Wednesday 29 July 2015

Is TVI Express Scam?

The TVI Express scam, as mentioned above, has always been under suspicion and under controversy. It has been hailed to mislead and misguide its clients by claims that are often unrealistic. While a majority vouch that it is a scam, there are many who claim that TVI ideas have been interesting and beneficial to them. The paragraphs below discuss this issue at length.

An Introduction

Travel Ventures International (TVI) is a travel and hospitality company that is supposedly headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

It has claimed itself to be a global organization with branches spanning over many continents, in countries, like India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cyprus, etc.

Launched in the year 2009 in India and China, it has been linked with unrealistic claims.

Apparent False Claims

TVI has been mainly related to its claims that they can help you to afford finances. For instance, they claim you can send thousands of people to world tours just by joining their business plan and even the joiner has a potential to earn USD 10,000 even after getting just two people down the line.

One of the obvious questions that pop up in the user's mind are - how can anybody pay USD 10,000 just by helping them join two other potential users? Consequently, this leads to an air of mystery about TVI.

Once you wish to enroll or login on it, you're asked to pay USD 250 as the joining membership charge. After you've joined their program, you're required to bring in two other people to this program so that you're entitled for its benefits and profits.

Once you've helped two other people join this program, you are put into a program called revolving matrix, that helps you to scale up the ladder slowly.

After the first cycle of round up (that is the term it is called), you earn a commission of USD 500. And your second commission is USD 10,000.

And after, every cycle of round up on the express board (as called by firm), you make USD 10,000! The cycling process of getting commission of USD 10,000 after 2nd time, is decided by some formula.

Some More Negatives

One of the other issues that has been collected from several reports, is that TVI does have a product and they sell 'travels'. However, you don't have any products being sold by TVI expresses, it's more of a pyramid-scheme type hierarchy, wherein you make members and make money through commissions.

The question of selling products seems ambiguous, vague and with no logic. It appears more of a network marketing or multi-level marketing scheme.

Some other negative aspects of this program is that it promises every member a 6-night free holiday trip; however, owing to presence of many members, this program is often halted and members have to wait for longer duration.

Besides USD 250, there is a USD 25 payment processing fee, that should be generally free. And the most complex thing is, it's difficult to understand how one moves up and down the line and qualifies for the USD 10,000 commission.

The fundamentals of MLM leads used by the website, are still not very clear, leading to confusion.

Not everything is negative about TVI, as the reviews entail various positive issues, like initial fee of USD 250, that is not very high, in case, you're able to get commissions as claimed by the firm. As we can see, there are both positive and negative sides of this company. People must make proper reviews and research from authentic sources as there are discrepancies regarding information about management officials of this firm. Who leads the firm and where are its corporate offices, is also a matter of controversy.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tvi-express-scam.html

Sunday 5 July 2015

Unemployment Causes and Consequences

The number of unemployed around the world is around 197 million.

Considering the unpredictable nature of the economy, unemployment is something we may have to face at any point of time in our careers. The inflating world population, its mismatch with the number and kind of work opportunities available, and a decrease in the size of the educated class results in an economic imbalance, which is an important cause of unemployment. The closing down of businesses, or their reduced needs of manpower are among the other reasons. Apart from adding to the economic imbalance, unemployment leads to stress and dissatisfaction in the jobless and their families. Circumstances force people to remain unproductive, in spite of their capability to work. This has adverse effects on society. In the following sections of this Buzzle article, we will look at the causes and consequences of unemployment.

Causes

? According to the Keynesian economic theory, unemployment results from insufficient effective demand for goods and services in an economy. If the demand for a particular good or service falls, companies produce less. This causes a decrease in the demand for workforce, leading to unemployment. In this case, a company may reduce its employees or file for bankruptcy. This is known as demand deficient unemployment.

? When businesses experience a growth in demand for their products, they need workforce. This brings in a period of increased employment. When businesses experience a decline in demand, their need for workers reduces. This leads to cyclical unemployment.

? Some believe that structural problems and inefficiencies in the labor market cause unemployment. Not being able to learn the skills or technology required for a job role or being unable to move to a different job location can lead to structural unemployment.

? Also, regulations like minimum wage laws imposed on the labor market lead to unemployment.

? When the law of demand and supply is not applied in case of employing people, unemployment results. A decline in the demand for products or services of a company does not reflect in the wages of its employees. This may strike an imbalance in the economy.

? When a person moves from one city or country to another, it may take him some time to find a new job. If he quits his job for a personal reason or because it does not suit his skills, he has to remain unemployed till he finds a new one. This is known as frictional unemployment.

? A temporary period of unemployment may be caused by a seasonal production of certain goods. For example, agricultural and mining activities may not be carried out throughout the year, which means, those working in these sectors will be unemployed seasonally.

? People may choose to remain unemployed for various reasons. Ideally, those who are not looking for work are not considered as 'unemployed'. Only those looking for a job but not being able to acquire one, can be classified as unemployed.

? Those who are of the working age but have stopped looking for work due to reasons like reduced motivation, are not counted in the unemployment statistics. This can be regarded as hidden or covered unemployment. It means the number of unemployed is always more than what is shown in the statistics.

? During a period of recession, some companies may lay off employees and others may reduce or completely stop recruiting people, leading to unemployment.

? Businesses may have other reasons for reducing employees, such as the shutting down of a particular division or new technology reducing the amount of workforce needed.

? If a company can obtain cheap labor from another country, it results in unemployment for the natives. For example, Chinese and Indian people are taking up jobs in the US. Companies are benefiting from having to pay relatively lesser salaries to workers from these countries. But this can affect the employment opportunities that Americans have.

? An increase in the taxes imposed on companies in certain countries, may lead the businesses to move out of that country. This may lead to job cuts of people employed by these companies.

Consequences

? Unemployed individuals have to go through an economic crunch. They are unable to meet their financial obligations. This may lead to a decline in their standard of living. Unemployment also hampers their economic and social status.

? The consequences of employment can be as grave as homelessness due to failure to repay home loans or pay house rents.

? Underemployment is one of the serious consequences of unemployment. On losing jobs, people are forced to take up work that does not befit their skills, experience, and educational qualifications.

? The other consequence of unemployment is increased levels of anxiety and stress in the jobless. The inability to get a job gives them a feeling of failure, leading to low self-esteem. They may lose interest in living and even have suicidal thoughts.

? The responsibility of their families (children's education, medical expenses of family members, etc.) burdens them further, leading to increased levels of frustration. Joblessness may lead to depression and other psychological problems.

? Long periods of unemployment cause the jobless to lose hope. Lacking financial support, not being able to provide for their families, and inactivity makes them feel all the more helpless. This state may lead to a decline in their overall health (physical and mental).

? Effects of unemployment are not limited to the individual. Even families of the unemployed have to suffer because of the reduced spending capacity and inability to meet financial obligations. Due to less or no inflow of money in the house, the family may not be able to afford even the necessary expenses, such as those to be made on food, health, and education.

? Immediate family members of the unemployed may also experience similar effects on health, such as stress, anxiety, and loss of hope. Effects of unemployment on families also include problems in relationships.

? Unemployment leads to less affordability. Lack of funds in case of the unemployed, and fear of job loss in others, results in reduced expenses. The decrease in the spending capacity of people has a negative effect on the economy. The drop in people's spending power directly leads to less consumption of resources. People buy less and invest less. If this continues for long, it may cause an economic decline.

? The worsening economic condition of the unemployed has adverse effects on society. It leads to feelings of insecurity in people. The poverty and hardships may lead the masses to lose trust in the government. This may lead to political instability.

? Due to absence of income and the building frustration, crime and violence rates may increase.

? Prolonged periods of unemployment make people pessimistic. Being jobless for a long time is worse than we think it is. It is a state of being unable to use one's skill and will to work and earn money. It is a condition in which one is unable to use his talent and ability for productive purposes. It spells incapacity to generate wealth. The absence of income and the lack of opportunities has a negative effect on the individual, the economy, and the society as a whole.

Unemployment benefits serve as a support during the period of unemployment. One can claim them if he has been forced to quit his job. Truth is that these benefits are a temporary relief from joblessness. The real solution to unemployment can be found only through a careful analysis of its causes. If it is seasonal or structural or till it has affected only a few, it is relatively easy to save the situation. But when unemployment is prolonged or has affected a majority of the population, reversing its negative impact on society is a challenge.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/unemployment-causes-and-consequences.html

Saturday 4 July 2015

Realtors and the Practice of Door Knocking

Door KnockingMany Realtors refuse to go door to door to prospect for new clients. They offer a myriad of explanations - no one is home during the day anymore, it is time consuming, the Internet is a more cost- and time-effective way to market, it uses too much gasoline, etc. Yet we all know a top producing Realtor who spends a couple hours every day or every week knocking on doors. Should door knocking be a part of your marketing and prospecting repertoire?

Real Estate Simulator

Kim Ades, MBA, President of Opening Doors, is well known for penetrating the international real estate industry with a product called the Real Estate Simulator, a web-based assessment tool for the recruitment, selection, and training of top performing real estate agents. Ades feels going door to door is an effective use of a Realtor's time. "It's been proven in many studies that people buy from people they like. But how are they going to get to know you if you are on a deserted island and not out there networking and meeting people? Now more than ever, agents need to get out from behind their computers and Blackberries and show their faces in public. Getting back to basics means being willing to put in the time, being ready to change your attitude and being prepared to be persistent and consistent. One good way to get back to the fundamentals is by doing some legwork - literally - through prospecting face-to-face."

Ades continues, "Prospecting is one of those basic skills that is key to success in real estate. However, many agents fail each year because they don't understand how important prospecting is or simply don't want to put in the effort. Many agents that do believe in prospecting choose seemingly easier methods like cold calling or email campaigns over face-to-face communication."

If you've never tried going door to door, ask someone who does it successfully if you can tag along the next time they go prospecting. Watch how they do it, their demeanour, and what they say.

Tom Hopkins

Tom Hopkins, author of Mastering the Art of Selling Real Estate, shares his thoughts, "Most people hate ringing stranger's doorbells. But when you're prepared, when you know how, when you've had a lot of success doing it, you won't hate ringing doorbells anymore. Maybe you won't love it but you'll get out there and do it regularly without feeling any distress."

Hopkins continues, "To make doorbell ringing easy, have a reason for doing it, something that's truly beneficial to the person on the other side of the door. This would include information on real estate values, or things that could or are being done by others to increase values in the area. Then rehearse plenty of things to say. You must be warm, friendly, and sincere in order to get them to like you and trust you. Be prepared to talk about the neighbourhood, the local shopping, employment opportunities in the area, and so on. Finally, have the right attitude.*"

Sell Yourself

As in most areas of real estate, it is essential you sell yourself. Your image, the words you speak, and the way you carry yourself (with confidence, hopefully) will be what ultimately gets you a new client. Get over or ignore your fear of rejection. Even someone who doesn't consider himself a people person can be a successful doorknocker. Like cold calling, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

The Buddy System

Some doorknockers say it is better to take someone else when you head out. Why? Conversation can be easier with three people than two; bantering back and forth is smoother. And while the homeowner may not consciously realize it, seeing two of you at his/her doorstep shows you are trustworthy; if someone else is willing to partner with you, why shouldn't they? As a bonus, a sidekick will keep you motivated: you will be accountable to someone. It will be nice, as well, to have someone to high-five when you get a lead and someone to laugh with when you crash and burn.

The Complete Door Knocking System

According to Phil Nordella, a Realtor who believes so strongly in the power of Realtors going door to door that he developed and implemented The Complete Door Knocking System, "Prospecting through door knocking is work, but it works. One reason door knocking works is because approximately 80 per cent of buyers and sellers have no idea who they would use as a Realtor if pressed to make a decision immediately. These people are up for grabs. Prospecting this way not only helps you to build relationships with people over time, it also shows that you are a working agent who is willing to go the extra mile."

More Benefits of Door Knocking

Another benefit of door to door selling is the fresh air and exercise you are able to get. One Realtor calls her door to door prospecting "walk abouts" and on a beautiful day she claims it gives her a natural high. Others find it relaxing. Another bonus: you usually learn something from talking to people whether it is about the area or picking up on upcoming trends. If you aren't good with chitchat, just ask questions and let the homeowners talk. Figure out when it works best for you; some people say weekdays or weekend nights work for them, other claim weekend afternoons.

In your business plan, should you have a section under prospecting for leads for door knocking?

http://suite101.com/realtors-and-the-practice-of-door-knocking-a288869