhere in the middle. Furthermore, some countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, and Japan fall "above" the line, meaning that their e-commerce sales are higher than would be expected based on GDP alone. Other countries, namely, Denmark and France, fall "below" the line, meaning that their e-commerce sales are lower than would be predicted by the country's wealth. Wealth alone does not provide a complete explanation of national differences in e-commerce adoption based on the data collected and analyzed. The initial findings from the cross-case analysis suggest that other factors do have an important impact on e-commerce adoption, especially factors of the global environment and national environment and, to a lesser extent, national policy.

5.0 Future research

Looking into the future research, we will need to get the academic experts to develop a common research protocol, conduct country and international analyses, and share findings at annual meetings, forum, comparison of research data and how Globalization of e-commerce will have an effect to either the growth or decline in business. Research protocol was developed to achieve multiple objectives on our findings. Initial objective was to develop a team culture to facilitate knowledge development and sharing of ideas. Second, a common survey instrument had need to be developed that to diverse the economies impact to Asia, Americas and Europe.Moreover, it had to be translated into multiple languages, independently checked and piloted in each country. Third, we had to collect secondary data that was comparable across countries with which to better understand their socio-economic environments and e-commerce diffusion over time, as a way of providing perspective for our cross-sectional survey. Finally, to complement both the Global E-Commerce survey, the secondary research data is needed as to obtain a granular understanding of the Internet and e-commerce within each country. Individual country case studies is needed for each country, including specific industries and/or firms to see how EC evolved in business globally. These case studies usually were written by local academics experts.Development of several partnerships to carry out this work is necessary. First was our partnership with the academic experts in each country who signed on for the four-year effort. Second was a partnership with the International Data Corporation (IDC) of Framingham, MA. This International bodies will govern to develop the survey questionnaire, secure translations into multiple languages, check the questionnaire translations with their in-country staff, oversee conduct of the survey by the international survey firm, market probe and review the survey results. IDC should bee chosen for future research because it has experience working in many countries, conducts its own surveys in several countries, and has experts in e-commerce in each of the countries in this study. Partnership with Empirica, GMBH in Germany is also needed from the aspect of Europe nation for data and analysis related to projects sponsored by the European Commission's Information Society Technologies (IST) Directorate General. This European nation bodies will help to provided additional data useful for special firm-level, cross country analyses that complemented the basic Globalization of Ecommerce analyses that covers a wider aspect mainly the impact to business.

6.0 Conclusions

In conclusion to this research that I had embarked, this paper has found useful way of organizing the key factors influencing e-commerce diffusion which will need to be by more quantitative analyses in the future, primary and secondary data is needed to conclude of how e-commerce could impact the business growth globally. There is specific factors shaping the e-commerce that vary considerably. For Global e-commerce especially (business-to-business) model competitive forces are the greatest driver of adoption. Global competition and participation in global production networks create strong pressure to adopt e-commerce. Global competitive pressure is driving greater convergence in business practices through global integration of production networks and supply chains. Countries which are more open to such forces whether through international trade, trade liberalization, or foreign investment will more likely move toward higher e-commerce diffusion. As for Business-to-Commerce) model diffusion seems to be less affected by global forces and more affected by variables specific to the national and local environment, such as consumer preferences, retail structure, and local language and cultural factors. Findings from this research states that consumer preference for valuable content and concerns for security and privacy are the most significant factors. Prior to the converging around the world, country preferences for local content, culture and language really differ significantly thus shaping e-commerce adoption across globally. This paper examines that the preliminary explanation for this difference is that B2B is driven by MNCs (Multi National companies) that "push" e-commerce to their global suppliers, customers, and their own subsidiaries. This will create the pressures on local companies to adopt e-commerce to stay competitive. Business practices become more standardized across borders in practice. Business education and imitation of best practices reinforce this convergence; as new innovation occurs in theory or practice in order to be competitive. In term of all consumers who really desire on convenience and enjoy low prices, consumer preferences and values, national culture, and distribution systems differ markedly across countries and define differences in local consumer markets. This distinction between B2B and B2C e-commerce as a global phenomenon has important implications. Theoretically, it gives support to the transformational perspective, which sees globalization as involving elements of both convergence and divergence. A country's position in the global economy is largely dependent on location, labor cost, or other endowments, so that the impacts of B2B e-commerce may be limited Although Internet-based e-commerce is still in its infancy stage, this preliminary research indicates that its diffusion is an uneven process across countries and industries: certain countries and industries are driving the process while others lag behind. Moreover, despite the presence of global forces shaping diffusion, local differences in the factors influencing e-commerce diffusion are evident between countries, suggesting that the diffusion process is indeed shaped by national environments and policy rather than taking a universal trajectory. These findings imply that though Globalization of e-commerce in business is the way to move forward in future but it is not the factors of growth in economy or business performance of the country. It has never been the same approach to adopt the diffusion of e-commerce across all countries in the world. There is so many elements and factors need to be taken into consideration. Therefore, more study is needed across all countries continuously over a period of 5 years to observe how e-commerce could shape the country economy and how it impact business performance in different industries of the country. This research also imply that future studies should focus on modeling the survey quantitatively to cross-reference check on empirical research done as to compare their relationship across all countries in the world.

7.0 References

1. Bakos, Y. "A Strategic Analysis of Electronic Marketplaces," MIS Quarterly, Volume 15, No. 3, September 1991, pp. 295-310.

2. Bell, D. 1973. The coming of post-industrial society. New York: Basic Books.

3. Berrill, A., Goode, S. & Hart, D. (2004). Managerial expectations of internet commerce adoption after the azTech Wrecka. Journal of Global Information Technology Manage-ment, 07(03), 45-63.

4. Bradley, Stephen P., Jerry A. Hausman, & Richard L. Nolan, editors. 1993. Globalization,Technology, and Competition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

5. Berger, S., and Dore, R., eds. 1996. National diversity and global capitalism. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

6. Boyer, R. 1996. The convergence hypothesis revisited: Globalizationbut still the century of nations? In National diversity and global capitalism, eds. S. Berger and R. Dore, pp. 29-59. Ithaca,NY: Cornell University Press.

7. Dedrick, J., and Kraemer, K. L. 1998. Asia's computer challenge:Threat or opportunity for the United States and the world? New York: Oxford University Press.

8. Empirica. 2001. Stand und Entwicklungsperspektiven des elektronischen GeschAftsverkehrs in Deutschland, Europa und den U.S. unter besonderer BerAcksichtigung der Nutzung in KMU in 1999 und 2001 (E-commerce in SMEs in Germany, Europe and the U.S.). Bonn, Germany http://www.empirica.com (last access: 04/02(2002)

9. Engler, N. (1999), "Small but Nimble", Information Week, January 18, 57-62.

10. Featherman MS, Pavlou PA (2003). Predicting e-Services Adoption: A Perceived Risk Facets Perspective. Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud. 59(1): 451-474.

11. Freund, C.L. and D. Weinhold. 2004. The effect of the internet on international trade. Journal of International Economics 62: 171-189.

12. Gibbs, Jennifer, Kenneth L. Kraemer, & Jason Dedrick. Forthcoming, 2003. Environment and Policy Factors Shaping E-Commerce Diffusion: A Cross-Country Comparison. The Information Society, 19(1).

13. Giddens, A. 1991. Modernity and self-identity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

14. Giddens, A. 2000. Runaway World: How globalization is reshaping our lives. New York: Routledge.

15. Hilsenrath, J. 2005. "U.S. Multinationals Reap Overseas bounty," The Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2005.

16. Held, David, Anthony McGrew, David Goldblatt, & Jonathan Perraton. 1999. Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

17. Hirst, P., and Thompson, G. 1996. Globalization in question: The international economy and the possibilities of governance. Cambridge: Polity Press.

18. Koenig, W., Wigand, R. T., Beck, R. (2002). Globalization and E-Commerce: Environment and Policy in Germany, in: Communication of the Association for Information Systems, Volume 10,Association for Information Systems Atlanta, USA

19. Kotler.P. 2003. Marketing Insights from A to Z Canada. John Wiley and Sons, INC

20. Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J.P. (2005). Management Information Systems (9th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

21. Lee, H. G. and T. H. Clark: "Economic Benefits and Adoption Barriers of Electronic Market Systems", Ninth International EDI-IOS Conference, Bled, Slovenia, 1996.

22. International Data Corporation. 2002. Internet commerce market model, version 8.1. Framingham, MA: IDC.

23. International Telecommunications Union. 2001. Yearbook of statistics, 1991-2000. Geneva: ITU.

24. Ohmae, K. 1990. The borderless world: Power and strategy in the interlinked economy. New York: Harper Perennial.

25. Ohmae, K. 1995. The end of the nation state. New York: Free Press.

26. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 2001.OECD communications outlook 2001. Paris: OECD.

27. Pohjola, Matti. 2002. The New Economy: Facts, Impacts and Policies. Information Economics and Policy, 14: 133-144.

28. Rodgers, J. A.; Yen, D. C.; Chou, D. C. 2002. Developing e-business: a strategic approach, Information Management & Computer Security 10(4): 184-92.doi:10.1108/09685220210436985

29. Rogers, Everett. (1995). Diffusion of innovations. Fourth edition. New York, NY: The Free Press.

30. Srinivasan, K., Kekre, S., Mukhopadhyay, T. "Impact of electronic data interchange Technology support on JIT shipments," Management Science, (40:10), 1994, pp. 1291-1304

31. Wade, R. 1996. Globalization and its limits: Reports of the death of the national economy are greatly exaggerated. In National diversity and global capitalism, eds. S. Berger and R. Dore, pp. 60-88. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

32. Zerdick, A., et al. 2001. Die Internet-Akonomie: Strategien fAr die Digitale Wirtschaft, 3. Edition. Springer Verlag Berlin

Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 4th Edition

Introduction

Best practice as a human resource and development strategy attempts to link two issues i.e. human resource strategies and competitive advantage. This perspective is founded on the belief that human resource and development strategies can cause employees to become committed and highly motivated towards their organisation. Consequently, such employees are expected to contribute towards improvement of the company's performance. Reward systems form a critical part of best practice policy because they still fall under human resource strategies.

The organisation to be examined is John Lewis Partnership. This company is a worker co-op. It is one of the most exemplary companies when it comes to implementation of best practice strategies. This is because all the employees within the organisation are part owners of the organisation. The organisation focuses on addressing all their needs whether in the reward section or elsewhere. On the other hand, the employees pay back these efforts through commitment and best performance. Best practice has formed one of the organisation's key strengths.

Strategic capability and degree of sophistication of the strategic Human resource and development effort

John Lewis partnership has made sure that training is part of its human resource and development efforts. This is because it realises the value of this best practice strategy. Pfeffer and Velga (1999) explain the importance of training and development of skills within any organisation. A company that takes its employees through training solidifies their contribution to the company. This is because such employees get equipped with the ability to make decisions in their work. On top of this, such employees have high levels of initiative and will try their utmost best to improve their organisational contribution. Skill development is a characteristic part of the John Lewis Partnership because employees who feel the need to improve their skills are given opportunities to do so through training schemes.

Youndt et al (1996) emphasise that training is one of the most fundamental aspects of best practice models. However, these same authors also add that training should be integrated into other development activities like staffing, job rotation and others. They claim that no amount of training will contribute towards organisational development if employees are not granted the permission to practice those acquired skills. This means that an organisation should try its best to grant work autonomy to its employees and to empower them through training. John Lewis has achieved this very well. In other retail companies, line managers are given minimal responsibilities. Most of them are expected to consult with higher authorities in order to decide on issues. However, the company under study has eliminated that problem by training those members of staff (so that they can have necessary skills) and then allowing them to make independent decisions. They believe that this is a form of investment into human capital since most of these employees feel valued.

According to the Classical and Human relations approach, an organisation's structure and operation are affected by certain situational factors such as technology, size and environment. However best practice advocates like Burnes (2000) came up with a contingency theory. He believes that a reward system within any company can affect the way it operates or how it is structured. Pfeffer (1994) believes that best practice companies should have a structure that places staff members into groups. Those groups should be such that they have the ability to make their own decisions. Another aspect of best practise firms is that they ought to have reward systems that are compact in nature. This implies that there should be minimal differences between different members of staff so that most employees within the organisation operate in a relatively independent manner with the ability to make their own decisions. John Lewis' strategic capability in this aspect of structure is demonstrated by the division of the company into departments. These departments work together to achieve gaols and have been granted relative autonomy. One can consider them as teams. Also, the company gives almost equal rewards to all members of the teams. One can therefore conclude that the company's structure is a clear depiction of its best practise strategy. (Pfeffer, 1994)

Why and whether human resource strategy is seen as adding value

Best practice strategies have definitely added value to the organisation. This is because the approach has motivated performance within the organisation. According to the Equity and expectancy theories (main components of the best practice model) put forward by Adam (1965). It can be seen that there are two aspects in motivation. The first is the input made by an employee and the second is outcome which normally comes from the respective organisation. The ratio between these two aspects needs to be equal otherwise employees will loose motivation to perform. This is where the term negative inequity stems from. Here, an employee's input is not matched to outcome from the organisation. There is a need for justice to be administered in this area otherwise employees will lack motivation.

Hertzberg (2001) came up with a two factor model to illustrate the importance of performance motivation as part of best practice strategy. He asserted that factors causing job satisfaction were quite different from those ones causing job dissatisfaction. He places more emphasis on factors that cause job satisfaction such as the nature of work, responsibilities in the workplace and recognition of achievement. This is something that is quite different from simply increasing salaries. Pay can be considered as a factor that can cause job dissatisfaction and should be dealt with so as to have time to concentrate on other important aspects. This is the reason why John Lewis does not simply increase employees' salaries. It appreciates achievement and places more emphasis on the latter rather than the former. This is the reason why its best practice strategies have added value to the company. John Lewis realised that payments simply alter behaviour but do not change the attitudes causing these behaviours as stated by Kohn (1993).

Kohn (1993) and Pfeffer (1998) solidify this stand point by adding that the financial aspect is not the only thing that matters. This is because the absence of it could be taken as a form of punishment by the organisation. This is the reason why John Lewis uses its aspect of partnership to motivate employees rather than just focusing on financial issues. These same authors assert that if a company only focuses on this type of approach, it may prevent employees from tapping their full potential. John Lewis realised this and this is why the partnership adds other factors into the equation. For example, employees within the organisation have the power to hire or fire leaders within their council upon giving justification of their reasons for doing so. Employees in the Company also have the freedom to air out their grievances and misgivings about some of their administrators. Such approaches move away form the financial aspect of motivation and consequently add value to the firm.

Kohn (1993) adds that it is possible to motivate employees without the need to increase their pay. He claims there are three C's that employees can add to their organisation in order to add value. These include Choice; where an employee should be given the opportunity to participate in decisions affecting the company. This is an aspect that John Lewis has perfected through voting power granted to its employees. Also, that they have an internal magazine where suggestions on governance are given and the administration reciprocates. The second C is the issue of Collaboration. Here there should be a two-way exchange of information between the company and the employees. The third C put forward by the same author is Content where organisations should go out of out their way to enrich employees' jobs. This is an aspect that John Lewis has also incorporated into their management style since employees work in teams, line managers have considerable amounts of responsibility and yet there are always new technical issues faced John Lewis. All these qualities deal with the content aspect of motivation thus adding value top the company.

Pfeffer (1998) asserts that employees can add value to an organisation when there is equity within the organisation. Any given company should realise that an employee will only be motivated when they receive appreciation for their efforts. This appreciation should be equal among all members of the organisation. Most organisations have made the mistake of sharing profits among managers and top administrators yet this is quite a big misconception. All members of the organisation should receive equal treatment in this area because it will be a justifiable issue. Al members within the organisation will feel just as importance as the he other and it will strengthen the bond within the organisation. John Lewis has recognised this truth. It has given a lot of emphasis on equality. In the year 2007, the Company distributed fifty five million pounds fairly and equally among all members of staff.

Relationship between Human Resource and development activities and the strategic imperatives facing the company

One of the most crucial aspects of human resource and development activities within the organization under study is reward systems. Reward systems have a direct and fundamental link between strategic imperatives facing the Company and overall effectiveness achieved by the company. This is because pay systems can be modified so as to align themselves with overall goals and objectives of the organisation consequently becoming part of the businesses strategy within the organisation. It is important for companies to have business strategies first. This is because business strategies provide a guideline that will help a given organisation have a sense of direction. Business strategy defines the way the firm will operate and what level of performance should be expected. Therefore, business strategy is the foundation for rewards systems within the best practice model.

The best practice model is such that reward systems should encourage involvement by employees. This implies that the best practice model is against job-based approaches where employees are paid according to their merits. Instead, it advocates for pay systems that are based on skill and rewards and bonuses are given to employees when the company has achieved success. Therefore the best practice model moves away from the traditional methods of measuring employee performance through performance appraisals. More focus is placed on creating a sense of concern within the employees about the performance of the organisation. Also pay systems are dependent on the nature of business success mad not on the merits employees have. Pfeffer (1998) points out some disadvantages of the traditional reward systems where merits were the most important aspect at that time. These are;

The merit system creates fear culture within the organisation
employees mainly focus on short rather than long term goals
employees do not care about how the organisation performs
it devalues team work because emphasis is on individual performance
it is subject to biases and politics

In light of these disadvantages, it became necessary to adopt a reward system that addresses these pitfalls. One should take note that best practice policies remain stagnant even when the organisation's strategic direction changes.

Some of the theoretical frameworks contained in this model were spearheaded by Huselid (1995) and Pfeffer (1996). The best practice model is such that a company that adopts this form of practice attract the best human resource personnel there is out there. This implies that the strategy the company adopted will be influenced greatly by these valuable staff members and thus leading to organisational success. One can therefore conclude that policies within this type of strategy precede business strategy.

The main relationship between best practice and an organisation's strategic imperatives is that it provides a basis for achieving an organisation's pay objectives. Lawler (1996) states that an organisation first needs to identify its reward system objectives. This is because the objectives act as a basis for measuring the effectiveness of the pay systems and they also act as guidelines. Some of the objectives are;

'Objectives of reward systems

Attract and retain employees;

Motivate performance;

Promote skill and knowledge development;

Contribute to corporate culture;

Reinforce and define structure; and

Determine pay costs' (Lawler, 1996)

These objectives have contributed greatly towards achievement of John Lewis Strategic intent. These shall be examined in detail. The first link between the latter mentioned acts is attraction and retention of employees. For the organisation under study; John Lewis, there is a need to attract best quality individuals because the retail sector is highly competitive. This is highly relevant since there are instances when labour markets become stringent. Pfeffer (1998) suggests that there is a link between what amount a firm pays to its workforce and the quality of employees it is able to attract. This theory is seen clearly in the John Lewis partnership where the company paid millions in bonuses to its workforce. This caused an increase in the company's performance as seen from its favourable market shares.

Huselid (1995) adds that attracting the right employees is not just something that is achieved by a pay system. It is also something that needs to be combined with a meticulous selection process. The organisation needs to ensure that thee are well qualified candidates in large numbers. the importance of the selection process is that a candidate may feel honoured to belong to an organisation that takes its selection process seriously. This can be carried further to imply that the organisation also values people and this means that those employees will feel privileged to belong to the organisation. This is exactly what has occurred at John Lewis Company.

Delery and Doty (1996) assert that whenever there is a low employee turnover, employees will feel more obliged to perform because they are assured of their job security. They highlight the importance of knowing that one will not loose their job. This is because it will. prevent them from worrying about this and instead focus on tasks at hand. Pfeffer (1994) goes on to add that low employee turnover is quite necessary when trying to create a family friendly culture within an organisation. This means that workers will feel at home in their work environment. They will also be challenged intellectually and consequently enjoy their work experience. This is also toped up by a good reward system. John Lewis is characterised by such practices since it has a rigorous selection process, high employee retention and a strong organisational culture.

Contribution Human resource and development can make towards achieving the organisation's strategic intent

Best practice as a human resource development strategy can help an organisation achieve its strategic intent through creation of a unique corporate culture. Drennan (1992) describes corporate culture as the way things are done within any organisation. It can either impede or promote organisational effectiveness depending on its implementation.

John Lewis partnership should ensure that it promotes organisational effectiveness through the foll 00004000 owing ways. It should try as much as possible to reinforce its value in areas such as innovation, quality, performance and teamwork as suggested by Armstrong (1999). Lawler (1996) adds that an organisation can create a culture through best practise approaches by encouraging the following;

-participation

-innovation

-entrepreneurship

-eliminating too much bureaucracy

-encouraging competency

Lawler (1996) goes on to add that organisations should deal with two aspects in order to change their corporate culture and to achieve their strategic intent. This can be done through communication and the decision making process. John Lewis should make sure that it continues to maintain open and transparent channels of communication about its reward systems. This will eliminate any uncertainties among members of staff and will contribute towards their commitment. The Company should also go out of its way to maintain a participative approach in decision making. Lawler (1995) notes that companies that have failed in the past are those ones that adopted autocratic methods of governance; these are characterised by secrecy and top down communications. The Company should stick to these best practice principles in order to achieve their strategic intent.

Conclusion

Best practise is a human resource strategy that affects overall organisational strategy. According to the best practice approach, reward systems contribute to organisational culture. However, pay should not be the only thing that takes precedence. There should be adequate consideration of decision making powers, communication channels and job enrichment. If these latter three factors are implemented by companies, then they will achieve competitive advantage. The John Lewis has been on the frontline of best practise strategies because it is a worker and most of their decisions are participative. Reward systems within this company encourage equity and this is why it has been recorded increased profits in the recent years.

Reference:

John Lewis (2007): Interim Financial report. Retrieved 24 March, 2008

Pfeffer, J. and Velga, J. (1999): Putting people first for organizational success;

Academy of Management Executive, 13 (2), p. 37-48

Youndt, M. A. et al (1996): Human Resource Management, Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance; Academy of Management Journal, 39, p836-66

Pfeffer, J. (1998): Six Dangerous Myths About Pay; Harvard Business Review, May-

June, p. 109-119

Pfeffer, J. (1994): Competitive Advantage Through People: Unleashing the Power of

the Workforce, Boston, MA: Stanford Graduate School of Business; Harvard Business

School Press

Burnes, B. (2000): Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational

Dynamcis, Harlow: Financial Times; Prentice Hall

Adams, J. (1965): Inequity in Social Exchange. In Advances in Experimental Social

Psychology, vol. 2, ed. L. Berkowitz, p. 267-299; New York: Academic Press.

Herzberg, F. (2001): One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees? Harvard

Business Review, 81(3), p. 87-96

Huselid, M. (1995): The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on

Turnover, Productivity and Corporate Financial Performance; Academy of

Management Journal, 38 (3), p. 635-72

Kohn, A. (1993): Rethinking Rewards; Harvard Business Review, 71(6), p. 48-49.

Lawler, E. (1996): The Design of Effective Reward Systems. In Motivation and

Leadership at Work, sixth edition, eds. R. Steers, L. Porter and G.Bigley, p. 527-550.

New York; McGraw Hill International Press

Delery, J. and Doty, D. (1996): Models of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource

Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency and Configurational Performance

Predictions; Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), p802-35

Armstrong, M. (1999): Employee Reward. 2ndedition. London: CIPD

Lawler, E. (1995): The New Pay: A Strategic Approach; Compensation and Benefits

Review, 27 (4), p.14-22

Introduction

Strategic capability and degree of sophistication of the strategic Human resource and development effort

Why and whether human resource strategy is seen as adding value

Relationship between Human Resource and development activities and the strategic imperatives facing the company

The merit system creates fear culture within the organisation
employees mainly focus on short rather than long term goals
employees do not care about how the organisation performs
it devalues team work because emphasis is on individual performance
it is subject to biases and politics

Some of the theoretical frameworks contained in this model were spearheaded by Huselid (1995) and Pfeffer (1996). The best practice model is such that a company that adopts this form of practice attract the best hu 00004000 man resource personnel there is out there. This implies that the strategy the company adopted will be influenced greatly by these valuable staff members and thus leading to organisational success. One can therefore conclude that policies within this type of strategy precede business strategy.

'Objectives of reward systems

Attract and retain employees;

Motivate performance;

Promote skill and knowledge development;

Contribute to corporate culture;

Reinforce and define structure; and

Determine pay costs' (Lawler, 1996)

Contribution Human resource and development can make towards achieving the organisation's strategic intent

John Lewis partnership should ensure that it promotes organisational effectiveness through the following ways. It should try as much as possible to reinforce its value in areas such as innovation, quality, performance and teamwork as suggested by Armstrong (1999). Lawler (1996) adds that an organisation can create a culture through best practise approaches by encouraging the following;

-participation

-innovation

-entrepreneurship

-eliminating too much bureaucracy

-encouraging competency

Conclusion

Reference:

John Lewis (2007): Interim Financial report. Retrieved 24 March, 2008

Pfeffer, J. and Velga, J. (1999): Putting people first for organizational success;

Academy of Management Executive, 13 (2), p. 37-48

Youndt, M. A. et al (1996): Human Resource Management, Manufacturing Strategy, and Firm Performance; Academy of Management Journal, 39, p836-66

Pfeffer, J. (1998): Six Dangerous Myths About Pay; Harvard Business Review, May-

June, p. 109-119

Pfeffer, J. (1994): Competitive Advantage Through People: Unleashing the Power of

the Workforce, Boston, MA: Stanford Graduate School of Business; Harvard Business

School Press

Burnes, B. (2000): Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational

Dynamcis, Harlow: Financial Times; Prentice Hall

Adams, J. (1965): Inequity in Social Exchange. In Advances in Experimental Social

Psychology, vol. 2, ed. L. Berkowitz, p. 267-299; New York: Academic Press.

Herzberg, F. (2001): One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees? Harvard

Business Review, 81(3), p. 87-96

Huselid, M. (1995): The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on

Turnover, Productivity and Corporate Financial Performance; Academy of

Management Journal, 38 (3), p. 635-72

Kohn, A. (1993): Rethinking Rewards; Harvard Business Review, 71(6), p. 48-49.

Lawler, E. (1996): The Design of Effective Reward Systems. In Motivation and

Leadership at Work, sixth edition, eds. R. Steers, L. Porter and G.Bigley, p. 527-550.

New York; McGraw Hill International Press

Delery, J. and Doty, D. (1996): Models of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource

Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency and Configurational Performance

Predictions; Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), p802-35

Armstrong, M. (1999): Employee Reward. 2ndedition. London: CIPD

Lawler, E. (1995): The New Pay: A Strategic Approach; Compensation and Benefits

Review, 27 (4), p.14-22

Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 3rd Edition

INTRODUCTION

During the last two decades, a major change and development has happened in libraries. A critical element for that has been the development of telecommunications and information technologies-ICT. From the 80's the automation of libraries has received a great impulse, and many libraries have introduced more and more ICT equipment and its applications, creating their own web sites, generating compact discs, and producing leading projects. It has provided libraries with a more refreshing and distinctive touch and new directions are now conceived by libraries. The technological environment and the extraordinary growth in the use of Internet has definitely improved the cooperation among libraries and eliminated almost all restrictions. Academic libraries today look totally different than they did twenty years ago. Thanks not only to the technologies but also to the information agents. Economic changes, technological developments and other forces have reshaped and redefined librarians' way of thinking.

The library in this era need to redesign the services and revision must be done to the information profession to meet the ICTs development and to give the chance for the library to grow from the regular types of libraries to the universal information services, and from a conservative library to a modern virtual library (Feria, 2000).

This increase of information technologies and the explosion of available information are the most obvious changes in academic libraries. The amount of human knowledge is doubling almost every five years; the number of students has almost doubled since 1970's, same for the number of teachers and researchers with large diversity of user groups. And library users must learn to use different databases and interfaces successfully to be part of the knowledge expansion (Nims, 1999).

Information providers are now more diverse and the academic library is not the only provider in the higher education market like before. Users can get their information from other information providers. Using the Internet, they can access volume of information over the computer without coming into the library building or interacting with a librarian at all. In addition, libraries now face competition from traditional bookstores like online bookstores such as Amazon.com. Along with small shops that offer inviting environments to sit and read books, with drinks and friendly staff to answer questions. The revolution in information services that is taking place in academic libraries makes it essential that libraries design new services that meet the user's needs better than other providers. With all that the idea of applying marketing principles to academic library services is greeted with hesitation and doubt (Nims, 1999).

MARKETING PRACTICE

In the last few years, the products and services provided by libraries have changed considerably. The challenges to library services from changes in educational approaches, the impact of technology, new methods for information provision and declining budgets have meant that marketing is now so necessary that it cannot be considered a separate function. It is the whole business seen from its final results; that is, from the client's perspective. In determining new approaches, many libraries have come to appreciate the contribution that the marketing concepts can make. In designing the marketing mix and developing the marketing plan, the so-called 4Ps have become central to libraries - product, price, place, promotion. Any library using marketing techniques to develop its operations focuses on its products or services; the price paid, which may be in money, time or energy; the promotional strategies by which library collections and services are made known to potential clients, including publications, displays and participation in events; and the physical facilities or place from which services are made available and distribution strategies which increasingly use the Internet and virtual as well as real approaches. Positioning and politics can also be considered in the mix and incorporate positioning the product in the mind of the client and public policy and politics (Madhusudhan, 2008).

Marketing has been defined as the: aa analysis, planning, implementation, and control of carefully formulated programs designed to bring about voluntary exchanges with target markets for the purpose of achieving organizational objectives a [and] a heavily dependent on designing the organization's offering in terms of the target market needs and desires and on using effective pricing, communication and distribution to inform, motivate and service the marketa (Kavulya, 2004, p.118). True marketing is a repetitive process and a systematic approach for matching services and products to the user needs and desires. Marketing is the key ingredient in the success of any nonprofit organization (Koontz, 2004).

The study of the practices of library marketing activities of universities in Kenya, explores the marketing practice in Kenya academic libraries and what are the obstacles that face this practice. Result of the study prove the need for academic libraries to be more aware of their role in the academic atmosphere and show the library importance and relevance to the academic community by its contribution to research and teaching which is the main purpose of the university. By doing this the academic library can insure the support of the university. The study proves that showing the library informational role will prevent academic libraries from being marginalized by the institution that support the library. If they fail to do so the library risk being seen as irrelevant and lead to becoming more and more marginalized in the university educational process (Kavulya, 2004).

The job of marketing services is not as easy as marketing a product, the service cannot be returned and cannot be stored. Dissatisfied customer cannot return an unsatisfactory service as he can an unsatisfactory product. And a customer can often choose to perform the service himself. Successful marketing is characterized by four activities. First is market research to identify customer needs and wants, second is market segmentation to allocating resource to customer groups, third is marketing mix strategy which includes the products or services, priced, delivered and promoted; and finally the fourth which is evaluating the marketing effort (Tucci, 1988).

1. Market Research

The needs of the library users are the core of the marketing process. It is the user who drives marketing and ultimately shapes the product or service. Marketing is not just the four P's (product, price, promotion, and place). Marketing is planned and executed process which includes marketing research to develop services and products, then evaluating the results and integrating the findings into future services and products. The majority of mission statements of academic libraries neglect the concept of letting the users' needs dictate the services orientations (Nims, 1999).

Academic libraries need to be more persistent in investigating user's needs by using Marketing approach to develop services that meet their expectations. It is not just marketing of already available services to the users but to find out what the users want (Kavulya, 2004). Marketing research is the function that links the information professional to the customer's needs and wants. Marketing research can be done by reviewing internal customer data in the library and also by recognizing usage categories for materials that are being checked by students, categories like user types; students or faculty, date of entry, type of material, and so on (Koontz, 2005).

In the Saint Mary's University library experience, Lefebure (2002) found that the Patrick Power Library had a very uninviting environment. The library building and the interior design was really uncomfortable. Although the library was known for its efficient, thorough and friendly service, the library seemed to be disregarded because few only knew how excellent the library resources were and how good was the service inside. The positive side of the library was undermined by the dim and tired appearance of the building itself. At the same time the financial resources were rare and not easy to acquire for renewal or redesigning the library. Even the electronic services were not known to all of the students and not many knew that inside the library there were many computers linked directly to the Internet with major electronic information services. So the challenge was to design a marketing campaign that would transform the library to make it a welcoming place (Lefebure, 2002).

By conducting a marketing survey to take the student opinion and thoughts regarding the library services, students awho are the main clients of the academic librarya put more emphasis on atmosphere and ease of access through the Internet than the more traditional library methods. Students revealed what services would encourage them to use the library more; the majority of respondents in the sample group mentioned a coffee shop, and more resources. Other factors mentioned were updated materials; food and beverages allowed in the library; better climate control; atmosphere; lounge area; and better lighting. The final factor cited was promotion of the facilities. It was clear that the students themselves recognized that they were not fully aware of what was available to them. This experience demonstrates that market surveys and research do work if you ask the right questions, and not just asking the regular current users of the library. But surveys should also investigate the needs of students who do not come to the library. And the best marketing is word of mouth. Students often consult each other rather than approach the reference desk. Yet if the reference staff is efficient, friendly, helpful and solutions-based, the students will generate positive word-of-mouth about the service. On the other hand, good marketing is soon void if the student meets an unfriendly staff member (Lefebure, 2002).

Not many users have sufficient knowledge of the academic library, library services, and information technologies. And many students hold negative attitudes towards librarians. Mu (2007) demonstrates that 75 to 85 percent of college freshmen viewed the library as scary, overpowering and confusing. And the biggest challenge faced by reference librarians is to create a positive image. Librarians need to develop the ability to create a welcoming environment.

Although more and more librarians are getting familiar and comfortable with promotional activities and public relations, they often use marketing principles without realizing it. In the course of planning new services or evaluating existing service, many academic librarians assess their users and their needs, segment their intended users, and target services to certain populations. Marketing can assist libraries in determining their future and in identifying quality products, services, programs, and materials (Nims, 1999).

Relationship marketing, in particular, reflecting the mutual interests of libraries and the clients they serve, is being seen as a concept for libraries to embrace. Libraries after all, are built on relationships. Marketing is directly linked to the client's perceptions of the services the library offers and the library's interpretation of the client's needs. In developing and maintaining relationships, it is essential that all clients are identified and their needs understood. Market research is a useful tool for discovering and understanding client needs and identifying better ways to meet those needs. If changing process is involved, it is always easier to change one-self than it is to change others (Madhusudhan, 2008).

2. Market Segmentation

Marketing segmentation means grouping customers for best product delivery and resource allocation to better promote the service to specific groups, for instance media type, graduate, undergraduate, and faculty. They could be also segmented by online users or walk in users, or the time they spend inside the campus, or by database users and physical items checkout (Koontz, 2005). The purpose of marketing segmentation is to target the customer rather than the product or the service. The aim is to provide services that satisfy individual rather than a generalized service. Taking into account the various market segments and their needs, market segmentation involves research to determine the quality of the library service and its contribution to the mission and the objectives of the parent organization. Data are collected looking at users' awareness and attitude to the library service, customer satisfaction levels, and the major strengths and weaknesses of the library in terms of staff, resources, programs and facilities. Studying the organization and users helps create appropriate library services and programs as well as guide the planning of the right marketing strategy. This marks a departure from promoting of a solo existing service towards a package of services designed to meet the various target groups in the university such as academics, researchers, and undergraduate as well as postgraduate students (Kavulya, 2004).

3. Marketing Mix

Marketing mix is formulated by the 4p's. The first P is the creation of the Product which also could be a service for the market that is the target. Then there is Price, Place of distribution and finally promotional efforts. The development of an effective marketing strategy requires the specification of the marketing mix which incorporates the four Ps of marketing. The marketing mix is the guide for the development, implementation and evaluation of any specific service or product (Kavulya, 2004).

Product: The product is defined as aanything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a needa (Norman, 1989, p.46). aEvery product has a price and must be available some place and then promoteda (Kavulya, 2004, p.120). The main product provided by the information professionals is giving the user assistance and acting as an intermediary between the user and the resources of the library. Product could also mean the various services offered by the library and designed for specific user groups such as databases, information skills programs, SDI activities, whose quality depends on their usefulness to the users' information needs. The success of all marketing and planning efforts hinge directly upon the quality and excellence of the product or service designed (Norman, 1989).

The Product mix ais a set of all product lines and items that the organization makes available to its customers. A product line is all the various products within product mix that are closely related, with shared characteristics, offered to a specific segment of clients or through a specific channel. A product item is a unit within the product line. Product item for a university library may include those product lines and items offered through public or technical servicesa (Koontz, 2005, p.7).

Price: Price is simply awhat it costs to produce [the] product. Plus any user fees that are assesseda (Owens 2002, p.11). There are financial environment challenges in higher education but there is no relationship between cost and demand for services in academic libraries. The economics of the new technologies will make it difficult for many academic libraries 00004000 to offer services at no charge (Norman, 1989). Fee based services could be a good alternative to public funding, specially for struggling academic libraries with insufficient financial resources or libraries with poor funding that do not adequately fulfill their needs. Selling information services is a potential source of funding for academic libraries. Increasing cost of services justifies the user fees. Applying fee for providing services to the users is not only to support the library existence but also to widen the library borders and capabilities to provide new and better services. Library services are no different than any other public service that the public pay for every day. One of the advantages of putting fees on using library services is the insurance of the consistency of library services; the users sometime over-use free services just because they are free, putting fees limit the over-use of services and put value and quality to the service in the customers' eyes (Mahmood, Hameed & Haidar, 2005).

The concept of selling information services may not apply to the basic essential information services that academic libraries provide. But the more advanced and technological services are highly suggested to provide income for academic libraries, like photocopy services, Internet service, computer printouts, use of computers for word-processing, and microfilm prints. Photocopying and Internet service can be successfully offered as fee-based services. To implement fee-based service in academic libraries a good training of the library staff and a marketing and promotional plan must be established to raise the awareness for the academic community of the importance and the existence of the library and information services that are provided (Mahmood, Hameed & Haidar, 2005).

Place: The current development in ICT has proven that the place is a crucial factor for library services. To contain library services within the library walls is something from the past. The availability of the Internet and intranet make it possible to offer information services of any academic library in the world to any user on the Internet. The role of the database vendors is undeniable in that regard. Databases vendors are one good example of how the place of the service has become irrelevant as databases now can be accessed online in any part of the world (Nims, 1999).

Promotion: a[T]he role of promotion is to communicate with individual groups, or organizations to directly or indirectly facilitate exchanges by influencing one or more of the audience to accept an organization's productsa (Norman, 1989, p.48). Promotion is the most used aspect of marketing by librarians. Information professionals should not confuse the meaning of apromotinga with the word amarketinga. Promoting is simply employing creative ways to make library products and services visible to users. Typically, academic librarians have a service, such as class-related instruction, term paper clinics, or faculty workshops, which they have determined people need (Nims, 1999).

Another term for promotion is 'communication'. aPromotion is the communication and public relations aspects of the marketing mix that informs the public about the product's benefits and applicationsa (Owens 2002, p.15). Promotions is divided into five elements: advertising, publicity, personal contact, incentives, and atmospheric (environment). Product orientation has often hindered the effectiveness of library advertising. Most library advertising tells the world that the library is a wonderful place with wonderful products. And rarely do they ask awhy don't you use the library?a Communication problem is intensified because of the lower levels of personal involvement required by the message from the library. The role of communication is to bring about changes in what target audience know and understand about libraries; to bring about changes in their preferences for products vs competing products, to bring about changes in their behavior. The amazing thing is that the personal communication is the least expensive and most effective advertisement medium available. Libraries need to switch from product oriented approach to customer oriented approach (Tucci, 1988).

4. Evaluating the Marketing Effort

The objective of marketing evaluation is to make sure that the process of marketing is fulfilling its purpose, to change the marketing mix strategy as needed to improve the evaluation results. Most important, evaluation will help to plan how to increase customer satisfaction. The role of aevaluationa is to measure the marketing effect by evaluating the customer behavior and by measuring customer satisfaction (Koontz, 2004). The assessment of user satisfaction guarantees the library understanding of user needs and trend of using the services provided. Regular advertisement methods are not enough to grab the user's attention to the library. Give the costumer what he wants and watch him come to the library again willingly then continue evaluating clients' use of the services. (Tucci, 1988).

IMPORTANCE OF LIBRARY MARKETING

The success and survival of academic libraries is dependent on getting the users to use the library resources and services. A library without users is useless. And to succeed in that there is a need to let the users be aware of the existence of the library and its services. Making the library necessary for the potential user is the secret of a good and successful library marketing campaign. Marketing the library service is not about selling services only; it's about spreading the knowledge about the existence of the library and its resources using different tools. It's about keeping the clients in touch and informed about resources and services that match their interests. The success of academic library marketing lays mainly on convincing the clients that the tools or databases are worthwhile, they must understand what the services are, and be enthusiastic about how they will be helpful (Noel & Waugh, 2002).

Librarians need to market their services and resources for students and potential users to create awareness of the academic library's value. Major sectors of the potential market for the library's services are probably not aware of all the services available or have no understanding at all of what is offered. That's why marketing is vital to the success and existence of the academic library. The main focus of every library should be a good customer service. Good service can equal a good marketing campaign, which is another reason why marketing is important for libraries. Effective marketing provides the means by which users are made aware of the services of the library and their value. A large percentage of the academic library users are students who have misconception about the library and its role. This image has to be changed with marketing strategies (Mu, 2007).

TRAINING OF MARKETING

The Internet now provides a unique environment where information service can be brought to life, and new methods for spreading information can be explored. It is particularly important for academic libraries to take advantage of the Internet. And without library employees who have the basic knowledge to deal with and manage information tools the library misses great opportunities to both advertise and modify information services for users. To help the academic libraries create innovative marketing techniques the library needs to hire computer literate people. aComputer literate librarians can be very effective in applying their skills to the marketing process in librariesa (Noel & Waugh, 2002, p9).

Teaching marketing in LIS is crucial at this point to cope with the global developments. A marketing course should be essential in the LIS discipline. The better understanding of the marketing concepts will lead to better performance and professional library and information services (Kavulya, 2004). Alongside, LIS schools should always provide courses that teach ICT skills including computer programming as well as teaching how to build resource collections and organizing information (Noel & Waugh, 2002).

STRATEGIC MARKETING

The idea of marketing as a practice for businessmen only is outdated. Marketing is now conceived as the science of strategy. Strategy is athe direction and scope of an organization over the long-term, which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a changing environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectationsa (McNicol, 2005, p.498). The main objective of that strategy is client satisfaction; librarians in academic libraries should know it and apply it as part of a permanent activity in the management and planning processes. Strategic planning plays a key role by using SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and the identification of CSF (Critical Success Factors), and the generation of strategic projects, as well as other elements. Among other methods there is the creation of customer and supplier data banks, advertising, and staff which is very important element since the main good of a marketable information service is the people who work in it. Promotions and advertising are part of the success in service marketing, but not as important as measuring the customer satisfaction, and the ability to keep customers (Feria, 2000).

Strategic marketing approach should provide academic libraries with tools that can assist them in the task of designing, developing and delivering appropriate services. It can enable them to start with customers rather than seeing them as the finishing point in the information supply chain and shift from product and service orientation to customer and need orientation (Kavulya, 2004). This is the case of Questia, the world's largest Online Library, with a collection of over 35,000 digital books for undergraduate students. Marketing techniques and market research led Questia to a firm understanding of its target market which is the average undergraduate student. So Questia's online library accommodates itself to the lifestyles of students. It takes full advantage of its digital format to overcome many of the inconsistencies and barriers that students encounter in a traditional library (Gibbons, 2001).

What is impressive in Questia's marketing techniques is the diversity of tools and methods used. Students are receiving a torrent of colorful, slick flyers publicizing the magnificence of Questia's ainnovative, scholarly and indispensablea collection and promotional prizes, including a laptop computer and PDA, just for visiting Questia's Web site. Also Questia has emailed students' parents, requesting that they buy the subscription on behalf of their child understanding that students may not have or want to spend money subscripting to the service, plus using TV commercials in premier TV hours showing how the online library can help students to finish their research and assignments any time, even if the library doors are closed. One clever marketing technique used by Questia is the word of mouth. Questia is recruiting students to spread the word about the online library services and to push their product throughout the campuses and to collect marketing information related to the students and their needs. The experience of Questia library proves that the library needs to market its collection and services. The belief that the value of the library collection is enough to draw attention of the users is not true anymore. The need is not just to build a library and fill it with good collections and service and wait for the clients to visit. There are obstacles that need to be overcome such as working hours and closing times, physical barriers, geographical barriers and the rapid change in the information science (Gibbons, 2001).

In the past libraries always believed that their importance would continue to be acknowledged without any questioning. That has resulted in delaying the involvement of library and information service in institutional strategic planning. As a result to this, it is crucial for librarians to emphasize their contribution to institutional aims and outcomes. Libraries no longer occupy the secure position which they did in the past. In these circumstances, libraries need to demonstrate that they are an integral and essential service of any university and play a key role in helping the institution to achieve its goals and outcomes (McNicol, 2005).

CONCLUSION

The contemporary library is now generally named an information market and the library user is a consumer of information. Information is an essential resource for research and development of any nation. Marketing is vital in building the proper planning, designing and use of information services and products for the better and best possible use of information. The library should give priority to provide superb customer service enhancing its image as information provider in the information age. The library and information services should be user oriented in order to satisfy their information needs effectively. Marketing of library and information services includes user's priorities, expectations, individuality, responsiveness, relationship, quality of services, professional skills and competencies, value-added services, etc. The ultimate aim of marketing here is to provide the right information to the right user at the right time.

REFERENCES

Feria, L. (2000). ICT and marketing challenges in Latin American libraries. In: IFLA Coucil and General Conference. Jerusalem, Israel, 7p.

Gibbons, S. (2001). Growing competition for libraries. Library Hi Tech, 19(4), 363-367.

Kavulya, J. M. (2004). Marketing of library services: a case study of selected university libraries in Kenya. Library Management, 25(3), 118-126.

Koontz, C. (2004). How to assess your marketing effectiveness. Marketing Library Services, (May/June), 6-8.

Koontz, C. (2005). Marketing research and virtual customer: realities, posibilities, experiences. IFLA publications, 117, 251263.

Lefebure, M. (2002). The library as congenial space: the Saint Mary's experience. New Library World , 103 (1172/1173), 21-29.

Madhusudhan, M. (2008). Marketing of library and information services and products in university libraries: a case study of Goa University library. Library Philosophy and Practice, (March), 1-6.

Mahmood, K., Hameed, A. & Haider, S. J. (2005). Potential for fee-based library services in Pakistan. The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances, 18(4), 172-179.

McNicol, S. (2005). The challenges of strategic planning in academic libraries. New Library World, 106(1218/1219), 496-509.

Mu, C. (2007). Marketing academic library resources and information services to international students from Asia. Reference Service Review, 35(4), 571-583.

Nims, J. K. (1999). Marketing library instruction services: changes and trends. Reference Serrvices Review, 27(3), 249-253.

Noel, R. & Waugh, T. (2002). Marketing library and information services comparing experiences at large institutions. In: Putting Knowledge to Work. Presented at the Special Libraries Assosiation Conference, Los Angles, California , 10p.

Norman, O. G. (1989). Marketing library and information services: an annotate guide to recent trends and developments. Reference Services Review, 17(1), 43-64.

Owens, I. (2002). Marketing in library and information science: a selected review of related literature. The Acquisitions librarian, (28), 5-31.

Tucci, V. K. (1988). Information marketing for libraries. (M. E. Williams, Ed.) Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 23, 59-82.
00004000

Internet Marketing Strategy Forums

Before you are even ready to begin your new internet network marketing business the one aspect you need to consider is communication. The phone is a network marketer's best friend. What has made network marketing very attractive online is the fact that most companies today are involved with a global market.

This is great news because now you have the opportunity to prospect the entire planet. The cost to make long distance phone calls can be staggering and the chances of actually getting someone on the phone can be even more of a challenge.

The most popular form of communication that internet network marketers use is a service called Skype. It is a free service that you can use and the best part is if another person is using Skype you can call them via headset for free and in any part of the world. Talk as long as you like, because you will never pay one cent for the conversation. Skype also acts as an instant messenger service much like yahoo instant messenger.

You would be surprised how many people will add you to their Skype contact list. You can make group channels and your entire team can get involved with the conversation, very powerful if you want to show your potential prospect that they are going to get real team support.

To sign up for Skype simply go to Skype.com or do a Google search for Skype. Talking to someone is the most effective way to build your business. When you are using Skype as a form of communication never lead in with your business opportunity, start with introducing yourself.

A person wants to know how you are going to help them. You should start your conversation sharing your story, not your business. If you want internet network marketing success it starts with effective communication. Building relationships is the only way to create long lasting residual income. You can do everything else right and still end up not making much money unless you learn the art of communication.

Skype Tips: Add your Skype Id on all of your follow up emails. If you are doing any form of email marketing include your Skype Id. If you are leaving comments in forums include your Id in your signature file. This will give someone instant access to you. People do things impulsively especially buying. You want to strike when the fire is hot.

Just because you are doing business online does not mean you will get people to sign up to your business without you. 95% of your prospecting can be done online without you having to personally talk to anyone, but that 5% is the most important part of your business. You don't find leaders without talking and building relationships.

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION:
Marketing Message Boards?
I'm looking for a marketing message board, for like...brand management and strategy type of stuff. The only results I get are internet-marketing forums. Is there an online community of people talking about the general marketing field in real life?
- ANSWER:
  You might want to check offwalk.com out. They have a broad range of discussion going on in there.
  Good luck
QUESTION:
What are some internet forums that cater to millionaires looking to discuss investment strategies?
I want to discuss investment strategies on stocks, bonds, ETF's, options, money market funds, auction rate securities, etc with other people who have at least a few million dollars in assets.
- ANSWER:
  Warren Buffet says...
  
  "Wall Street is a place where people come in Rolls Royce s to take investment advice from people who take the tube, daily!!"
  
  Internet aint the place to meet millionaires!
  
  Except ofcourse, the kind from Nigeria (mostly; and I wonder why so!), that offer me, a couple of million dollars, every morning, for free!!!
QUESTION:
Best deal for How To Market Your Online Videos - Get Video Traffic To Your Site?
So far the best resource I have found is http://moveto.ws/c1pbs94zj

I have searched ;

marketing branding
marketing presentation
business consulting
videos
sales and marketing
marketing companies
product marketing
money making idea
email marketing
line dance instructional videos
sell promotional products
video sharing
clickbank ebook
make money
marketing proposal
internet businesses
marketing consultants
free online business
money making business opportunity
marketing
affiliate marketing ebook
work online
quick money
internet marketing plan
video streaming
making money programs
making money quick
money making ideas
business strategy
marketing advertising
business plans
marketing branding
niche marketing
affiliate program directory
marketing software
advertising campaign
making money internet
internal marketing
money
making money on the internet
how to make money on the internet
business planning
video capture
google adwords help
nonprofit marketing
opportunity making money
branding
business marketing
internet marketing secret
internet money
money making idea
marketing tools
step video
internet marketing blog
making money quick
music video
how to make money quick
brand equity
marketing survey
products to sell on the internet
pay per click software
mlm mailing lists
mobile marketing
small business marketing
relationship marketing
google advertising
marketing survey
niche marketing
fast money
marketing company
internet marketing techniques
making money software
affiliate program
video flash
affiliate cash vault
ways to make extra money
marketing service
how to make money
business strategy
how to make easy money
quick money
earn money online
upload video
free online business
jobs online
money making businesses
internet marketing techniques
make money at home
online marketing
make money online free
marketing consulting
marketing jobs
affiliate program directory
affiliate software
business planning
money making business
best products to sell
video podcasts
internet marketing plan
google advertising
clickbank ebook
marketing plan sample
ultimate wealth package
money making businesses
marketing tools
marketing mix
advertising campaign
mobile marketing
making money internet
affiliate cash vault
fast money
make money online
internet marketing
mlm mailing lists
affiliate program
affiliate marketing forum
online marketing
web marketing
easy money
how to make extra money
earn money at home
line dance instructional videos
marketing analysis
website marketing
marketing strategy
money online
marketing plan
internet
wizard web video
marketing and advertising
affiliate marketing
affiliate marketing ebook
clickbank ebook
extra income
clickbank
direct marketing
marketing video
online movies
marketing tips
design web site
business plans
marketing program
starting a business
money making idea
strategic marketing management
business plan
extra income
relationship marketing
strategic marketing
make money easy
how to make money
marketing tools
marketing communications
easy money
make money
marketing campaign
brand positioning
make money from home
money making ideas
mobile marketing
marketing consultants
internet marketing strategies
work from home
marketing strategy
make money at home
email marketing
best products to sell
adwords secret
marketing plans
video
marketing advertising
affiliate programs
how to make money on the internet
how to make extra money
internet money
private label videos
marketing services
internet marketing plan
earn money at home
marketing management
internet marketing strategy
online marketing
earn from home
making money online
business consulting
business plan
real estate marketing tools
marketing strategies
sales and marketing
watch movies online
advertising agency
make extra money
brand management
marketing presentation
marketing software
web marketing
marketing ideas
easy money making
videos
uploading video
internet marketing strategy
make money on the internet
marketing program
real estate
marketing plan
plr videos
making money
earn from home
making money
adwords secrets
marketing survey
ways to make money
affiliate programs
affiliate program
easy ways to make money
video capture
plr videos
internet marketing
making money software
adwords secrets
marketing service
branding
affiliate software
business plan
plr videos
marketing article
affiliate
earn money
jobs online
money making business
marketing proposal
web hosting
mlm advertising
marketing service
affiliate marketing
income opportunities
marketing management
make money quick
marketing video
online marketing strategy
make money on the internet
design web site
making money internet
how to make money
marketing company
make money with google adwords
videos
money making business opportunity
make money wit
- ANSWER:
  Besides Traffic Geyser, there is a free service called Tube Mogul. It works in much the same way. Additionally there is a software package I found called Tube Mastery (http://www.websitemarketingskills.com/recommends/TubeMastery) which works really well in terms of how to market on YouTube. The same basic information is true on the other sites, as well. Use your profile page to link to your site and use calls to action to get people to respond. I would just buy that program and familiarize yourself with it.
QUESTION:
Where can I read about business/marketing strategy for Facebook?
I've been doing some marketing work for a small company and have so far found very little response to our fb account.

I am personally convinced that it's a total waste of time because fb exposure is not very useful in terms of marketing impact.

Is there a place that I could read about useful fb strategies for various different types and sizes of businesses?

I've been asked to take another stab at this a year after the first attempt and I've got a feeling that it's just wasting time at this stage.

I did not ask for followers, but we have not one single follower after 1 year... we have lots of regular feedback via normal channels like EMail, web forums and enthusiast circles, but we don't really seem to be getting any interest in our fb. I think this is largely related to the fact that we just don't have anything significant to say on a regular basis, so it just ends up getting padded with BS crap.

I personally find fb to be one of the biggest scourges of the internet (I've been using it since before the www), so perhaps I am biased, but I cannot see any substantial information to lead me to think otherwise.

Where can I look?
- ANSWER:
QUESTION:
iTouch vs other devices?
I want to get a mobile computing platform/ internet device, but I don't want an iTouch, if at all possible, I want to avoid that. I dislike Apple, and their marketing/advertisement strategy really irks me, and it's infused me with this disdain for Apple.
I have looked at a few other internet devices/mobile computers, but I don't have any extensive feedback on any. I was considering the Nokia N800/810, but I had some questions. I at one point was considering the Archos 605 WiFi, but upon learning that the WiFi is no longer included (lolwut) it's shied me away from it. It has to be similar in dimensions to the iTouch, as I want to be able to use it during class (I have A's in all my classes, I don't slack, you presumptuous jerks. I've also never had an iTouch/internet device). It doesn't have to be able to do much, just get on forums, maybe YouTube, some music, etc.
Can we get a comparison of similarly-priced and shaped devices like the iTouch?

I've heard the Nokia N800/810 has really fast internet speeds, and has a formidable amount of RAM, but is kind of expensive. I've heard that the Archos 605 WiFi is great, but is expensive now due to the stupid plugin package.

I'm not partial to anything, just give me your experience

Thanks
- ANSWER:
QUESTION:
What has Obama done for America so far?
I mean, besides:

1.American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has created 2.1 million jobs (as of 12/31/09).

2.Ended previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions

3.Ended previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back

4.Ended previous policy on torture; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards

5.. Launched Recovery.gov to track spending from the Recovery Act, an unprecedented step to provide transparency and accountability through technology.

6.Ended previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices

7.Ended previous “stop-loss” policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date

8.Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources

9.Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient

10.Established a new cyber security office

11.Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children

12.Expanding vaccination programs

13.Families of fallen soldiers have expenses

14.. Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with more than .4 billion to improve services to America’s Veterans.

15.Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research

16.Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools

17.Responded with compassion and leadership to the earthquake in Haiti

18.Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters

19.. Launched Business.gov – enabling conversation and online collaboration between small business owners, government representatives and industry experts in discussion forums relevant to starting and managing a business. Great for the economy.

20.Improved housing for military personnel

21.Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals

22.Changed failing war strategy in Afghanistan.

23.Improving benefits for veterans

24.Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants…) after years of neglect

25.Donated his .4 million Nobel Prize to nonprofits.

26.Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program

27.Provided tax credits to first-time home buyers through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 to revitalize the U.S. housing market.

28.Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel

29.Increasing student loans

30.Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return “home” to visit loved ones

31.Cracked down on companies that deny sick pay, vacation and health insurance to workers by abusing the employee classification of independent contractor. Such companies also avoid paying Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes for those workers.

32.Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to 0,000

33.Limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House
Here's one for TheBaron:

34. Be the first president in the history of the United States to force Israel to abide by his orders.
- ANSWER:
  The last five+ responses are entirely fiction.
  Conservatives are deranged.
  
  Good list.
  A video summary is here (from months ago, though)
QUESTION:
Where to watch TNA wrestling when / if bravo is cancelled?
i just read this on another forum , its from the guardian online

Quote:
BSkyB is to close Bravo and general entertainment station Channel One, putting more than 50 jobs at risk, as part of the integration of Living TV Group.

BSkyB has decided to focus on the Living TV channel portfolio, which will see a 25% boost to its programming budget, and the gameshow and quiz channel Challenge.

Living TV Group, which is home to shows including Grey's Anatomy, Britain's Next Top Model and Sons of Anarchy, currently employs 110 staff. There will be just 58 roles after integration, but it is understood that there are a significant number of positions potentially available in other parts of the BSkyB operation.

BSkyB is understood to have decided to jettison Bravo, which launched as a cable channel in 1985, because it reaches a similar demographic to Sky1 but is not believed to have the same brand equity or reach.

BSkyB is backing Living TV because, outside of sport, it is second only to Sky1 in popularity among its basic pay-TV channels. BSkyB has failed to target the female market as successfully as Living TV, which has a two-year deal with Katie Price. Sky closed its own attempt to target a female audience, Sky Real Lives, earlier this year.

It was decided that Channel One, which was rebranded from Virgin 1 in August following BSkyB's acquisition of Living TV Group for £160m in July, was too similar to Sky3, which it sits alongside as a free-to-air channel on Freeview.

BSkyB intends to "redeploy" the channels' programming, with pay-TV shows moving to other Sky channels and free-to-air fare mostly moving to Sky3.

Challenge will move free-to-air in Channel One's slot, which will effectively double its audience reach, as BSkyB looks to grow its presence in quizzes and gameshows. There are longer-term possibilities of tie-ups with Sky Bet.

Staff have been informed of the integration plans this afternoon with all staff, including the Living TV Group managing director, Jonathan Webb, under review.

The review has been carried out by Sophie Turner Laing, the managing director of entertainment, news and broadcast operations at BSkyB.

"Content is at the heart of Sky's strategy," she said. "Living is already one of the best pay-TV channels around and is obviously a great fit with our existing channels like Sky1. There is so much potential for further development and we intend to increase on-screen investment in Living by around a quarter as part of our expanded channel portfolio. This is a big part of our plans to bring customers great content from channel brands that really cut through."

BSkyB moved quickly to announce the integration of Living TV Group after being given final clearance by the Office of Fair Trading only yesterday.

I was wondering what sky package you need to get the channels mentioned (extreme sports?) and where you think it would be, also for any internet showings / streams etc that you watch it on.

thanks! xxx

(im gonna actually cry if it happens and i cant watch it!)
- ANSWER:
  If TNA get a hold of this article, then I would assume that TNA are currently trying to get another channel to air iMPACT! and since the Extreme Sports Channel has their PPVs, the only logical solution is put iMPACT! on that channel as well
  
  If not, internet is our best option

HELLO…

Hey there!
This is Graham Kris. Thanks for visiting us and welcome to our website.
It’s not a secret that the field of internet marketing is a tricky business in which the huge portions of beginners fail. It’s the area in which table serving waiters and delivery boys can begin to make huge amounts of money without any special certification or education in just a few years time.

In internet marketing, the ultimate goal of having a website is to earn money with a functional website that can solve a visitor’s need. It can generate a good flow of cash and wealth for its owner. Any Internet marketer will strive for making lots of money and consistently improving upon the method that you generate the money. At the end, you would want to achieve an online business that can be run on autopilot without having to spend your entire time looking over it.

If you are one of those online business owners who has yet to maximize your return on investment, our internet marketing strategies and tips can show you how to implement various advanced marketing tips and secrets to help you achieve online success.

On the other hand, even if you are new and just starting out on Internet marketing or never made a sale online before, you can find critical beginner internet marketing tips and essential skills that most people do not have when they started out.
Recent Posts
Pages
- About Us
- Privacy Policy
Blogroll
Meta

Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 4th Edition Download

Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 4th Edition Dave Chaffey

Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 4th Edition

Internet Marketing Strategy Implementation And Practice 3rd Edition

Internet Marketing Strategy Forums

Frequently Asked Questions

HELLO…

Recent Posts

Pages

Blogroll

Meta