In our company is not doing well, earnings are down considerably… What do we do? Surely, something has changed something we are doing wrong or someone is doing better than we are, this is an ideal for ourselves internally and to review our strengths and weaknesses, we realize that our resources are not sufficient or our skills are cleaved a way, which undoubtedly affects our “competitive advantage.”

There are many successful cases of companies largely stopped by several factors that have competitive advantage in the market such as IBM, DEC, Xerox, General Motors lost market share because it did not last over time advantage over its competitors.

Another definition of competitive advantage can say is the organization’s ability to outperform its rivals. This ability is based primarily on reducing costs through higher efficiency supplies of high quality and accurate response to customer needs.

Competitive advantage is generated over four main blocks: efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. For a company creates competitive advantage is at least about going over their competitors in one of four large blocks that I cited earlier.

To give an example, Ghana y Montero Digital has competitive advantage over other consultants and software factories because it offers quality products and services, following a thorough process of quality assurance and compliance with accepted standards internaciolmente ISO 9001, CMMI Level 3.

Firms have distinctive abilities, these allow assignor higher price for their products and services or achieve substantially lower prices for its rivals. Of note, these distinctive skills arise from two complementary sources: the resources and capabilities. Being the most difficult to imitate capabilities than resources.

Who does not know imitation strategies? Blueprint for improving such as Compaq DELL applied for online computer sales and many others.

Thanks to the National Plan EPC led by GS1 Colombia and Logical Foundation, has achieved a 15% reduction in operating time in logistics processes, and a decreased level of exhausted from 4% to 1.4%, after EPC implementation.
Damascenes Exit, Colsubsidio and Olympic Superstores and suppliers as the Alliance Team, Aliments Polar, Bimbo, Casa Luke, Coalface, Companies de Galleass Noel, among others, were some of the companies participating in the Plan.
For several years Logical GS1 Colombia and Foundation are working in the search for new trends in the value chain aimed at the different flows involved (information, product, money and knowledge), all with two main objectives in mind: to make more efficient and optimal value network and in turn generate more money.
Last October 2009 GS1 Colombia and Logical Foundation decided to launch an initiative called the National Plan of EPC, which had as its goal: moving towards joint implementation of a model that would improve the visibility in the network value to the final consumer, as a major player, with the availability of POS sales generated online, reducing the percentage of non-stocked Gondola causal and time devoted to logistics operations as a receipt and dispatch of goods, calculate the investment and savings associated with implementation and, most importantly, build the business case that would later mass deployment decisions.
For the first time, and during three months of work, drew the participation and collaboration of 15 companies between industrialists and traders. On the side chains involved Damascenes Exit, Colsubsidio and Superstores Olympic, and the supply side Alliance Team, Aliments Polar, Bimbo, Casa Luke, Coalface, Companies de Galleass Noel, Companies National de Chocolates, Kellogg’s from Colombia, Meals Colombia, Products, and Unilever Angina Dorian.
These are the results obtained today with the implementation of National Plan EPC:

* Increased sales of channels at 0.42% on average.
* Increase in sales of industry by 0.21% on average.
* 15% reduction in operating time in logistics processes.
* Reducing the level of depleted under the causal non-stocked shelf, from 4% to 1.4% after implementing EPC.
* Validation of compliance with the promise of service chains made according to negotiations with suppliers.
* Actual knowledge of inventory both in store as the sales floor.
* Knowledge of real-time transportation between distribution centers and retail outlets set, and storage time of each reference in each point of the value chain
* Visibility along the value chain, i.e., traceability.

All companies that participated in the National Plan had a common goal: to be pioneers in the field, test and evaluate the mass deployment in its value chain for companies who choose to work later in the implementation of EPC know in advance, what were the obstacles and successes in the process.

Some of the powers of any person or company are the knowledge of certain skills set to display the set of competencies. Noting the knowledge and competence in business, it is important to understand from an economic point of view the usefulness of it, that is, how much better and under what conditions is worth.

It lets you make and how much under the conditions that allow to enforce. It may seem ill formulated, but keeps the essence of what this article is intended to convey.

Any event and the events that are stored information that is; one can trace any relationship of an event or incident. That is why, on this idea, which has developed a wide array of techniques and tools for the management of various business and industrial processes relaciodos with data handling and management of information and knowledge.

In addition, as for many scholars, that any business model consists of a historical sequence, any market condition implies a historical sequence of events and / or interrelated events.

The business plans are often mentioned as regards the study of supply and demand, from the standpoint of strategic planning that will assess potential approaches and / or strategies with a time horizon of application will probably different.

To study the current and potential customers could provide information about which are more profitable and which are not. However, this depends on your point of view. From the standpoint of market research and traditional tools such as analysis of supply and demand would be a bit exhaustive study. Poe even with the same amount of information and new approaches would be unable to obtain further information was obtained. For example:

RFM Analysis of an entirely different approach where the client is seen as an asset to the company. The econometric analysis and recognition of consumption patterns and trends could also be helpful. Both large and medium-sized enterprises, small and micro enterprises could make use of techniques and tools.

How much? Vale do what you allow, that is, you could have much or little information, but combined with clear objectives may have an important impact on certain initiatives and the formulation of strategic and operational plans. Another important point is the heterogeneity of sources, and it is important to discover information crosses low mesh combinations and variations resulting new information.

The conditions to give vouchers to information also related to their treatment and opportunity. This means that you could have biased or incomplete information but with a corrective treatment could rescue important values, it is also possible to study possible scenarios. On the other hand, it must be timely, it must serve the objectives.

Finally, it is important to approach it, there are similar treatments of data, but bring in as the situation requires it, for it is important to test under controlled conditions the effects of decisions that have as input the resulting information of a given process.

Information obtained in the field is forced to prepare data for analysis. In this post, quickly develop some guidelines for the preparation of information such as encryption, file creation, consistency and weight.

Once collected the data, provide codes relevant to the categories or alternative response of questions of the measuring instrument. Coded categories, we proceed to develop the codebook. Return in another post with the design guidelines of the codebook.

The coding can be made before or after lifting the information in the field. The coding can be made at time of questionnaire design, if the categories were pre-coded and the meter has no open questions.

On the contrary, postcodificación is to establish a code to each of the possible answers ready to be mentioned at time of interview in the open questions of the questionnaire. Therefore, the obtained postcodificación done all of the information.

The results of the measuring instrument are transferred to a matrix or database, using as support the codebook. Without the codebook, cannot be encoded and an array of database meaningless. The creation of the data file involves two steps: the recording and definition of the file.

In turn, the recording of the file can be committed in two ways: manual, i.e. using the computer keyboard, or mechanically with the use of optical scanners. The optical scanners read the codes and transcribed simultaneously.

The definition of the data file has protocols related to each statistical package. These protocols will be developed in detail in subsequent deliveries.

Information obtained in the field and finished recording and definition of data file, it must establish guidelines or procedures for quality control of data prior to analysis. Here soon some notes about the consistency of quantitative data.

Definitely, the consistency of data is a crucial time, complex and laborious process of preparing information for analysis.

The purpose of data consistency to ensure the quality of information. The consistency of data is performed in two stages or phases: at first, completed the recording and definition of the data file. In a second time by the systematic review of each of the variables and their relationship with others.

Designed the data file, i.e. the design of the study variables and their format, consistency begins with the application of filter controls and quotas.

It must pass through a filter selection control of the universe under study in order to verify that all the respondents belong to the objective universe.

In addition, the data must pass through a quota control, in order to verify that the composition of the sample matches the sample design.

In a second step, it checks to determine variables by procedure descriptive statistics, frequency distributions of all variables and relationships between them.

These procedures and protocols are critical in the process prior to analysis. It is necessary to carry out this stage of the consistency of a rigorous and systematic. Completed all these steps, the information shall be submitted for analysis.

Finally, the sample obtained in the field should be proportional to the distribution of the universe or population. Therefore, before starting the analysis of the data, we must verify that each individual or respondent in the sample has a weight proportional to the population distribution. The technique of assigning a weight to each individual or interviewee is called sampling weights.

In subsequent deliveries will develop in more detail these patterns of preparing information for analysis. This post is intended to serve as an introduction to the workshop by Spas Data Analysis. In the first session of the workshop, by way of introduction, we will discuss this and other memos, essential for the success or failure of any investigation. Until then.

Many of us would like to venture and work for ourselves. However, two important factors tend to block this decision. The first is money and the second risk. These two factors should not be taken lightly. Even small businesses need a substantial amount of capital to boot. The risk factor is still very threatening, up to 90% of all small businesses fail in their first year.

In affiliate, marketing there is no such risk, it can also be started with very little money, and affiliate marketing can be a very lucrative venture. If you have a natural ability for sales or marketing and is self-motivated and prepared to work hard, then the affiliate marketing scheme could be right for you.

Almost every day you see advertisements for courses and seminars that they have the secret to instant wealth and attending these courses you will have all the tools you need to get your business begins to function well and become a millionaire, who want to start their own affiliate marketing business often attend these thinking that will help your business thrive.

These courses and seminars too often disappoint. First, they are usually quite expensive; you have to pay the seminar or the course plus the cost of travel and hotel. Most of these are offered at tourist destinations throughout the country. Second, the person giving the seminar or course is usually doing a kind of promotional work, while they give out information in the course or seminar; their true aim is to sell his latest book or software. The truth is that everything you learned from that seminar was probably written in his book. You could have saved thousands of dollars if you just bought your book and read it rather than pay for the course.

While it is true that you should educate yourself in affiliate marketing, the best resources are not courses. However, the books if they are, if you just read about affiliate marketing, you can learn everything and save lots of money. Only considering the retail sites like Amazon and eBay, you can get hundreds of titles on the subject; there are many guides that show you systematically how to get your affiliate marketing business is going well.
Another great resource for the Internet affiliate marketing, affiliate marketing by simply typing in any main search engine results and get lots of information. There are many free online courses you can take on the subject if you so wish, read the information available to you for nothing. In a course or seminar will not teach you more than you can learn online free.

Magazines and newsletters are great resources for affiliate marketing; newsletters are generally free and contain good and valuable information about particular programs. You hear of people working in affiliate marketing, your advice is worth about what they are doing now to consider what you want to do in the future.

Finally, one of the advantages of joining an affiliate-marketing program is the support you receive; any good company should want you to succeed; a major benefit that you get the better for them. They should give their own advice and provide a support network that is available to you, this could be an agent with whom you can contact or advertising materials may also provide a wide variety of things to help you build your business and are one of the most important and reliable for you.

If you are considering entering the affiliate marketing, then you should find out what it is, do not spend money on expensive seminars and courses, better look for books, newsletters, online information and the companies themselves. Many of the best information are available free.

It is time to rebuild Mexico. The current moral crisis, economic, environmental, and social policy marks the end of an era. This degradation has caused serious damage to the historical conquests of Mexico and threatens our viability as a nation.

The greed of the mafia in power has no limits: It concentrates wealth in few hands, in exchange for millions of Mexicans condemning to a life of poverty and exclusion unacceptable, canceling the future of youth and children. This oligarchy is considered the owner of Mexico and we have become one of the most unequal countries in the world. With ambition, has hijacked the institutions, run over constitutional guarantees, given the national assets to foreigners and devastated the environment.

The only way to end these injustices is a profound transformation of the country. That is why we call the Mexican people to defend their rights, to carry out a revolution of conscience, of historical significance, to rebuild the nation from its foundations, to realize freedom, goodwill, justice and democracy.

The rebirth of Mexico requires the participation of all free citizens working in the construction of the common good. We want a country to provide security and welfare of its people, who respect freedom and diversity, a nation of decent people, united and happy: women, men, youth, indigenous people, peasants, workers, professionals, businesspersons, students, children, elderly.

This country is changing. Social power is underway. We are millions who are committed to transformation. Our guide is the story of the exploits popular Hidalgo’s example by founding the independent nation of Morels who gave the invocation of popular sovereignty, the Juarez to defend the Republic and the secular state, that of Madera called for a revolution effective suffrage. Zapata flag resumed the land and freedom; we recover the spirit of justice of Villa and the commitment of the Flores Macon to end injustice and exploitation. General Lazar Cardenas, who defended the sovereignty and economic independence, inspires us.

We are calling the people of Mexico to unite will and collective efforts in a constitutional process: to create the civic organization that defends the rights of all and new public institutions in Mexico make a democratic, inclusive and sovereign.

It is time to act, to organize from below and from the left, to struggle peacefully. We hope to add to that majority that wants a change because we defend a reason based on the love of equality and appreciation for diversity.

The project of nation that we offer consultation is a starting point for national debate on the Mexico we dream and want to build. A broad and diverse group of intellectuals and specialists committed to democratic change prepared this document. We put for discussion to be enriched with the experiences, proposals, ideas and demands of all sectors. The Mexico that we should be built together. As of December 2010 will reflect the individual contributions, collective and discussion forums to be made, in March 2011 will be presented the results of national consultation.

Colombian companies increased their production capacity and investments to meet growing demand in Venezuela between 2008 and 2009. According to the Bank of the Republic of Colombia (equivalent to the Central Bank of Ecuador), Foreign Direct Investment in Venezuela-balance between input and output of capital-was $ 51 million in 2009.

“Companies like Alpine imported part of their products but then put a plant there. At this moment an issue of legal uncertainty in Venezuela holds it back, says Ana Maria Camacho, COM Venezuela.

The currency issue and discretion in the delivery of permits are the most sensitive. “For some companies are given permits and others doing not. It is impossible to plan how they will behave in the Venezuelan market, because then there is the order of the importing country, but you can access foreign or permissions are granted but can not be exported but the market demands it. “

Companies can not repatriate their profits, which are considered another obstacle. Noel Alvarez, Fedecamaras of Venezuela, holds that the legal uncertainty for all companies and not just for Colombians.

Small and medium-sized businesses spend on average about U.S. $ 51,000 a year in information protection. The study is based on surveys conducted in May 2010-2152 SME executives and IT staff responsible for decision making in 28 countries in May 2010.

The study revealed that small and medium businesses (10-250 employees) are now making the information protection a top priority of IT, as opposed to 15 months ago, when a high percentage had been unable to implement the most basic protections.

This change makes sense given that Sees face greater threats of cyber attacks, loss of devices and loss of confidential data or protected.

Key aspects of the study:

* Sees surveyed showed greater interest and increased investment in information protection. Qualify data loss and cyber attacks as the biggest business risk, rather than the traditional criminal activity, natural disasters and terrorism.
* The critical data loss threat to Sees. Seventy-four percent of Sees surveyed are concerned or extremely concerned about the loss of electronic information
* Cyber attacks are a critical threat for Sees. Seventy-three percent of respondents were victims of cyber attacks last year. Thirty percent of those attacks were considered successful or extremely successful.

Symantec’s recommendations:

* Train employees: developing the internet safety rules and train employees on safety, security and the latest Internet threats.
* Protect important business information: the protection of information is essential for companies of all sizes and confidential information of Sees face greater risks.
* Implement an effective plan for backup and recovery: the protection of the information is not limited to implementing an antivirus solution.
* Protect the resources of the Web and e-mail: select a Web security solution and e-mail that can help mitigate spam and email threats for Sees to protect confidential information and spend more time with their daily activities.

Now you either by the INEGI, chaired Eduardo Solo, because although it seems to Ripley. Mexico did not have a reliable directory of companies and productive units, as they have failed all previous attempts as the SIEM, Business Information System of the former Department of Trade and Industry that, despite being supposedly mandatory registration for all companies in the country, became a dead letter because it was intended to carry through the chambers of commerce who never had the power to penalize companies or force them to pay their registration to the SIEM.

The new business directory that Solo has now formally present the name of medicine: UNSD, National Statistical Board Economic Units, but will become very useful for all companies and the government because it will really know the universe of productive entities in the country.

Since coming to INEGI, Solo had pledged to put pedal to the development of this directory, as the Law of the National Statistical and Geographic Information provides in Article 23, the creation of UNSD and its entry into force 1 August 2010.

In addition, solo is the first convinced of the importance of UNSD because as economy secretary SIEM found that it was useless and never fulfilled its role of being a reliable standard? The UNSD was developed with information from the Economic Census of 2009 with 4 million 331 000 962 203 companies grouped into different classes or economic activities. The total universe of companies, 47% is engaged in trade, services 39% and only 11% to manufacturing.

Obviously, the results of the UNSD reflect regional economic concentration and economic inequality in Mexico, as institutions, which offer the greatest number of companies is the Federal District, and Mexico, with 22%, while in Jellico, Vera Cruz and Pueblo concentrates 19% and 59% in 27 other states.

Similarly, it confirms that the majority of companies in the country, 88% are Sees because they have up to five employees, while only 0.2% had more than 250.

Another advantage of UNSD is the map with satellite tracking and up to 22 variables of information.

The Cabled de Tenerife allocated 220,000 euros to launch 100 new business initiatives through the annual call for grants and to allow the creation of 233 jobs, as reported in a statement insular institution.

The counselor island of Economic Development, Trade and Employment, Refrain Medina, said that “now more than ever we must support the implementation of new business initiatives that pique the entrepreneurial spirit to develop the island’s economy.” Precisely, and as a means to support the creation of new businesses, the council convenes every year a line of support for the financing of entrepreneurship, “thereby facilitating the generation of stable employment and productive innovation insular.”

The projects presented are related to different economic sectors, but predominantly in the field activities of the services and retail. In particular, they highlighted the number of enterprises run by the catering sector (cafes and restaurants), retail, business services (consulting, advisory services) and people such as hairdressers and beauty centers, alternative therapies, sport or training. Also have been other industry-related projects such as the establishment of enterprises manufacturing wooden toys, gofer mill, fruit packaging, among others. Most of these companies constitute the legal form of the individual entrepreneur and to a lesser extent, as limited partnerships.

The Cabled of Tenerife has earmarked this year a total of 220,000 euros to finance part of the cost of providing, commissioning and initial start-up companies. The amounts to be charged amount to a maximum of 6,000 euros to finance current expenditure and the same amount for investment, although such subsidies may be increased in the case of employing people with disabilities.

As specified in the rules of the call could be eligible for such assistance to new firms that generate stable jobs, which have economic and financial viability and that the case of companies with fewer than 50 workers.