اصفهانیان - Esfehanian

UAE 2011

2011-12-23T16:53:00.000Z

Argus Asian Bitumen 2011- Singapore

2011-11-18T13:44:00.000Z

China 2011

2011-11-18T13:42:00.001Z

Bangkok 2011 - Oct

2011-11-18T13:41:00.000Z

MEB 2011 - Dubai

2011-05-07T13:25:00.003+01:00

My lecture at the second middle east bitumen - Dubai was on the first day of the conference and the topic was about the "compatibility of Price and Production in Iranian Bitumen Market".

This conference was my second experience at the bitumen Market and the first one was in China couple of month ago. However this lecture was more technical and it was not only a business marketing presentation and i reviewed some facts of Iranian bitumen Market during the past three years. I have got loads of valuable feed backs from the people at the MEB2011 and I have learned many good concepts as well in terms of marketing and etc. Hope it could brings loads of high potentials customers for my company.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T08:51:00.002Z

Asphalt Merchant and I

2010-12-15T13:49:00.001Z

Bandar Abbas - IRAN

Asphalt Merchant

one day in Shanghai

2010-10-29T12:22:00.000+01:00

China- Shangahi

2010-10-29T12:02:00.001+01:00

Back to presentation life

The 5th China Asphalt Summit

Shanghai - China

Happy New Year

2009-12-30T14:24:00.000Z

merry Xmas

2009-12-25T12:22:00.000Z

Marketing Principles and Concepts-Northern Rail Market

2009-07-30T11:16:00.000+01:00

These days the amount of journeys, specifically work journeys, between industrial cities and suburbs have risen in England. According to recent statistics of transport which was published by department for transport (2007) the number of passenger journeys which travelled by National Rail Network has approached to 1,164m. These statistics shows how important this market is.

In this essay there is a focus on the market of Northern Rails Co. which operates at northwest of England with approximately 15m passenger (Northern Rails, 2007), and it challenges its market activities. The essay analyses the company’s market approach using marketing concepts and models to challenge the market.

In the western countries, and specifically in Europe, living is based on service economics (Palmer, A. 2005) and also the quality of the services has a valuable position. Additionally, companies who work in the service sector evaluate the service quality from time to time. For this evaluation, many questions have been designed by companies to find their functional quality, which is related to their service offering to their costumers and technical quality which is about the supports of the companies after sailing the services to their consumers (Cavana, 2003).

In this essay as mentioned before, the writer would like to challenge the service quality of Northern Rail Co which is one of the biggest transport companies in UK, during the year 2006/07 they serviced approximately 76.3 million passenger journey (ATOC, 2007). In 2004 a joint venture company between Serco Group Plc (an English company) and Nedrailways (a Holland company) won the franchise contract for eight and three quarter years (Northern Rail, 2007).

The corporate strategy of this company is base on a good quality services, in other words they would like to deliver a high quality service, punctual and friendly environment inside their train and also at stations (Northern Rail, 2007). However, according to research, the customers were not completely satisfied (BBC, 2007). This affects customers because dissatisfaction, encourage people to think of using their own car and this effect would increase air pollution, petrol consumption and many other factors.

On the one hand, there are many comments from daily train users about unpunctuality of trains, and on the other hand, the statistic shows high improvement from 88% to 89.3% which is the highest during latest 7 years (ORR, 2007). Punctuality in this sector of service is a the main aspects (Northern Rail, 2007) because it could easily affect the customers, links to 4ps (Jobber, D., 2007) and also overhead cost but sometimes the companies would like to neglect these weaknesses, this perspective comes from the monopoly power in many fields and specifically in the service segment which we are looking at. This affects the customer because daily users which use the public transport to go to their work, they approach late and this affect their work reputation, and if we want to see this aspect wider, for companies starting late means losing money which is not acceptable.

In the next section we look at the Northern Rail Company by using SWOT analysis, which is base on the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (Weihrich, 1982).

Strength:

Northern Rail Co. is covering a large area with about 519 stations (20% of all UK stations) (Northern Rail, 2007) in other words more people can use Public transport system. Moreover, many daily passengers prefer to travel by train because of traffic in rush hours (at morning and after working hours). Travel by train could save more time and people instead of staying in traffic prefer to use their time better during their regular daily journeys. There are many facilities in trains for passengers for example daily free newspaper in Northern Rail Train encourage people to read daily news and see millions of advertisements. Moreover it is possible for managers to work on their projects during their journeys (using their own laptops). To put it more simply passenger can be relax “when you can speed past traffic at 125mph” (Virgin, 2007). Some researches claim using the Public transport to work can affect employees at their work by reducing the stress (MacLennan, 2003). Convenient passengers in train means happy employees at work, and according to the research the productivity would significantly increased.

The variety of discounts with different Rail cards for example Student Rail card, senior rail card, monthly rail card, family Rail card- links to Porter’s generic strategies (differentiation)( Jobber, 2007) to encourage customers to use Northern Rail services (Northern Rail 2007). Additionally, for customer satisfaction, which is an important aspect to reach companies’ goal (Darlymple, 1995), they offer new kinds of ticket and services. This links to Ansoff’s growth matrix (Market penetration and expansion) (Backer, 1996), for instance, the “Day Ranger Ticket” is the latest type of ticket which gives freedom to passenger to travel with this company in a day to visit near 1001 places in north of England and just hop up and off (Northern Rail, 2007). This affects the customer positively because they could travel cheaper by using the offers

Weakness:

Price is always a weakness in customers’ view; satisfying customer expectation is the hardest part of service companies because you should always provide the same thing what they expect (Darlymple, D. 1995). In this circumstances the price of this company comparing with other public transports is higher, however competitor of this company, Virgin Train has same price with Northern Rail. An example for this is the price of ticket between Manchester and Preston (Dual ticket); it is £11.10(Virgin Train, Northern Rail Co, 2007). Comparing this concept with Porter’s Five Forces Model (Jobber, D., 2007), automatically we should neglect the threat of competitors in this field and show the monopolisation of these two companies. However, after the privatization in 1980s, the government decided to increase the competition to protect service users from exploitation (Palmer, 2005), but in this case it would be unintelligible, two competitors with same service and price. This affects the customer because there is no better choice for them; in short there is no competitive market for the customers.

Above all the quality of the service is very important. Groonroos (2007, P73) claims “the quality of the particular product or service is what ever the customer perceives it to be”. We could split the quality to four main aspects in this case: Fast, convenient, frequent and last point is cheap. To look at this another way, it means by comparing with other public transport how reliable it is. These aspects should measure and compare with other transport segment.

There are many instruments to measure the customers’ perceive, one of these instruments is SERVQUAL and it is based on five aspects:

1. Tangibles: material, facilities, equipment and also the employees could influence the service quality. In this part the company’s facility is not match with world wide standard or comparing with other European countries. The age of trains is between 7 and 24(Northern Rail, 2007) more than this the maintenance is not sufficient. This affects the customer because convenient service is not provided by company.

2. Reliability: a service with out any mistakes. It is very hard to judge in this section because number of cancellation which we will read them in other parts shows about their reliability. however according to chart one the company claims their reliability is more than 99% (their bench mark)

3. Responsiveness: Respond to customers’ request. In the area according to British culture, their employees are very helpful and kind. And there are many facilities for disable people and the station the staffs help elder people too. Irresponsibly might affect the customers.

4. Assurance: give confidence to the customer about the service.

5. Empathy: understand the customer problems. These to last section is related to the employees and because of this, they can proud on their human resource to show the respect of company to their customers.

These are main aspects in SERVQUAL to measure the customer perceive of the quality (Groonroos, 2007). But in our case as mentioned before, there are many faults about each item, for example about equipment many passengers should stand during their journey at rush hours because the company does not provide more trains (Morning and evening). However, the market, links to the Boston Box is at Cash cow section (Vriesjr, 1999), they provide same service every day with out any improvement or modification and the customers use them without any objection.

Another weakness in this firm is about their human resource; nowadays unions all around the world have significant power to control the firm, as we can see recent strikes in Germany or France (BBC, 2007). This company has 4500 employees (Northern Rail, 2007) which easily could impact on the daily services if they decide to achieve their requests, to put it simply and links to Porter’s Five Forces model (Jobber, 2007) and SWOT model (Cannon, 1996) they are very staff dependent. Also this affect the customers because, daily service would be suffered by the employees if they take strikes.

Opportunities:

There are many opportunities in this market to enhance the quality of the services to attract more people to use the public transport, but it needs more investment. In this company they invested £18m to offer better quality so far (Northern Rail, 2007). Moreover, the government invested £4,456m in Rail segment between 2005and 2006 (Department of Transport, 2007). Using new technologies links to PEST analysis (Palmer, 2005) make new chances to improve the quality by buying new wagons and train their human resources.

These days the environment is being concerned by governments, for this matter they invest more in green transport for example by using more improved fuel such as bio fuel (Daily Telegraph, 2007). Northern Rail has 280 diesel and electric train (2007) and by using the government found, they could modify their fuel type to reduce the amount of CO2, this also links to PEST analysis about the environment factor(Palmer, 2005).

There is another issue to encourage more people to use this company, they could offer cheaper price rather than their competitors but these two companies have same benefit and opportunity in the market and they have shared the market (neglect the substitutes at Porter’s Model).

Threat:

In Four week period ending 13 October 2007 around 350 cancellations occurred due to accident and engineering problem (Northern Rail, 2007). Cancellation has two sides, one side in related to customers’ perceive and other side is about financial loss. However they decide to use alternatives, for instance using coaches in some lines but they would automatically lose their customers during the time (customer dissatisfaction).

Unions as mentioned before might be an internal and silent threat for the company, if the company does not concern about human resource requests, they might take strike which could affect the company and circumstances after the strike affects This affects the customer because the customers.

Another possibility in this section according to GE matrix (Jobber, 2007) is their competitor, if the solo competitor, Virgin Train decides to reduce the price, they would loss many customers. Because the virgin facilities are better than this company and if they reduce the price the customer would use their services.

Terrorist alert is a new issue in UK, the government has decided to control luggage at stations (BBC, 2007) which could influence on train punctuality and also the service quality, this aspects could link to PEST analysis , the politic issues(Palmer, 2005).

Taxes link to PEST analysis (Palmer, 2005) is a threat, if the government decide to increase taxes, the ticket price would be increase. However, this could affect all services, but if the train ticket influenced more by tax, the customers prefer to use cheaper price and might chose another public transport or using their own cars.

There are many perspectives in SWOT analysis (Cannon, 1996) which is related to PEST analysis(Palmer, 2005), moreover there are many concepts in SWOT analysis(Cannon, 1996) which still exist and we just addressed them in this essay and the present writer recommends to expand the SWOT analysis (Cannon, 1996)for this company.

PEST Analysis:

Till now we have covered some PEST aspect (Jobber, 2007) in the SWOT model (Cannon, 1996) and we have more perspectives about the PEST model.

Political:

As stated before, after several terrorist attack in UK, security control is concerned by the government (BBC, 2007) and more security controlling might cause some delays, cancellation for trains and due to those factors they probably loss some customers and some financial effect. And the effects mentioned before.

Economic:

There are many economic factors which could influence the company. The most recent factor is oil price enhancement and also the diesel price (BBC, 2007). This company has 280 train and most of them work with diesel (Northern Rail, 2007).this is a major effect from economic factor and direct effect on ticket price.

Additionally inflation level is a strong aspect, however the inflation rate in UK is about %2.1 (Bank Of England, 2007) but it might impact the company’s Revenue.

Social:

Consumers’ attitude and their opinions very important concepts in a service organisation, satisfied customers have more positive opinion about company, and the company does not need to seek for new customers. To put it more simply, in the relationship between customers and company, we have “customer loyalty ladder” which divided to five sections (from bottom to top): Prospect- customer - Client- Supporter- Advocate. According to this ladder loyalty of customers increase from bottom to top, this loyalty links to social part of PEST analysis (Palmer, 2005).

Technological:

Changing the train fuel system, from electricity or diesel to bio fuel is a new technology which Virgin Train has started to use for CO2 reduction in environment (Railway Technology, 2007) which the Northern Rail should use someday. It is not a direct effect for the customers but it could help the environment to be safe and healthy.

To conclude all these aspects which we have seen, acceptable services are provided by this company but not with high quality, and also due to the partnership with Virgin Company, they never threat from each other and this might be kind of monopolisation in the market, and without any competition they would exist at cash cow sector with no improvement. But a good strategy for this company should be providing better facilities to enhance the quality of their services, which shows their respect to the customers, and also help to improve the perspectives of the public transport for people.

Bibliography

Books:

· Baker, M.J. (1996) Marketing an introductory Text. London: Macmillan Business.

· Blythe, J. (2005) Essential of Marketing, 3^rd Ed. Essex: Pearson Education.

· Cannon, T. (1996) Basic Marketing, 4th Ed. London: Cassel Publisher ltd.

· Darlymple, D.J., Parsons, L.J. (1995) Basic Marketing Management. West Sussex: John Wiley & sons.

· Gabbott, M., Hogg, G. (1998) Consumers and Services. West Sussex: John Wiley & sons.

· Gronroos, C. (2007) Service Management and Marketing, 3^rd Ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & sons.

· Jobber, D. (2007) Principles and Practice of Marketing, 5th Ed. London: The McGraw-Hill.

· Palmer, A. (2005) Principles of service marketing, 4^th Ed. Berkshire: The McGraw-Hill.

· Ksper, M., Helsdinger, P. (1999) Service Marketing Management, West Sussex: John Wiley & sons.

Journals:

· Cavana R.Y., Corbett, L.M. (2003) “Developing zones of tolerance for managing passenger rail service quality”, Emerald insight. Available at:www.emeraldinsight.com/0265-671X.htm (Accessed: 14 Nov.2007)

· Daily Telegraph (2007) “Green Transport” Department of Transport.

· McLennan, P., Bennetts, M. (2003) “the journey to work: a descriptive UK case study”, Emerald insight. . Available at:www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-2772.htm (Accessed: 14 Nov.2007)

· Weihrich, H. (1982) “The TOWS matrix: a tool for situational analysis”, Journal of Long Range Planning, Vol. 15 No. 2.

Websites:

· Association of Train Operating Companies (2007), Available at: www.atoc-comms.org (Accessed: 16 Nov.2007)

· Bank of England (2007) available at: www.bankofengland.co.uk/ (19 Nov. 2007)

· BBC (2007) available at: www.BBC.co.uk (Accessed: 16 Nov.2007)

· Department for the transport (2007) available at: www.dft.gov.uk/(Accessed 16 Nov. 2007)

· Nedrailways Co. (2007) available at: www.nedrailways.com/ (Accessed 16 Nov. 2007)

· Northern Rail co. (2007) available at: www.northernrail.org/(Accessed 16 Nov. 2007)

· Office of Rail Regulation (2007) available at: www.rail-reg.gov.uk/ (Accessed 16 Nov. 2007)

· Railway Technology Plc. (2007) www.railway-technology.com (Accessed 19 Nov. 2007)

· Serco Plc. (2007) available at: www.serco.com (Accessed 16 Nov. 2007)

Health & Safety

2009-07-20T18:25:00.001+01:00

Health and safety - U.A.E

FOOD

2009-02-26T19:04:00.003Z

Believe me or not but if you try Iranian food once,you will never ever forget the taste.This is a documentary about Iranian food and street food,Oh my God ,I miss all the Iranian food specially street food .Hope you enjoy Iranian food with this video.Special thanks to Press TV.

2009-02-13T23:31:00.000Z

Different culture, different negotiation style

2009-02-05T11:54:00.002Z

As a manger you can learn the negotiation skills, however, sometimes you should consider some culture aspects in your negotiation. First step and i believe the best step and the most significant one is your knowledge about company or person who you want to negotiate. Moreover, you should know something about the culture of that person or the company. In different societies you would confront with some troubles. If you have not prepared yourself about the cultural issues you might lose the business.

But the question is how you could be the successful person in the negotiation. I would like to combine some academic advises and practical one. Having said that you should know everything about yourself and your company, this means you should prepare yourself. Never ever go to a meeting without knowledge. Try to anticipate the meeting, questions and answers, make a proper strategy for your meeting. Inspire people at first sight; you could do this by your clothes, by your manner, by your sentences or even by your business card. It depends on your characteristics. Never go to a meeting with casual clothes

(Jeans or T-shirt), your clothes show your reputation and your character; we do recommend to wear smart clothes. In an interview or a business meeting you should sale, sign a contract, get a job, buy something or etc, and you don’t like to be the loser, if so, act as a professional manager with inspiring manner. Good luck

Impressions of Tehran

2009-01-25T11:39:00.001Z

2009

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000Z

سال نو مبارک

Happy new Year

عيد رأس السنة

新年快乐

नया साल मुबारक हो

新年あけましておめでとうございます

Вітаю з Новим роком

Feliz Año Nuevo

Честита Нова Година

Feliç Any Nou

Manigong Bagong Taon

Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος

Selamat Tahun Baru

해피 뉴 이어!

No War

2008-12-31T17:59:00.000Z

I am a PC

2008-12-29T15:06:00.000Z

"I am a PC" is a new,unique Microsoft advertisement which enable all users to record their video or photos and upload them on the Microsoft website.This $300 million advertise is also displayed live on the Microsoft website and even on the massive TV/billboards all around the world.Without a doubt their motto "Life with out walls" is a significant concept in this campaign which use all potential they have. In fact they use their users to help them to be unique. Their marketing strategy by using millions of users is really fascinating. Microsoft is one of the the most beloved and consistently popular brands all around the world,and they know very well people like to be in the thick of action and this works.Enable users to show themselves by uploading and just say "I am a PC "and what ever they like.

In terms of Marketing for such a stunning brand like Microsoft ,advertise should impact other people who use other products because everyone knows what is it about and how good that product is. It is just matter of competitive advantages and the popularity. In this case Microsoft use their users to influence others to join Microsoft family and use it. As a marketing manager when you want to design an advertisement you should think about everything, and meaningless concept is as important as the important one.See everyone,from age 0-120,male and female, unemployment and pilot,child and matured,everyone could be a potential customer for your products. Think again before any decision about your advertisement.believe me or not but it works.

2008-12-26T15:44:00.001Z

Happy Yalda Night

2008-12-20T16:24:00.000Z

The 2o Of December is the last night of autumn and the beginning of winter and the longest night of the Iranian calender year.We celebrate this lovely night with all the family members and usually go to the oldest person's home in the family such as grand father or mother to celebrate the Yalda.

Iranian eat some traditional symbolic dried or fresh fruit,such as watermelons , pomegranates, apples, grapes and all are symbols of love,warmth,kindness,happiness freshness. Pomegranate is the special fruit of this night which means the cycle of life- the rebirth and revival of generations.Yalda in Farsi (Persian) means "Birth".

Happy Yalda Night

Ref.:Payvand News

Professor awarded for contribution to entrepreneur institute

2008-12-13T19:57:00.000Z

During MBA course, I believe, we had the best tutors and it is a good opportunity to have experienced tutors to learn many things from their knowledge and experience. We had a module called "Business Venture" with Professor Bob Ritchie who has received an award in recognition of his contribution to the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE).I would like to add my congratulations to Professor Bob Ritchie. This is the news from the UCLAN news website.

At the 31st ISBE annual conference in Belfast Professor Ritchie, as senior Vice-President of ISBE responsible for Conferences, was presented with a Waterford Crystal vase by HRH Prince Michael of Kent. He was presented with the award at a special luncheon during the three day conference to acknowledge his work for ISBE and the success of the previous four conferences held in the UK.

Commenting on his award and the conference Professor Ritchie said: “I am honoured to receive special recognition for my involvement, I truly believe in what the conference is trying to achieve in promoting, disseminating and debating small business development and entrepreneurship.”

Institute for Innovation, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) was responsible for presenting five academic papers through the work of members of the Lancashire Business School Institute for Innovation, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (i2e2).

UCLan team members also facilitated a plenary session on academic and practitioner engagement and chaired several specialist track sessions.

Professor Ritchie added: “Sponsoring the innovation track at the conference has helped UCLan gain more exposure and recognition for our activities in knowledge transfer, incubation, entrepreneurship and small business support.”

More than 900 delegates attended the conference and were officially welcomed by the Northern Ireland Assembly. Next year’s annual ISBE conference will be held in Liverpool 3rd - 6th November 2009.

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/lbs/professor_awarded_for_contribution.php

Professor Bob Ritchie and Dr. Wing and I during my presentation

more information click here

Salary negotiation

2008-12-04T21:42:00.000Z

Salary is an important aspect of a job interview which you should know how to deal with it. Every thing in this world is negotiable and salary is one of them. Most of employers before any interview want to know your expectation in terms of remuneration. When you want to go for an interview, think you are a business man and you are looking forward to selling something. Your good is yourself,your knowledge and your experience, yes that sounds weird but you are going to sell yourself to that company to be able to work. First of all before any negotiation find some information about that company. I know internet knowledge doesn't work always,however you have something in your pocket about the company. If you are a fresh graduate without any experience,never ever talk about the salary, if you want to ask some amount of money, your behaviour shows you are committed to the money rather than company. Anyway try to negotiate with your employer. Never sell your self cheap and never expensive. Try to sell your product for its price. You get what you desire.

This is a story about a salary increase negotiation,hope you enjoy .

HOW TO ASK YOUR BOSS FOR A SALARY INCREASE..?

One day an employee sends a letter to his boss asking for an increase in his salary!!!

Dear Bo$$

In thi$ life, we all need $ome thing mo$t de$perately. I think you $hould be under$tanding of the need$ of u$ worker$ who have given $o much$upport including $weat and $ervice to your company.

I am $ure you will gue$$ what I mean and re$pond $oon.

Your$ $incerely,

Norman $oh

The next day, the employee received this letter of reply:

Dear NOrman,

I kNOw you have been working very hard. NOwadays, NOthing much has changed. You must have NOticed that our company is NOt doing NOticeably well as yet.

NOw the newspaper are saying the world`s leading ecoNOmists are NOt sure if the United States may go into aNOther recession. After the NOvemberpresidential elections things may turn bad.

I have NOthing more to add NOw. You kNOw what I mean.

Yours truly,

Manager

My graduation ceremony and PhD plan

2008-12-03T01:35:00.001Z

UCLAN Chancellor and I

During my graduation ceremony some one asked about my plan for PhD, I was thinking, OMG it is a good idea to continue my education specifically in this era, recession, credit crunch, etc because it is really tough to find a good job. I have read a story which was about a PhD student but before the story I should say: ye you got the main point of this post, I graduated on 2nd of December and as you can see during a brilliant and well organised ceremony I have got my certificate. In this time I should thanks my family and all my tutors and specifically Dr. Dorota Marsh, MBA course leader, Thanks very much indeed for all your support.َAlso I should thanks Mr. Owen Leeds ,my supervisor and all people who helped me somehow during my course.

Now the story :

Before joining PhD:

* I want to win the Nobel Prize.

* I want to win the Turing Award.

First year of PhD:

* I want to finish PhD in two years.

* I want to publish papers only in top tier conferences.

* I want to make ground-breaking research.

* I want to win the best PhD Thesis award.

Second year of PhD:

* I want to finish PhD in 5 years.

* I want a problem.

* Shall I change my advisor?

Third year of PhD:

* I want a paper; I don't care which conference.

* Shall I change my topic?

* I want to be known as Dr ……….

Fourth year of PhD:

* I want to finish PhD!

* My industry-friends have two children by now. When will I get married?

Fifth year of PhD:

* Why did I come here?

* Why did I choose this advisor?

* Why did I choose this topic?

Sixth year of PhD:

* Someone give me a degree!

* I want to leave this place — forever.

* Let me leave.

Seventh year of PhD:

* People call me uncle.

* She waited and finally married someone else..

* I don't want any degree. I just want to live peacefully

This is a good answer to my friend who asked me about my PhD plan. I just want to live peacefully.

Invest in yourself

2008-11-20T23:56:00.000Z

I usually do not like to read the first pages of any books,such as acknowledgement or letters which forwarded by famous people about the book or about the writer. Today,finally i have found it very useful to read. These days I am reading about Economy(Mac, Mic) to improve my knowledge.Anyway in a book I have read a short article forwarded by Sir John Egan(BAA plc chief executive).In the very last paragraph he said: " The most vital contributor to continues improvement is the manager.All managers have to ensure that their own education and training is sufficient for he business challenges of both today and tomorrow.Relying slowly on learning by experience on the job will leave too much to chance. The successful manager of the future will accept responsibility for his or her own development and the development of their staff".

It is right,continues professional development is as important as adopting new and high technology or automatic machinery. As a manager or as an employee never afraid to invest in yourself,if you can afford it. Sometime employers do not like to invest in people because of some risks ,having said that you can do it by your own. No one helps you to get a better position and job within your company, help your self,get a day off work and do a course.Without a doubt the winner is you.

FaceBook, To be or not To be

2008-11-11T19:08:00.000Z

One of the recent management technique is adopting knowledge management system ,but what does this mean?Knowledge Management Systems are information systems designed to facilitate codifying, collecting, integrating, and disseminating organizational knowledge.KM has many tools such as Document Management/Content management Systems,Collaborative Tools,Corporate portals,Intranets and extranets,Expertise databases and Corporate yellow pages,Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems,E-learning.

Now the question is: Can social networks such as Orkut,facebook and others,work as a KM tool? In fact the popularity of these types of networks and spending unreasonable amount of time during working time on facebook is concerned by bosses.Some of managers think using this technology for non-work related activity might cause some problems in terms of staff efficiency, however, some other people think using these types of platforms could help companies to solve problems,doing some business, to put it simple, use this technology as a KM tool.

In my opinion using the facebook or other social networks at work is fine,however, companies should change their culture and try to change their employees' behaviour,specifically the younger employees who have grown up with these technologies.I have found an article on BBC website which is "Bosses 'should embrace Facebook".If you like to know what people think about the social networks ,click here

The largest Fountain in the world

2008-10-30T12:01:00.000Z

This is not just a Model of ideal city in future. This is Dubai ,the destination of many businessman who wants to expand their market. Everyone knows investment in Dubai market would make a huge fortune for their company.Everyday or better to say each morning you can feel changes,new buildings, new motorways and many new things. And this picture shows the largest fountains in the world. This fountain will be capable of shooting water over 150 metres into the air - the height of a 50-storey building - and stretch over 275 metres - the length of two football fields.The $218 million project will be 25 percent larger than the iconic fountains at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas and will shoot 22,000 gallons of water in the air at any given moment and feature over 6,600 lights and 50 colour projectors. Who knows what is the next huge phenomenon in Dubai......no one!!!

Working days

2008-10-12T13:10:00.000+01:00

It is true,people are different during weekdays specially at work. Sometime it is really hard to manage people at work and HR departments has a tough job to motivate the employees on Mondays after the weekends. People are still in their imaginations or in bed. Indeed work efficiency is a bit low on Mondays, and you can see the efficiency improvement during the week. There are some ways to motivate the employees to work more efficient to get the best out put even on Mondays. Companies or employers should make a nice and friendly environment for the staff to attract them, it is hard to change people's mood but you can motivate them and help them to be happy at work. It is a mutual relation, make your employees happy and you will get the best out put. I can not prescribe a model for all the companies, this is your job to find the best solution for your organisation. If you have a lovely smile on your face as an employer, be sure everyone would be happy in your company if not.....................you should think again.

Entrance visa for IRAN

2008-09-26T21:26:00.000+01:00

If you like to visit my country, IRAN, now you can apply online (Click here)and you do not need to go to the Iran embassy for paper works. You just need to fill the online form and get your visa in IKIA airport in Tehran. This website and facility is designed by the Iranian government to attract more tourists and investors. I will write some posts about IRAN to demonstrate how wonderful my country is. If you like architecture,history and etc i do recommend my country,however, most of the famous medias all around the world show IRAN as an undeveloped country, origin of terrorist and etc. if you like to know more about IRAN, check this website later.

Only great minds can read this

2008-09-17T17:07:00.000+01:00

This is weird, but interesting!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Ref: Unknown

Lesson 5

2008-09-07T17:37:00.000+01:00

Last episode (lesson 4) was about "How does the EU work" and this time we consider the EU works. This time the lesson is "What does the EU do".
We know a wide range of policy areas is covered by the EU. For instance economic, social, regulatory and financial, and all the members use this opportunity for their country. These include:
"solidarity policies (also known as cohesion policies) in regional, agricultural and social affairs;innovation policies, which bring state-of-the-art technologies to fields such as environmental protection, research and development (R & D) and energy.
The Union funds these policies through an annual budget of more than €120 billion, which is largely paid for by the member states. It represents a small proportion of the EU’s collective wealth (a maximum of 1.24 % of the combined gross national income of all member states)"(Eu,2008).
To be continue
Ref.:Fontaine, P. (2006) Europe in 12 Lesson, Brussels: European commission

Iranian Parking Trick

2008-09-03T00:42:00.000+01:00

An Iranian walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. He says he's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.

The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the loan, so the Iranian hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce. The car is parked on the street in front of the bank, he has the title and everything checks out. The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the Iranian for using a $250, 000 Rolls as collateral against a $5, 000 loan. An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the Iranian returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, 'Sir, we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire; why would you bother to borrow $5, 000?'

The Iranian replies. 'Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?'!!

Only an Iranian could think of something like that! Iranian pride worldwide!

Don't think to try it if you are not iranian, many thanks to S.Saeed S.M.

The Education Race

2008-08-27T23:59:00.000+01:00

Today, Iranian students, engineers and doctors have a good reputation all around the world particularly in USA and Canad. Many Western tech companies have also started snatching them up. Anyway in Newsweek i found an article which is brilliant,Forget Harvard—one of the world's best undergraduate colleges is in Iran,Published Aug 9, 2008 . This is the article, read and enjoy it.

In 2003, administrators at 's Electrical Engineering Department were startled when a group of foreign students aced the notoriously difficult Ph.D. entrance exam, getting some of the highest scores ever. That the whiz kids weren't American wasn't odd; students from Asia and elsewhere excel in U.S. programs. The surprising thing, say Stanford administrators, is that the majority came from one country and one school: Sharif University of Science and Technology in . Stanford has become a favorite destination of Sharif grads. Bruce A. Wooley, a former chair of the Electrical Engineering Department, has said that's because Sharif now has one of the best undergraduate electrical-engineering programs in the world. That's no small praise given its competition: MIT, Caltech and Stanford in the United States, Tsinghua in China and Cambridge in Britain. Sharif's reputation highlights how while Iran makes headlines for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's incendiary remarks and its nuclear showdown with the United States, Iranian students are developing an international reputation as science superstars. Stanford's administrators aren't the only ones to notice. Universities across Canada and Australia, where visa restrictions are lower, report a big boom in the Iranian recruits; Canada has seen its total number of Iranian students grow 240 percent since 1985, while Australian press reports point to a fivefold increase over the past five years, to nearly 1,500.Iranian students from Sharif and other top schools, such as the University of Tehran and the Isfahan University of Technology, have also become major players in the international Science Olympics, taking home trophies in physics, mathematics, chemistry and robotics. As a testament to this newfound success, the Iranian city of Isfahan recently hosted the International Physics Olympiad—an honor no other Middle Eastern country has enjoyed. That's because none of Iran's neighbors can match the quality of its scholars. Never far behind, Western tech companies have also started snatching them up. Silicon Valley companies from Google to Yahoo now employ hundreds of Iranian grads, as do research institutes throughout the West. Olympiad winners are especially attractive; according to the Iranian press, up to 90 percent of them now leave the country for graduate school or work abroad. So what explains Iran's record, and that of Sharif in particular? The country suffers from many serious ills, such as chronic inflation, stagnant wages and an anemic private sector, thanks to poor economic management and a weak regulatory environment. University professors barely make ends meet—the pay is so bad some must even take second jobs as taxi drivers or petty traders. International sanctions also make life difficult, delaying the importation of scientific equipment, for example, and increasing isolation. Until recently, Iranians were banned from publishing in the journals of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the industry's key international professional association. They also face the indignity of often having their visa applications refused when they try to attend conferences in the West. Yet Sharif and its ilk continue to thrive. Part of the explanation, says Mohammad Mansouri, a Sharif grad ('97) who's now a professor in New York, lies in the tendency of Iranian parents to push their kids into medicine or engineering as opposed to other fields, like law. Sharif also has an extremely rigorous selection process. Every year some 1.5 million Iranian high-school students take college-entrance exams. Of those, only about 10 percent make it to the prestigious state schools, with the top 1 percent generally choosing science and finding their way to top spots such as Sharif. "The selection process [gives] universities like Sharif the smartest, most motivated and hardworking students" in the country, Mansouri says. Sharif also boasts an excellent faculty. The university was founded in 1965 by the shah, who wanted to build a topnotch science and technology institute. The school was set up under the guidance of MIT advisers, and many of the current faculty studied in the United States (during the shah's era, Iranians made up the largest group of foreign students at U.S. schools, according to the Institute of International Education). Another secret of Sharif's success is Iran's high-school system, which places a premium on science and exposes students to subjects Americans don't encounter until college. This tradition of advanced studies extends into undergraduate programs, with Mansouri and others saying they were taught subjects in college that U.S. schools provide only to grad students. Several Sharif alumni point to one other powerful motivator. "When you live in Iran and you see all the frustrations of daily life, you dream of leaving the country, and your books and studies become a ticket to a better life," says one who asked not to be identified. "It becomes more than just studying," he says. "It becomes an obsession, where you wake up at 4 a.m. just to get in a few more hours before class." Iran's success, in other words, is also the country's tragedy: students want nothing more than to get away the moment they graduate. That's a boon for foreign universities and tech firms but a serious source of brain drain for the Islamic republic. There simply are not enough quality jobs for graduates in Iran, says Ramin Farjad Rad, another Sharif grad ('97) who's now an executive at Aquantia in Silicon Valley. What's worse, star students who stay in Iran and try to launch businesses complain that predatory government officials demand a cut of their profits or impose unnecessary obstacles. Thus many Iranians who can't make it to the West head to Dubai instead. As one Sharif grad in the Persian Gulf port city puts it, "Here, our education is properly valued. We are given freedom to succeed. In Iran, we are blocked." Such frustrations augur ill for Iran's future. True, it's produced a startling number of top students in recent years. And the country's history is rich with achievement, featuring Avicenna (also known as Ibn Sina), the medieval world's greatest scientist; Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, the ninth-century inventor of the mathematical algorithm (the basis of computer science), and Omar Khayyam, the famed mathematician and astronomer. That's a fine legacy. But unless the Islamic republic changes directions soon, all of that history and potential could be squandered. Molavi has reported from Iran for The Washington Post and Reuters, and is the author of ‘The Soul of Iran.’
Ref: Molavi,A .(2008) NEWSWEEK Published Aug 9, 2008 http://www.blogger.com/descending&sortField=

New Research

2008-08-16T01:45:00.000+01:00

Dentistry is the "evaluation, diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical, surgical or related procedures) of diseases, disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and/or the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body".Those in the practice of dentistry are known as dentists.other people aiding in oral health service include assistance, dental hygienists.dental technicians and dental therapists. Dental assistants help the dental operator (dentist or other treating dental auxiliary) provide more efficient dental treatment . Dental operators can focus more time on providing treatment when assistants oversee the necessary but menial tasks, and by effectively becoming the operator's extra hands.

My dissertation is about the role of dental nurses' qualification on the service quality and customer satisfaction.Some questionnaires have been designed to collect data. If you like you can participate in this research.If you are a dentist please (Click here) if you are a dental nurse please (click here) and if you are a patient please (click here).Thanks very much in advance.

Ref. Wikipedia

Brief History of Quality

2008-07-31T00:44:00.000+01:00

Quality is a familiar word for everyone who can feel, taste, instinct or smells. Everyone claims knowing the quality; however the quality as a concept is difficult to understand and grasp. In a linguistic sense quality comes from the Latin word QUALIS which means “such as the thing really is”. The international definition identify the quality is “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfil requirements” (BS EN ISO 9000, 2000). In the modern business world, although there are many definitions for the quality but there is no single accepted explanation to demonstrate the quality. The quality most of time means comparing one organisation, service, event, product, action, result, and also person from another.
this is a brief history of quality .

 Pre -Industrial Revolution
Skilled craftsmen controlled their own quality through pride of workmanship.
They were involved in the product from beginning to end.
 1880’S - Frederick Taylor and “Scientific Management”
 Mass production, assembly lines, and division of labor (Introduction of work standards and wage incentives)
 1920’S - Shewhart Introduces Statistical Process Control
Methods based on continual on-line monitoring of process variation. Concept of
“common cause” and “assignable cause” variability.
 1930 - Dodge and Romig Introduce Acceptance Sampling Methods
Probabilistic approach to predicting lot acceptability based on sampling results.
Centered on defect detection; concept of acceptable quality level (AQL)
 1950- Deming Introduces Statistical Process Control to Japan
 1970’s - Many U.S. Companies Begin Losing Market Share to Global Competitors
 1980 - “Quality Revolution” Begins in America
NBC airs a white paper entitle “If Japan Can, Why Can’t We?”
Deming hired by Ford as a consultant
 1984 - U.S. Government Designates October as National Quality Month
 1987- Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award is Established
 1990’s - Quality Programs Spread to Service Industries
Proliferation of Quality programs: TQM, QFD, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Poke Yoke,
Taguchi Methods, Benchmarking, CQI, FMEA, etc.

The British Museum

2008-07-29T00:06:00.000+01:00

when you are in the British Museum you think time runs backward. A museum of the world, for the world is really good definition for this lovely museum. You can find everything there from east to west or north to south. It is really amazing,when you walk in different halls it seems you are in the time machine and this museum let you to travel to different era.Some halls about IRAN my home country was interesting for me.Standing in front of Persepolis or the Cyrus cylinder makes me proud to be an IRANIAN. Anyway if you like to have a short travel to the British Museum check my pictures, hope you enjoy.

London, the heart of England

2008-07-26T22:21:00.000+01:00

My last visit to London

make more money

2008-07-17T21:38:00.000+01:00

This post is particularly for UK and UK citizens.If you are not,don't waste your time to read it.If you like to earn more money or make more money, you should look for new investment such as establish your own business or buy a property.However some people prefer to invest through their bank and get good interest.If you are form that group read this article carefully.

Earn 6.86% Interest On Your Savings

By Jane Baker

The Bank (NASDAQ: TBHS - news) of England base rate has been cut three times in the last six months alone and now stands at just 5%. This is normally pretty bad news for savers, as banks often take the opportunity to lower interest rates on savings accounts.
However, we don't live in normal times and interest rates on savings accounts aren't falling as much as you might expect. That's because the cost of inter-bank lending remains high due to the credit crunch. Since it's still expensive for banks to gain funding from each other, many have become even more reliant on deposits than usual.

This can translate into better rates overall to entice savers just like you. Even though the base rate may continue its downward trend for the rest of the year, we could see savings rates weathering the storm regardless.
If you're able to save money at the moment, it's definitely worth considering a fixed rate savings bond where you'll find some excellent rates of return. Even better, the rates are guaranteed to stay the same until the bond matures, so you'll know upfront how much you're going to earn in interest.
Take a look at these market-leading accounts:
Top Six Fixed Rate Savings Bonds

*Available to new and existing customers who are transferring or paying in money from outside Alliance & Leicester

As you can see, you could take advantage of top rates above 6.80% with bonds available over various terms and requiring different minimum deposits. But, despite the impressive interest rates on offer, savings bonds come with one key drawback: in return for a guaranteed high rate, you'll have to sacrifice access to your cash during the term.
For this reason, you should only choose a fixed rate bond if you're absolutely sure you can lock your money away. You can commit for a relatively short period of say, just six months or, if you prefer, for several years. Whichever you go for, make sure you don't need your money back before you reach the maturity date.
Bear in mind some bonds, such as Icesave's Fixed Rate Savings Account, won't allow withdrawals under any circumstances. Others may permit access but only with a heavy penalty. With Alliance & Leicester's Six Month Fixed Rate Bond, for example, you'll lose 180 days interest if you take out any cash -- which would bite a pretty large chunk out of your return.
Meanwhile the Fixed Term Deposit from Kaupthing Edge deducts an interest penalty of 1% (gross) for early withdrawal, making the account far less attractive.
That said, if access to your money isn't an issue for you, you would be hard pressed to find better savings rates elsewhere. For example, market-leading instant access accounts currently offer a competitive rate of 6.50% (variable), but that still falls short of fixed rate bond best buys.
What's more, once you have taken out a fixed rate bond you don't really need to think about it again until it matures. There's no need to continually shop around to make sure your rate is still topping the tables (something which is necessary from time to time with a variable rate account).
Of course, with a fixed rate account there's a risk you may lock-in at an interest rate which falls behind the market-leaders later on. This risk is even greater where you take out a bond over the longer term, when it's more difficult to predict which direction savings rates will go and how your fixed rate account will then measure up.
Luckily, many of the best bonds are available over six months to one year and given that the base rate is predicted to fall further in 2008, I think short-term fixed rate bonds are a pretty good bet at the moment.
Compare fixed rate bonds and instant access savings accounts at The Motley Fool Savings Centre.

Ref. http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/28042008/404/earn-6-86-interest-savings.html

Sell your Brand

2008-07-12T16:49:00.000+01:00

What is a Brand and what is branding? These are buzzwords in new business language. A Brand is your product’s personality which you have to identify it before marketing or advertising. In fact some people believe Branding is the first step and happens before marketing and advertising. Frankel (2008) says: “First you create the brand, and then you raise awareness of it”. However Branding is not only about awareness, your customers have to perceive your product as the best and only one in market and they should be happy to pay for your brand. But what is a brand? Is it your product or service, your logo or business card? No, it is the personality of your company. Roeser (2008) claims Brand is “what your customers think of you and say about you when they've left your company". The brand is what your organization stands for. Try to find what you are stand for before others.
And be sure a good brand can make a good image of your company in customers’ mind. It shows something is different in your business than others. You can persuade people to do anything you want; no doubt they will buy your brand not your product. Make a good brand before anything else.

Ref.http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jun2008/sb2008069_694225.htm?chan=smallbiz_special+report+--+branding_branding

The Lancashire FT MBA

2008-07-09T18:54:00.000+01:00

The lancashire full time and also part time MBA is a good opportunity to learn management skills in a tough situation, beside the management knowledge you have this chance to learn many cultural concepts because you would have different people from different countries which is a good chance to know more about different culture and how people act in different situation,because you live with them for 12 month. It is not an easy course however you will get what you deserve. It makes you to think and decide different than before. Two management development residential in this course are good opportunities to test your management abilities , team working and other skills. I know this post looks like an advertisement for Lancashire Business School but you should advise people who needs your experience. It is a good course in a good environment, keep in mind that it is not an easy course, you need to work a lot if you want to survive.

This is some information from the UCLAN website about FT MBA:

Lancashire Business School is a major international centre for postgraduate education and development.
Our aim is to ensure that through the consistent provision of high quality programmes and services we enhance the competence and contribute to the achievement of personal and organisational excellence.
The Full-time MBA offers you the opportunity to gain essential knowledge and skills which will enhance your career prospects both nationally and on the global stage.
We believe in Learning in Action and in line with this philosophy have specifically designed the programme to include:
- Management Development residential which embodies the spirit of the MBA enabling you to find and realise your potential.
- The International Management in Action residential which gives you a rare insight into the practical application of management theory within a global business context.
- Change Management Project which enables you to examine a live issue within a local company

For more information click here : Full Time MBA

Lesson Four

2008-07-08T15:29:00.000+01:00

Lesson Four is about How does the EU work? we should introduce The decision-making triangle in the EU. First is The Council of the European Union (also known as the Council of Ministers) is the EU’s main decision-making body,Second is The European Parliament is the elected body that represents the EU’s citizens and finally The Commission is the third part of the institutional triangle that manages and runs the European Union. However there are some other institutions and bodies work in EU such as:The Court of Justice of the European Communities, located in Luxembourg, is made up of one judge from each EU country, assisted by eight advocates-general.The Court of AuditorsIt checks that all the European Union’s revenue has been received and all its expenditure incurred in a lawful and regular manner and that the EU budget has been managed soundly.The European Economic and Social Committee When taking decisions in a number of policy areas, the Council and Commission consult the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The Committee of the Regions the Council and Commission must consult the CoR on matters of relevance to the regions, and it may also issue opinions on its own initiative.The European Investment Bank provides loans and guarantees to help the EU’s less developed regions and to help make businesses more competitive.The European Central Bank is responsible for managing the euro and the EU’s monetary policy.

In brief we should say:

The Council of the European Union, which represents the member states, is the EU’s main decision-taking body. When it meets at Heads of State or Government level, it becomes the European Council whose role is to provide the EU with political impetus on key issues.
The European Parliament, which represents the people, shares legislative and budgetary power with the Council of the European Union.
The European Commission, which represents the common interest of the EU, is the main executive body. It has the right to propose legislation and ensures that EU policies are properly implemented.

To be continue

Ref.:Fontaine, P. (2006) Europe in 12 Lesson, Brussels: European commission

Next time you think life is hard….think again

2008-07-04T12:07:00.001+01:00

My name is Nick Vujicic and I was born without limbs and doctors have no medical explanation for this birth "defect". As you can imagine, I was faced with many challenges and obstacles. Their firstborn son had been born without limbs! There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. The doctors were shocked and had no answers at all! There is still no medical reason why this had happened and Nick now has a Brother and Sister who were born just like any other baby. I know that there is no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence that these "bad" things happen in our life. I had complete peace knowing that God won't let anything happen to us in our life unless God has a good purpose for it all I am now twenty-three years old and have completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial Planning and Accounting. I am also a motivational speaker and love to go out and share my story and testimony wherever opportunities become available. I have developed talks to relate to and encourage students through topics that challenge today's teenagers. I am also a speaker in the corporate sector.
I have a passion for reaching out to youth and keep myself available for whatever God wants me to do, and wherever He leads, I follow. Writing several best-selling books has been one of my dreams and I hope to finish writing my first by the end of the year.
It will be called "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!"
I believe that if you have the desire and passion to do something, and if it's God's will, you will achieve it in good time. As humans, we continually put limits on ourselves for no reason at all! What's worse is putting limits on God who can do all things. We put God in a "box". The awesome thing about the Power of God, is that if we want to do something for God, instead of focusing on our capability, concentrate on our availability for we know that it is God through us and we can't do anything without God . Once we make ourselves available for God's work, guess whose capabilities we rely on? God's!
The ONLY FEAR IN LIFE IS THAT I FORGET HOW GOD HAS LED ME IN THE PAST!

And remember: WHEN YOU'RE BUSY JUDGING PEOPLE,YOU HAVE NO TIME TO LOVE THEM.

Abyane - IRAN

2008-07-03T17:48:00.000+01:00

My last Visit to Abyane - IRAN

Abyaneh One of the most attractive to visit in iran is in the village of ABYANE , which was completely Zoroastrian right until the time of the intolerant Safavid Shah Isma'11 I in whose reign most of the villagers emigrated to India or to Yazd. Even today their costume , way of life and ancient dialect are still practically unchanged and for many anthropologists a reason to travel to iran . Drive for about 42 km to Dehji , along the road to Natanz , south of Kashan; a few kin , further on , see a good gravel road to the west , before the Hinjan bridge , where a sign indicates Abyane and the magnificent Barzrud valley. Some 25 km along this road , passing Hinjan village , you reach Abyane at the bottom of a gorge dominated by a small Mongol fort. The main street goes right through the remains of the 'Atashkadeh' or temple , open on three sides and with a broken dome ,. About 300 m from the Atashkadeh , on the same lane , is an interesting mosque with a probably Safavid entrance and corridor , and next to it , below the present building , another mosque believed to be pre‑Seljuk , with an exceptionally beautiful and unusual carved wooden Mihrab protected by a sheet of glass.

Ref:http://www.irantravelingcenter.com/abyaneh.htm

MBA in FedEx

2008-07-01T16:50:00.000+01:00

These days MBA means everything for bachelor graduations and they think without MBA they can not do anything,no opportunities,no more chance,nothing .MBA is an abbreviation of Master of Business Administration and is a master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the USA, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out scientific approaches to management. The MBA degree has since achieved worldwide recognition. However i have found this video on youtube which is about MBA and might be good for those of you interested in this degree, I know ...ok...I am also MBA student :D .enjoy it.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBA

The Best Debit Card To Use Abroad

2008-06-29T15:59:00.000+01:00

Two month ago when i was preparing my stuff for Toulouse tripe,i was looking to find an alternative way instead of cash. Someone suggested to use my debit card ,however he was not sure about the charges. Anyway today i've found this article which might be helpful for those of you whom like travelling, The Best Debit Card To Use Abroad By Serena Cowdy
In this article, I recently highlighted the fees and charges to watch out for if you use your credit card abroad.
But what about using your debit card while on holiday? Many people assume that using their debit card overseas means they won't be charged... but unfortunately, they're mistaken.
In fact, overseas charges on debit cards can really mount up. Here, I'm going to look at the worst offenders.
And I'm also going to highlight the 'good guy' - the only debit card that won't cost you any extra money to use it overseas.
A host of sneaky charges
There are several charges to watch out for if you use your debit card abroad. Use the wrong one, and you could be hit with four separate fees. Eeek!
Cash conversion charge
If you use most debit cards to withdraw money from a foreign ATM, you're likely to incur a cash conversion charge - typically of around 2.75% of the amount withdrawn.
Essentially, the higher the percentage fee, the worse the rate of exchange you're getting.
Cash transaction charge
Confusingly, many debit card providers also hit you with another ATM fee - a cash transaction charge (also known as a cash withdrawal charge).
This is also a percentage fee (typically around 1.5%) - but beware - there is usually a minimum charge of around £2-£3.
This means that customers withdrawing lots of small amounts will be the hardest hit: they could be paying an extra £3 for every £10 they withdraw - ouch!
So, it's worth planning ahead so you know how much money you're likely to need, and can withdraw larger amounts all in one go.
Putting these first two charges together - you could easily end up paying an extra £4 (or even more) on every £100 you withdraw from a foreign cash machine.
Paying for purchases
You might think you can avoid fees by paying by debit card directly for your purchases, rather than using it to withdraw cash. Unfortunately, most debit cards will charge you to do this as well.
Retail conversion charge
The first fee you're likely to face in this instance is a retail conversion charge. As with the cash conversion charge, this is typically around 2.75% of the amount spent on the card.
Retail transaction charge
And you may also be hit with a retail transaction charge. This is sometimes a flat fee (typically around £1.25), but can also be a percentage of the overall spend (typically around 2.75%).
All this means that if you use the wrong debit card to pay for something in a foreign shop, you could, again, be charged £4 or more for every £100 you spend - no better than withdrawing cash.
In summary
Are you wondering what your current debit card will charge you? Here's a breakdown of what to expect:

To check the table please visit http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/24062008/404/best-debit-card-use-abroad.html

A clear winner
As you can see, one debit card provider comes out head and shoulders above the rest.
Nationwide Building Society is the only provider that does not make any additional charges for using your card abroad. If you get a Nationwide FlexAccount Visa Debit card, you won't be charged any extra conversion or transaction charges - no matter how you use it.
You may decide that overall, you don't want to use the Nationwide current account as your main one all year round (check out this current account article to help you decide).
However, if you're organised, there's no reason why you can't use another current account while in the UK, and just use the Nationwide account when you jet off abroad.
Check out Nationwide's overseas usage calculator to find out exactly how much you could save.
The alternatives
Of course, there are certain circumstances when a debit card won't do the trick.
For example, some hotels and car hire companies insist you pay by credit card. And using a credit card mean you'll have extra spending protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
If it's too late to open a new current account before you jet off, you can still save a packet by finding The Cheapest Way To Get Your Holiday Cash.
Whatever method you choose, forewarned is forearmed. A bit of research could help you avoid a host of charges - so you can spend your holiday money on something fun, instead.
Good luck!

http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/24062008/404/best-debit-card-use-abroad.html

Strategic Analysis

2008-06-27T21:10:00.000+01:00

Strategic Analysis is a significant concept for managing our organisation with a proper and successful strategic plan, in fact for an effective strategic analysis of our company we need to understand some concepts.

The external environment
The strategic capability of the organisation(the internal environment)
Stakeholders expectations and perceptions of the purposes of Capri intercity financial.

In this post i just write about the first point which is the external environment.External environment or Macro-environment are some factors which could make some changes in your business or your industry. Indeed one of the best framework to analyse your external environment is PESTEL analysis. PESTEL is an abbreviation for :Political,Economic, Social,Technological,Environmental,Legal factors which might affect your strategy. However there are some other frameworks such as Michel porter's 5 forces which could give you an insight into the forces at work in your business (see the diagram). Moreover identifying the strategic customers and their value are essential. Finlay SWOT analysis (opportunity and threat parts- strength and weakness are for internal environment) is another technique to understand the external environment of the company.Always using different analysis help us to find where we are standing and also where the others are(customers,competitors). Sometimes it looks hard to implement these frameworks, you need to say "I Can" instead of "Can I?",you can do it.......

Good days in Jame Jam

2008-06-24T22:00:00.000+01:00

If you read my profile (right side of this page) you know i had been working for Iranian TV -Jame Jam network for near 2years . These pictures taking me back to the good old day's in jame jam network and programme called Diyare Ashena .I also worked for another domestic channel which you will see some pictures later on this weblog.

Dubai a diamond in The Middle East

2008-06-20T21:36:00.000+01:00

Dubai is not a country,many people think Dubai is a country but it is one of the 7 emirates of UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E). A modern city in the middle of Persian Gulf and Middle East .A lovely destination for multinational companies and also tourists. A majority of the emirate's revenues are from trade,manufacturing and financial services and also construction and real state. U.A.E is a member of OPEC and is an oil dependent country,No it is better to say it was oil dependent because the revenues from petroleum and natural gas contribute less than 6% in 2006 of Dubai's US$ 37 billion economy.

This attractive city has increased world wide attention through innovative real estate projects and sports events. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in 2001 mentioned:
“We must ease the lives of people and businesses interacting with the government and contribute in establishing Dubai as a leading economic hub”

And according to their success,Now they can claim Dubai is an economic hub in the Middle east, however this economic leadership is not good for my country IRAN but in this world the winner always has long term strategy for his own country.

My last visit to Dubai

Ref.

http://www.dubai.ae/en.portal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai

LC

2008-06-18T20:09:00.000+01:00

There are thousands of different abbreviations in the business world particularly in transaction system. One of the useful and i think lovely abbreviation is LC or L/C which goes for letter of credit and is a document issued mostly by a financial institution for the international transaction. It is very popular and common to use LC in international business, because the payment process is safer and Customers and Supplier's bank get involved in the business.But how does this work. step by step :

Step No.1 : After business negotiation between buyer and seller or customer and supplier and after a contract is concluded between them, the buyer's bank issues a letter of credit to the seller.

Step No 2:Second step is Seller consigns the goods to a carrier in exchange for a bill of lading. You can find about Shipment cost in the contract,sometimes shipping is included and sometimes not,there are different types to indicate who pays loading and transportation costs, and/or the point at which the responsibility of the goods transfers from shipper to buyer such as FOB,CIF,C&F which i will write in a separate post later.

Step No. 3:Seller provides bill of lading to bank in exchange for payment. Seller's bank exchanges bill of lading for payment from buyer's bank. Buyer's bank exchanges bill of lading for payment from buyer. This part is Bank side and you don't need to do so much things however you should track the goods.

step No.4 : Buyer provides bill of lading to carrier and takes delivery of goods in destination.
This was a brief about LC,also there are different types of LC like at sight ,3month,6month which business managers particularly Export managers should know them.

Ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_of_credit http://www.bizhelp24.com/export-import/letter-of-credit.html http://www.crfonline.org/orc/cro/cro-9-1.html

Lesson Three

2008-06-18T19:36:00.000+01:00

Continuing our discussion of EU,we should have a look at enlargement and neighbourhood policy as lesson three. we know the EU is open to any European country but with some concepts.There are some strict ed criteria for members who want to join the EU in terms of democracy,politics and economy. This might be like an exam for new members who want to be in EU, Fail or pass.However as we know the EU has started with 6 members and now 27 and some countries are waiting to join like Turkey. To date the Eu did very well and made Europe more secure in terms of economy and social life. No boarders means freedom for anyone to work and trade anywhere. Some key points of enlargement and neighbourhood policy .

The European Union is open to any European country that fulfils the democratic, political and economic criteria for membership.
Following several enlargements, the EU has increased from six to 27 members. Several other countries are candidates to join.
Each treaty admitting a new member requires the unanimous approval of all member states. In addition, in advance of each new enlargement, the EU will assess its capacity to absorb the new member(s) and the ability of its institutions to continue to function properly.
The successive enlargements have strengthened democracy, made Europe more secure and increased its potential for trade and economic growth.

To be continue
Ref.:Fontaine, P. (2006) Europe in 12 Lesson, Brussels: European commission

Nature of IRAN

2008-06-17T15:20:00.000+01:00

Ref:http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story/2008/06/080616_ag-iran-nature-photography1.shtml

100 banned words

2008-06-17T11:59:00.000+01:00

The Local Government Association (LGA) published a list of 100 words that public bodies should not use if they want to communicate effectively. Loads of words and to be honest it needs time for me to use other synoneyms. However when you want to be fluent in English you should accept and admire the new rules. Anyway This is the list i hope you enjoy.

ambassador
agencies
beacon
best practice
bottom-up
CAAs
can do culture
capacity
capacity building
cascading
cautiously welcome
champion
citizen empowerment
community engagement
conditionality
consensual
contestability
core message
core value
coterminosity
coterminous
cross-cutting
customer
democratic mandate/legitimacy
distorts spending priorities
early win
empowerment
engagement
engaging users
enhance
evidence base
external challenge
facilitate
fast-track
flexibilities and freedoms
framework
fulcrum
good practice
governance
guidelines
holistic
holistic governance
improvement levers
incentivising
income/funding streams
initiative
joined up
joint working
LAAs
level playing field
localities
meaningful consultation/dialogue
MAAs
menu of options
multi-agency
multidisciplinary
outcomes
output
participatory
partnerships
pathfinder
peer challenge
performance network
place shaping
predictors of beaconicity
preventative services
priority
process driven
quick hit
quick win
resource allocation
revenue streams
risk based
caled-back
scoping
seedbed
service users
hared priority
signpost
single point of contact
slippage
social contracts
stakeholder
step change
strategic/overarching
streamlined
subsidiary
sustainable
sustainable communities
symposium
synergies
tested for soundness
third sector
top-down
transformational
transparency
value-added
vision
visionary
welcome

The End,no you can use "The End" i mean end of the list .:D

Ref. http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=7701430

Parents are the best Consultants for you

2008-06-16T17:28:00.000+01:00

Have you ever think about your parent's role in your success? Some people want to neglect this concept from their business or social life, however most of entrepreneurs bravely state their parent's impact in their successful life. Some people believe business is in their DNA and some other believe their parents has significant role to choose the best way in their life. Some children can learn risk taking or hardworking from their fathers, some other might learn how to be patient from their mothers. Also some of the famous people in business world often get a helping hand from their parents. These examples show how important they are. A dad's entrepreneurial spirit can rub off on children . Moreover it is mom who is the invisible , guiding hand that helped create some of world's most innovative and successful companies.Don't forget them in your business success, they are the best consultants in your life who know you better than yourself, your parents are accessible for you free of charge.

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2008/sb2008058_368037.htm
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jun2008/sb20080612_884694.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories

Strategic Plan

2008-06-15T19:21:00.000+01:00

According to the post about the Strategy,now we know what is the strategy and how to manage our organisation. In this post we would like to talk about a strategic plan. In a successful organisation we know our direction and scope which is our strategy, now we need a proper plan to approach. A good strategy plan states: mission,goals and objectives. However these three concepts are not enough and we need to analyse our environment which we call it environmental analysis(Macro trends and focused issues about customers and competitors and etc with clear implementations. Moreover we need a logical analysis of our organisation to know where we are. We do recommend to use SWOT, PESTEl ,etc analysis (you could find about different type of analysis in near future). Now you have your environment analysis, your organisation analysis , your missions ,goals and objectives , don't forget your resources such as Financial , income , cash flows,balance sheets ,human resources and etc .Now it is the right time to relate these aspects to have a spectacular strategic plan.We make the rules ......................

Ten Top Tips

2008-06-12T20:23:00.000+01:00

Peter Jones is a young famous entrepreneur in England, he has ten tips for achieving entrepreneurial excellence which are very important for all the managers and entrepreneurs.Each of these items are significant words in an entrepreneurial dictionary.Lets read these items first:

Vision
Influence
Confidence
Commitment
Results Oriented
Timing
Perseverance
Caring
Action
Intuition

Always dream big, reaching one horizon always reveals another,moreover you should influence other people to help you to do your job , influence twined with win-win. Try to know your self and your self-confidence ,you can win all the competition with your high confidence,believe your self but never forget other people ,you win the competition if they help you. I do recommend to watch this video, Peter states brilliant recommendations For each of these items .

Life is like a cup of coffee

2008-06-11T15:40:00.000+01:00

I have posted an article in my Persian weblog which is about the life, "Life is like a cup of coffee". I decided to translate it to English and now this is the English version of that article.

Five graduated students went to see their tutor after 4-5 years . They went to his office and talked about their life. Everyone complained about his life, his job, family and all negative things. During this time the tutor was making coffee, he left the coffee with 6 different cups on the table,plastic cup,glass, paper cup ....different size,shape and colour.Each of them took a cup,filled it with gorgeous coffee. They were five and one disgusting cup had left on the table. Our old,experienced teacher told to his students:" Now you are drinking coffee and each of you tried to choose the best cup or mug for yourself, and the worst cup is still on the table". they were surprised by tutors sentences . He continued : "You were looking to drink coffee ,not the cups but tried to choose the best cup comparing with your friends' mug . Life is like coffee; your social position, salary and job is like the cup. The cup could change the outlook but coffee is still coffee with no changes. In the real life is the same, you can change your life with luxury and beautiful stuff but you can not change your life . You should enjoy the taste of your life (coffee),but if you just focus of the cups you will lose your life.

However you can enjoy your coffee (life) with beautiful cups.Try to make your life comfortable but don't forget and don't waste your life.

‎

People are most important assets

2008-06-09T23:17:00.000+01:00

People are very important assets for everyone from a privet organisation to a political party or huge organisation, however sometimes CEOs or people who are in charge of organisation treat their staff as rubbish and look for some easy ways to get rid of them which is absolutely wrong. I don't like to write about knowledge management, tacit and explicit knowledge but you should concern that your organisation has paid loads of money to make managers,experienced labours. when you want to reduce labor costs you will lay off employees and freeze or reduce wages and benefits. This means losing your human capital as a key source of competitive advantage. However this source is not important for non-knowledge based companies but it is still a valuable capital ,do not lose it . Be careful about job hunters,they are every where watching your company. If you want to reduce your staff do it, but be careful don't give your competitive advantages as a lovely presents to them. Your strategy is very important ,you need to reduce your staff or hire new talent ,that is your right ,no doubt,but try to make a good reputation for your company and ensure it would continue to be seen as a good employer even though it had to reduce your workforce.For example in the dot-com downturn ,The company offered sabbaticals to some of its employees and offered to pay partial salaries to laid-off workers who went to work for charities and community ventures. It also helped subsidize the continuing education of former employees who wanted to advance their skills or change careers. Not surprisingly, when it came time for the company to start hiring again, it had no problem attracting a very talented pool of applicants because it was seen as a good place to work.Anyway,always try to adopt an appropriate strategy for your HR department if you want to have a successful organisation.

Ref.

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/jun2008/ca2008065_104914.htm?chan=careers_managing+index+page_top+stories

Strategy means everything

2008-06-07T20:51:00.000+01:00

In the modern world of business and management we use a posh word not every day ,but every single second. Strategy is a posh word and also might be a sexy word just like MBA. What is strategy? if you have time just have a look on Internet and survey some different articles in politic,management, economy etc and you can find this buzzy word. Strategy is direction and scope of an organisation over the long term which achieves competitive advantages in a changing environment through a configuration of resources and competencies with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectation.If you are looking for managing strategical you should go for three main steps: First is about your understanding the strategic position of your organisation which we call it strategic analysis(cover it later),second step is about your organisation's future and making strategic choices for the future and finally is about strategic implementation and ensure strategies are working properly. Strategy has created a new horizon for managers who are looking for improvement. In near future i will explain these three steps.Business without strategy means running in a competition but not on the right road.

Lesson Two

2008-06-06T11:08:00.000+01:00

On 9 May 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman first

publicly put forward the ideas that led to the European Union.

Do you like history? Some people don't because they believe history is history and revising it is meaningless,however you can learn from your mistakes by history. Usually true history starts to talk after 50 years and you can not do anything to change it,the past is past but history can teach you without charge because previous generation has paid for you. Lesson two of "Europe in 12 Lessons" is about "Ten historic steps "in EU.

1951: The European Coal and Steel Community is established by the six founding members

1957: The Treaty of Rome establishes a common market

1973: The Community expands to nine member states and develops its common policies

1979: The first direct elections to the European Parliament

1981: The first Mediterranean enlargement

1993: Completion of the single market

1993: The Treaty of Maastricht establishes the European Union

1995: The EU expands to 15 members

2002: Euro notes and coins are introduced

2004: Ten more countries join the Union

These steps show how EU has become a powerful union in more than 50 years. If you want to become a successful person you should invest time for your life,career and every single aspects to approach your goals.

To be continue

Ref.:Fontaine, P. (2006) Europe in 12 Lesson, Brussels: European commission

Sir Alan in The Apprentice

2008-06-04T23:00:00.000+01:00

If you are living in England and have paid for your TV licence, you definitely have watched "The Apprentice" on BBC1-2-3-4-5 and other channels. This is a real challenging TV programme which has many management concepts and you can easily observe and learn them, however sometimes you can not predict Sir Alan's decision. Yes this is Sir Alan's TV programme, a famous millionaire, entrepreneur and broadcaster who has the 92nd position in the Sunday Times Rich list2008.
Sir Alan Michael Sugar was born on 24 March 1947 in London and now has accumulated an estimated fortune of £830m. He is a successful technology businessman; his wealth now derives from his property portfolio, rather than business ventures. This is my grand grandfather's advice to his sons, if you want to be a rich man just invest in property, anyway this post is not about my family’s advices, it is about “The Apprentice”.
Sir Alan challenges a group of 16 aspiring tycoons. “The Apprentice” is like a battle for them; they have to show their abilities and skills in different tasks to convince Sir Alan to stay in the show, but after each task one of them has to leave the show and get fired. Next week is the final session and one of four will be Sir Alan’s new apprentice. To be honest I admire his character as a manager but sometimes he passes rudeness and wants to kill the person and destroy his or her character ,why ?because he has power in to choose people? Watch this episode on the youtube and you will find what I mean. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNavJtqAou4 . I really do enjoy this show and do admire Sir Alan.

Ref:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/about.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Sugar

Tehran,City of light

2008-06-02T00:05:00.000+01:00

Iran-Tehran

This is my city Tehran, the capital of IRAN .I can claim Tehran is the mirror of Iran. A busy city (More than 12M) with different culture and language, you can easily find IRAN in Tehran. If you like to know more about Tehran i do recommend to check some websites because i can not demonstrate everything in four or five lines. More you read,more you find how lovely it is. Just bere in mind that this lovely capital has 7 sisters all around the world :Beijing, China (planned 2006) ,Caracas, Venezuela (2005) Havana, Cuba (2001)London, United Kingdom (19 March 1993),Los Angeles, USA (26 May 1972),Pretoria, South Africa (planned 2002),Moscow, Russia. I hope you enjoy these lovely pictures of Tehran.

Ref. and for more info please visit :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran

http://www.tehran.ir/

Lesson One

2008-06-01T23:31:00.000+01:00

When you live in a country as a foreigner, you should know everything about that country such as culture, weather, people attitude, education system, health system. Moreover when you live in a European country you should also know the European Union. If you follow my posts(or not), I mentioned before about "European in 12 Lessons". Today i would like to write the lesson one which is "why the European Union?". To answer this question we should know Europe's mission .

Provide peace,prosperity and stability for its people
overcome the division in the continent
ensure that its people can live in safety
promote balanced economic and social development
meet the challenges of globalisation and preserve the diversity of the people of Europe.
uphold the values that Europeans share, such as sustainable development and a sound environment, respect for human rights and the social market economy.

Lesson one has many advantages for European people,however some people in rich European countries claim that the EU policy is better for the poor countries and they have to pay for these countries to survive their economy in EU. There are many pros and cons for the European country, but i think one strong economy without threat is better for everyone in this continent.

Ref.:Fontaine, P. (2006) Europe in 12 Lesson, Brussels: European commission

Persian Gulf

2008-05-29T15:34:00.000+01:00

Have you ever tried "Arabian Gulf" on google. Try it now, google it and you will find that the Arabian Gulf is a fake name for Persian Gulf. These years Arab countries like to change the history. According to more than 3000 years of historical documents,the correct name of this gulf is Persian Gulf,NOT ARABIAN GULF, it is Persian Gulf which always has been, and will always remain, Persian.

This inland sea of some 251,000 km² is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz; and its western end is marked by the major river delta of the Shatt al-Arab, which carries the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris. Its length is 989 kilometres, separating mainly Iran from Saudi Arabia with the shortest divide of about 56 kilometres in the Strait of Hormuz. The waters are overall very shallow and have a maximum depth of 90 metres and an average depth of 50 metres.
Countries with a coastline on the Persian Gulf are (clockwise, from the north): Iran, Oman (exclave of Musandam), United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar on a peninsula off the Saudi coast, Bahrain on an island, Kuwait and Iraq in the northwest. Various small islands lie within the Persian Gulf, some of which are subject to territorial disputes by the states of the region.

For more information please visit these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf_naming_dispute

http://www.thepersiangulf.org/index.htm

http://www.persiangulfonline.org/

Persian Gulf Forever

A Snapshot of Toulouse

2008-05-28T00:31:00.000+01:00

Toulouse - France

May 2008

Property speculation fuels soaring prices in Iran

2008-05-27T16:23:00.000+01:00

It is a real shame to compare Iranian property prices with for example Paris which you will read in this article later. These days because of unbelievable inflation rate, something like 20%, the housing market is really unpredictable. There is no chance for young people,better to say everyone, to buy a new house or a flat. There are many concepts for this matter such as wrong economical decisions which are taken by the government because of the growth in oil prices and injecting excessive cash into the economy.However this condition might be controlled by new Parliament . This is an article about Iran by AFP:

TEHRAN (AFP) - As Iran's economy is buffeted by inflation, the country's homeowners are fast becoming richer in a real estate bubble that is driving affordable housing beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
A luxury 1,400-square-metre penthouse sold recently for 21 million dollars at 15,000 dollars per square metre in swanky northern Tehran, while the average monthly salary of Iranians stands at 300 to 460 dollars.
With the housing market of Iran's arch-foe America facing trouble, prices in Tehran's affluent suburbs have gone up by at least 10 million rials (more than 1,000 dollars) per square metre over three months.
Property prices there compete with upmarket neighbourhoods in Paris at a range of 60 to 100 million rials per square metre (6,500 to 10,700 dollars).
"You have to spend at least a million dollars to buy an apartment in northern Tehran where the average property is 200 square metres," says real estate agent Ali Meshkini.
With a stagnant stock market and a hesitant industry, property remains a privileged means to absorb liquidity, which has been flowing into the economy through windfall oil earnings.
Facilities such as swimming pools, sauna, jacuzzi and health clubs have become a usual feature in newly-built upmarket homes in a bid to lure wealthier buyers.
An opulent residential tower in northern Tehran even comes with a heliport while another has an elevator to take cars up to the apartments.
The housing boom is not confined to the hot uptown market. Average neighbourhoods in the capital, as well as in Iran's other large cities, have been affected.
Prices have doubled within a few months in satellite town of Parand and Hashtgerd, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Tehran, while in Isfahan, Mashhad and Tabriz property values have doubled in a year.
"Property has become the only profitable investment," says Meshkini. "Prices have risen by over 100 percent within a year and they will continue to go up. No other sector makes such profit."
Several entrepreneurs echo the same view including the owner of a popular fast-food place in Tehran who complained he had made only "six percent net profit in the busy months of January and February, when sales were surprisingly high."
For an Iranian industrialist, who had to shut down two chemical import companies mainly due to unsteady prices, property investment proved a successful way to save his business.
"We had lost about 800,000 dollars over a year," he said. "We invested in land around Tehran and in two months we made a profit equal to our losses."
Many industrialists now prefer to place part of their capital in properties rather than reinvesting it all in the same sector.
While, some observers predict the current speculative bubble will burst, others believe it will keep going. Commentators on both sides say the soaring prices have been partly caused by some public companies and private banks property investments.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also been blamed for injecting excessive cash into the economy to fund local infrastructure projects, causing an increase in money supply and directly triggering an inflation spike.
In Iran, where banks do not provide significant housing loans, apartments are generally bought by paying 30 to 40 percent of the total price before construction, with the rest to be paid within three years.
The housing boom may have put a smile on many faces but it is bad news for 40 percent of 70 million Iranians struggling with ever-increasing rents, whose dreams of a roof of their own are becoming less and less achievable.
Mohammad, a single 46-year-old employee of a private company, has been looking for a month for a one-bedroom apartment in middle-class western Tehran.
"I am paying the equivalent of 900 dollars a month now for a 145-square-metre apartment," he said, explaining that his landlord has been tempted to sell by an attractive 5.5-billion-rial (591,000 dollars) offer.
"I can only get half that size for the same price now," he said. "This is madness."

Ref. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080527/lf_afp/iraneconomyhousing

Mahmoud Khayami

2008-05-27T00:41:00.000+01:00

Many years ago,when i was in Iran, I translated an article about Mahmoud khayami to Persian for Iran khodro retired association.Today I have found this article when i was exploring my hard drive.He was an entrepreneur in Iran before Islamic revolution in 1979 and now he is a famous entrepreneur and person in UK and also USA. I really appreciate his character as a manager .I can claim he is the father of Iranian automobile industry,no doubt. Mahmoud Khayami by RUBY SPONSOR:

Mahmoud Khayami, the well-known philanthropist, industrialist, and financier, was born in 1930 in Mashhad where he attended elementary and high school. In 1951 he transferred to Tehran and before long he was involved in the automobile industry. Eleven years later he inaugurated the Iran National company in partnership with his brother, Ahmad Khayami (who later formed a separate company).Iran National was destined to become the largest industrial complex in Iran. One of the leading champions of Iranجs industrialization of the 1960s-70s, he began the production of the popular Peykan cars in 1967, based on cooperation with the Hillman-Hunter company of England which provided the model for it, with 54%of the car manufactured in Iran. By 1979,136,000 cars were being produced annually. He initiated the increasing export of Iranian cars, buses, and Lorries to neighboring countries and Eastern Europe in the 1970s.By 1979 Iran National employed over 20,000 workers in Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Shiraz.
Khayami also founded the Bank of Iranian Industries, the largest of its kind in Iran, which aimed at bolstering Iranian manufacturing, and of which the shares were held by Iranجs auto industries. He also established a technical school at Iran National for training skilled industrial workers and purchased large tracts of land from the estates of Teymourtash in Khorasan in order to develop an industrial complex there. At the same time, Khayami was involved in assisting cultural and educational endeavors, building a hospital in Mashhad, and securing scholarships for students at the University of Shiraz. In 1979,following the upheavals in Iran, he settled in London, managing the distribution of Mercedes-Benz cars in parts of both England and the United States, as well as continuing his philanthropic activities.
Khayami has been a champion of many cultural causes, and a considerable number of individuals and institutions in need of assistance have benefited from his charitable donations. Many scholars, artists, and people in dire circumstances have been supported by his generosity. Among his recent educational charities is the establishment of seven Mahmoudieh High Schools with all the necessary modern equipment in his hometown of Mashhad. Five more are being built in other cities and he has plans also for a technical college in Mashhad. In 2001 he was unanimously elected Chairman of the Encyclopedia Iranica Foundation that he had been quietly helping for several years. An avid reader and highly informed financier with a marked interest in art and literature, particularly classical Persian poetry and mysticism, Khayamiجs cultural interests coincide with the Encyclopedia جs mission of recording, preserving and disseminating the facts of Iranian history and civilization.
His fine collection of Persian art testifies to his excellent taste and wide knowledge of the field. We are very pleased to have him lead Iranica in 2003.

Khazan:
please find more information about Mahmoud Khayami at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Khayami
http://www.thekhayamifoundation.org/
Additionally, I am so sorry that i do not have any information about Ruby sponsor to reference his article.

France Trip

2008-05-25T13:30:00.000+01:00

Now I am here again in England . After a short break in France with my MBA colleagues. We had brilliant time in Toulouse with my Friends. The best time to know your friends is during a trip, you can easily find his or her character and how reliable he or she is. Anyway we visited 4 organisations during this trip: Veolia EAU - Aircelle (Group Safran)- Ladepeche (Local news paper) and Airbus company (A380 project). I will write about each organisation like my Persian weblog as soon as possible. Toulouse with lovely people reminds me lovely time, i really enjoyed the architecture of this old city with loads of historical places like churches,bridges,palaces and many other places. I should separate this trip to two parts: first is about all the visits from the organisations which i have learnt many lessons, you could learn many things if you just observe properly, you don't need to read a library to learn ,just observ and think about it no more, you can noth find everythings in books ,and second part is about night life and our free time in Toulouse,i do like walikng and and sightseeing which i did in Toulouse. i really enjoyed both part of this trip. Finlay I would like to sincerely thanks Dr.Dorota Marsh, MBA full time Course leader and her colleague Robin for the time that they spent with us in Toulouse. I will write about this trip later in this blog. Cheers

MBA Masterclass from Springfields Fuels Limited

2008-05-24T14:18:00.000+01:00

MBA Masterclass from Springfields Fuels LimitedBy
LBS Editor on 28/04/08

The Managing Director of Springfields Fuels Limited came to Lancashire Business School to speak to over 30 MBA students about the company’s success.
Mike Tynan gave a masterclass to the full and part-time MBA students, giving them an insight into how he and his team have turned Springfields Fuels into world leaders in the supply of nuclear fuel and fuel products.
An accountant by profession, Mike began his career with British Nuclear Fuels at Sellafield in the late 1970s and since then has had many domestic and international assignments within the nuclear industry, including finance, major service provision, plant operations, project management and manufacturing.
Key business executives
Professor Graham Kelly, Head of Postgraduate Programmes and Research in Lancashire Business School, said: “Bringing the experiences of key business executives into our MBA programme is an important element of our approach to management development. Mike Tynan’s case study of his company’s success in achieving corporate renaissance proved to be a fantastic lesson for all of our students.”
UCLan’s Pro Vice Chancellor for the Nuclear Industries, Dr Graham Baldwin, added: “"The masterclass was a great success and provided a fascinating insight into change management in a local company of international significance. To have a presenter of the calibre of Mike Tynan was a real bonus and also underpinned UCLan’s emerging strategy for nuclear education."
After the masterclass Mike invited the UCLan MBA students to visit the Springfield site. Mike’s MBA lecture was the second in recent months from an industry professional after Chamber of Commerce International Trade Manager, Neal Barfoot, gave a guest lecture to full-time MBA students in March.

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/lbs/news/0408/mbamaster.html

European Union

2008-05-15T15:03:00.000+01:00

I participated in a conference some days ago about the European Union: the new business challenge.the conference was based on history of EU and how to business with other EU countries.From this post i will start a post serial about "Europe in 12 lessons" by Pascal Fontaine which is a about the European Union . This is an interesting topic for me and hopefully for you ;).i really like to update this weblog everyday like my Persian weblog but it is a bit harder to write in English everyday ,but i do my best to write at least 3-4 days in a week. next post will be lesson one about EU.

Smile Project

2008-05-13T00:38:00.000+01:00

This weblog is written by my brother,Dr Soheil Esfahanian. as you could see, first article is about his life with a lovely picture. The little boy in sideca is me :D i think more than 26 years ago.Any way as you know(if read his biography) he is a dentist (a brilliant dentist) and his blog should be about dentistry. if you have any question about dental treatment you can ask him free of charge :D good chance .

Any way this is a new way of marketing ,a blog advertise for my brother's web blog. I hope you find it interesting.

http://dr-esfahanian.blogspot.com/

Saeed and I

2008-05-12T01:48:00.001+01:00

Siamak Esfehanian - Saeed Seyedan

2003- Kish,Iran

It is a tough job to translate from my language,Persian and particularly my poems to English due to language barriers. But i do my best to translate my poems as soon as possible, i don't know when because i am really busy these days with last assignment and oh nooooooooooo my dissertation. if you know Persian and have free time i would be more than happy to publish your translations . i know sometime transfer the feeling is impossible but i will do my best to translate them to English after my trip to France.it means next week.

Anyway as you can see in the picture,My Friend,Saeed and I went to Kish Island,south of IRAN, some where near Dubai many years ago (winter 2003).These days, Saeed is reviewing his memos in his weblog with some pictures. He is going to Canad next month to start a new life to experience a new life style. We started our textile engineering in same time and now we are doing MBA . I am % 100 sure he will be a successful manager in near future and i will write his successes in my blog.

wish you the best Saeed in your new life.

New Flat screen in IRAN

2008-05-09T01:00:00.000+01:00

This is the newest invention in my country,Iran which you can not find a product like this in European countries or USA either Canada. Chinese and Japanese engineers are working on this invention to find how Iranian did this (lol). you can find many unbelievable invention like this in Iran ,we should say thanks to USA because of the sanction we are not just consumers .the sanction has motivated Iranian to invent. In fact we are able to produce from A to Z with quality or without,however our economy is .............emmmmmmmmmm no matter forget about it ;)

Globalization

2008-05-07T15:34:00.000+01:00

Question: What is the true definition of Globalization?
Answer: Princess Diana's death.
Question: How come?
Answer:An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines. This is sent to you by a Persian, using Bill Gates's technology, and you're probably reading this on your computer, that uses Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian truck-drivers,
hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked to you by Mexican illegals.....
That, my friends, is Globalization!

Autumn: Thanks Reza for your email. now i know what Globalization means !!!!!

Chamber of Commerce International Trade Manager visits Preston MBA students

2008-05-06T14:25:00.000+01:00

Lancashire Business School MBA students were given an insight into the workings of the Chamber of Commerce from International Trade Manager Neal Barfoot.
Neal is from the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce (NWLCC) and spoke about the roles of the Chamber of Commerce internationally, nationally and locally.
He said: “The Chamber of Commerce in the UK exists within the private sector so it is self funded with no support from the government. Most Chambers are quite small but they are really well organised.”
After a career in international trade, with particular focus on the brass and textile industry, Neal began working for the Chamber of Commerce so that he could stay involved in trade.
Chamber history
He provided the MBA students with a history of the Chambers from the International Chambers of Commerce and the Euro Chambres to the British Chambers of Commerce and the Chambers of Commerce North West.
When talking about his role as International Trade Manager for NWLCC Neal said trade in the North West is very strong.
“There is a long history of trade in the region and we still export more than we import.”
The NWLCC represents over 1200 subscribing members and is one of 16 Chambers in the North West. The key sectors it represents are education, tourism, aerospace, food and drink, transport and finance.
Neal commented: “90% of our Chamber members are small and medium enterprises. They can access our services such as a free legal or human resource helpline and also use the chamber to lobby the government.”
Recent examples of this include protests against the plans for a super casino in Blackpool being shelved and the proposed congestion charge in Manchester.
Bigger companies are also members including UCLan and BEA Systems.
Neal invited the MBA students to ask questions about the Chamber of Commerce.
He said: “Many people don’t know what a Chamber of Commerce is or what it does and yet they exist in all western industrialised countries because business takes place all over the world.”
The students said they found his visit very useful. Siamak Esfehanian commented: “We would like to sincerely thank you for the time that you spent with us this morning. I hope this meeting helps us to develop a close relationship and a deeper understanding of the Chamber of Commerce in our future careers.”
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/lbs/news/0308/chamber.html