Invest in yourself

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Stanford University'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 Iran. 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

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

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

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

My last visit to London

make more money

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

1. The external environment
   
2. The strategic capability of the organisation(the internal environment)
   
3. 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

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

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

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

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

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

100 banned words

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.

1. ambassador
2. agencies
3. beacon
4. best practice
5. bottom-up
6. CAAs
7. can do culture
8. capacity
9. capacity building
10. cascading
11. cautiously welcome
12. champion
13. citizen empowerment
14. community engagement
15. conditionality
16. consensual
17. contestability
18. core message
19. core value
20. coterminosity
21. coterminous
22. cross-cutting
23. customer
24. democratic mandate/legitimacy
25. distorts spending priorities
26. early win
27. empowerment
28. engagement
29. engaging users
30. enhance
31. evidence base
32. external challenge
33. facilitate
34. fast-track
35. flexibilities and freedoms
36. framework
37. fulcrum
38. good practice
39. governance
40. guidelines
41. holistic
42. holistic governance
43. improvement levers
44. incentivising
45. income/funding streams
46. initiative
47. joined up
48. joint working
49. LAAs
50. level playing field
51. localities
52. meaningful consultation/dialogue
53. MAAs
54. menu of options
55. multi-agency
56. multidisciplinary
57. outcomes
58. output
59. participatory
60. partnerships
61. pathfinder
62. peer challenge
63. performance network
64. place shaping
65. predictors of beaconicity
66. preventative services
67. priority
68. process driven
69. quick hit
70. quick win
71. resource allocation
72. revenue streams
73. risk based
74. caled-back
75. scoping
76. seedbed
77. service users
78. hared priority
79. signpost
80. single point of contact
81. slippage
82. social contracts
83. stakeholder
84. step change
85. strategic/overarching
86. streamlined
87. subsidiary
88. sustainable
89. sustainable communities
90. symposium
91. synergies
92. tested for soundness
93. third sector
94. top-down
95. transformational
96. transparency
97. value-added
98. vision
99. visionary
100. 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

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

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

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:

1. Vision
2. Influence
3. Confidence
4. Commitment
5. Results Oriented
6. Timing
7. Perseverance
8. Caring
9. Action
10. 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

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

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

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

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.

1. 1951: The European Coal and Steel Community is established by the six founding members


2. 1957: The Treaty of Rome establishes a common market


3. 1973: The Community expands to nine member states and develops its common policies


4. 1979: The first direct elections to the European Parliament


5. 1981: The first Mediterranean enlargement


6. 1993: Completion of the single market


7. 1993: The Treaty of Maastricht establishes the European Union


8. 1995: The EU expands to 15 members


9. 2002: Euro notes and coins are introduced


10. 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