Almost exactly a year ago, BT – the largest communications services provider in the UK and one of the largest in the world – signed a six-year, £128-million ($250-million) extension to an existing outsourcing contract with tech outsourcing provider Xansa (now part of the France-based Steria Group). The latter is now contracted to manage BT’s UK F&A, transaction processing, ledger and payroll operations until 2014. This week SSON spoke with Andrew Kemp, BT’s Director of Group Planning & Analysis, about the nature of the second-generation agreement, its challenges and benefits, and about the innovative “aspirational SLAs” which are part of the deal and which are driving forward improvements for both buyer and provider.

SSON: Andrew, thanks very much for joining us. First let’s get some background: what does your role entail?

Andrew Kemp: I am responsible for all of the group reporting, planning and consolidation activities, which applies to all businesses within BT. Also, I am responsible to pay all of our outsourcing contracts and the financing strategy with the group.

SSON: And are all these activities located in a shared service center?

AK: Using both Steria and Accenture we have delivery centres in Chennai, primarily; some in Prague; but I’ve also got what we call a Center of Excellence for the reporting, planning and analysis function in the UK which is based in and around centers around London – not in any one single building.

SSON: What operations do you have running out of the UK?

AK: Roles that are fairly close to the customer, a high level of interaction with customers’ finance and analysis functions, and quite a lot of planning, together with group consolidation which we don’t outsource. Most of the transactional stuff is done abroad.

SSON: How much interaction is there between BT’s operations over here and the Chennai centers?

AK: For me it’s been pretty seamless, and the transitions have been pretty seamless; we have our single points of contact for various processes. We tend to focus on the output rather than how they do it.

SSON: Tell us about the latest deal you’ve done with Steria.

AK: It’s a second-generation deal building on the previous five to six years’ work we’ve done with them. Five years ago we did a TUPE [Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment): UK regulations preserving “employees' terms and conditions when a business or undertaking, or part of one, is transferred to a new employer”] transfer outsource to them, so it was still UK-centered. The second-generation deal will move the onshore-offshore ratio from about 50-50 to 80% offshore on average within the next twelve months or so. We’ve strengthened the SLAs and performance from our perspective, and have really built on the strong relationship we’ve had with Steria over the past five years.

SSON: What operations were part of the original outsourcing deal?

AK: Our UK transaction processing; this is what’s now getting moved out to Chennai. Accenture do our non-UK transaction processing.

SSON: What was it about Steria that attracted you initially five years ago?

AK: There are two main things. One was that it is ready, the employees were taken to start the vagina, which guarantees the rights of individuals. Secondly, and connected, they were much more dedicated people to work and had a lot of culture in line with the way the N & BT # xE4; GI.

SSON: What are the biggest obstacles, and the greatest benefits that you will carry on in court?

AK: In terms of obstacles both our organisations over the last five years have had to work with the legacy of dealing with people and behavioural issues associated with the original outsource. As we’re moving work offshore that’s obviously been a challenge. We also have had to work through and around the fact that these were ex-BT employees and they had long-standing relationships with friends and colleagues who were at that point still employed by BT, so getting governance to work was a challenge because there were people just going round the edges and finding their colleagues: that wasn’t easy. I think the benefits have been significant, economically, but just as importantly we get much better transparency around what we’re doing now; I think the controls are stronger; and I think the process improvement that we’re getting – particularly now over the last couple of years or so – is very good indeed.

SSON: Andrew, moving onto a broader perspective let’s talk a little about BT’s sourcing philosophy: it seems that what you can, you are…

AK: Yes. For us in finance our outsourcing strategy was a function primarily of where we wanted to go with our finance function. We had a finance function a few years ago that was typically focused on reporting, keeping score. We knew we were trusted and respected as a function but we also knew that the business wanted more from us, more value. We think now about our finance function being a business partner for change delivering great business performance, so you don’t see words like “control” or “reporting” in that mission statement or vision statement. To execute against that we think about our finance function in three areas. One is transaction processing. The second was the creation of Centers of Excellence, which bring together finance systems; bring together reporting, planning and analysis capability; and bring together some of the regulatory reporting capability. And then at the top of the pyramid if you like, we believe in a concept called “business insights” where we think about people in the finance function working very closely with the business on support, supplier renegotiation, market, product, competitor analysis – that kind of thing. We felt we could get more value from our finance function that way, but we didn’t want to add cost – quite the opposite. So as part of that overall strategy we’ve outsourced all of our transaction processing across the group and where appropriate in the Centers of Excellence we’ve begun to outsource some of that as well.

SSON: It sounds like a lot of things that you have entered in the “Business Insights” is not suitable for excellence, is not it?

AK: “Not really, no, Centers of Excellence, the coherence of activities and areas close to home, serving the whole thing. Things about the end of the month, reporting a standardized manner, standardized way to the current budget or a forecast of the process: they can all come to Center of Excellence. a global analysis of how we engage with our consumers place of business in the UK and think, the price plans, BT Together etc, is completely different analysis and support needed when you see the world’s networked IT services, ä riteenused.

SSON: So what’s next? Where next with the Steria relationship and with BT’s outsourcing philosophy?

AK: Well, we’re one year into the next six-year period of the second-generation deal, so over the next year or so Steria and ourselves will work to get to the 80-20 offshore-onshore ratios. We are constantly looking at and refining scope; there’re some interesting interplays between what Steria does and what BT does around their involvement in procurement and procure-to-pay, and payroll, and those interfaces: there’s plenty to explore there. We have in the current deal created the concept of aspirational SLAs, so we have a vision of trying to drive the service towards world-class by setting and then working together to deliver against aspirational SLAs, and we’ll see where it takes us in a couple of years.

SSON: How do you define “aspirational SLAs”? The SLAs most of us are familiar with are very set-in-stone targets against which a service is measured and assessed…

AK: Yes, and by their very nature they’re not aspirational – because you would never commit in a contract to it with the penalties likely to be incurred.

SSON: So how do you organize things?

AK: We have two levels. First, we have SLAs, just described, and then we have a number of aspirational SLAs which we recognized when we would need them, probably a high level of investment is determined by the mo Lema party. These are the things that are part of the governance of our discussion on the relationship that we intended to deliver a truly first class service.

SSON: Planning for future added value from the agreement?

AK: Yes, exactly.

SSON: That’s quite unusual, but sounds dynamic. Was this something you developed yourself?

AK: It’s something we were reflecting on. One of the things I’ve been thinking about as I’ve been working with the outsourcing world for three or four years now is that there’s a tremendous focus on SLAs: you get to your quarterly governance meetings and everything’s green and there’s no sense of challenge or pushback or aspiration or ambition, because everything is seen to be working ok. For me that wasn’t desperately satisfying. So we were really keen to find a way of striving to improve what we do, and this is the methodology we’ve come up with.

SSON: And it’s working well for you?

AK: We’re one year in and most of the focus is still on the onshore-offshore ratios, but I’ve got a couple of examples where I’m really quite encouraged actually. The way we interact – both BT and Steria – with our suppliers is too old-fashioned; there’s too much paper and pen, you know? And now we’re really pushing electronic invoicing, together, and I think that will deliver a much better supplier experience – and I think it will take overall costs out for both companies and improve the overall level of efficiency of the service. So that would be an example where we’ve gone from below 50% electronic invoicing and I’m pretty confident that during 2009 we’ll be north of 80%, and we’ll take stock at that point and work out what that means and if it’s worth taking further.

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Almost exactly a year ago, BT – the largest communications services provider in the UK and one of the largest in the world – signed a six-year, £128-million ($250-million) extension to an existing outsourcing contract with tech outsourcing provider Xansa (now part of the France-based Steria Group). The latter is now contracted to manage BT’s UK F&A, transaction processing, ledger and payroll operations until 2014. This week SSON spoke with Andrew Kemp, BT’s Director of Group Planning & Analysis, about the nature of the second-generation agreement, its challenges and benefits, and about the innovative “aspirational SLAs” which are part of the deal and which are driving forward improvements for both buyer and provider.

SSON: Andrew, thanks very much for joining us. First let’s get some background: what does your role entail?

Andrew Kemp: I’m responsible for all the group’s reporting, planning and consolidation activities, serving all the businesses within BT. I’m also responsible for all our finance outsourcing deals and also for the group’s finance systems strategy.

SSON: And are all these activities located in a shared service center?

AK: Using both Steria and Accenture we have delivery centres in Chennai, primarily; some in Prague; but I’ve also got what we call a Center of Excellence for the reporting, planning and analysis function in the UK which is based in and around centers around London – not in any one single building.

SSON: What operations do you have running out of the UK?

AK: Roles that are fairly close to the customer, a high level of interaction with customers’ finance and analysis functions, and quite a lot of planning, together with group consolidation which we don’t outsource. Most of the transactional stuff is done abroad.

SSON: How much interaction is there between BT’s operations over here and the Chennai centers?

AK: For me it’s been pretty seamless, and the transitions have been pretty seamless; we have our single points of contact for various processes. We tend to focus on the output rather than how they do it.

SSON: Tell us about the latest deal you’ve done with Steria.

AK: It’s a second-generation deal building on the previous five to six years’ work we’ve done with them. Five years ago we did a TUPE [Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment): UK regulations preserving “employees' terms and conditions when a business or undertaking, or part of one, is transferred to a new employer”] transfer outsource to them, so it was still UK-centered. The second-generation deal will move the onshore-offshore ratio from about 50-50 to 80% offshore on average within the next twelve months or so. We’ve strengthened the SLAs and performance from our perspective, and have really built on the strong relationship we’ve had with Steria over the past five years.

SSON: What operations were part of the original outsourcing deal?

AK: Our UK transaction processing; this is what’s now getting moved out to Chennai. Accenture do our non-UK transaction processing.

SSON: What was it about Steria that attracted you initially five years ago?

AK: Primarily two things. One was that they were prepared to take the employees on a TUPE basis, guaranteeing the rights of those individuals. Secondly, and linked, they had a much stronger commitment to people, and people development, and culturally were much more aligned with the way BT was back then.

SSON: What have been the biggest obstacles, and the biggest benefits, that you’ve encountered through the deal?

AK: In terms of obstacles both our organisations over the last five years have had to work with the legacy of dealing with people and behavioural issues associated with the original outsource. As we’re moving work offshore that’s obviously been a challenge. We also have had to work through and around the fact that these were ex-BT employees and they had long-standing relationships with friends and colleagues who were at that point still employed by BT, so getting governance to work was a challenge because there were people just going round the edges and finding their colleagues: that wasn’t easy. I think the benefits have been significant, economically, but just as importantly we get much better transparency around what we’re doing now; I think the controls are stronger; and I think the process improvement that we’re getting – particularly now over the last couple of years or so – is very good indeed.

SSON: Andrew, moving onto a broader perspective let’s talk a little about BT’s sourcing philosophy: it seems that what you can, you are…

AK: Yes. For us in finance our outsourcing strategy was a function primarily of where we wanted to go with our finance function. We had a finance function a few years ago that was typically focused on reporting, keeping score. We knew we were trusted and respected as a function but we also knew that the business wanted more from us, more value. We think now about our finance function being a business partner for change delivering great business performance, so you don’t see words like “control” or “reporting” in that mission statement or vision statement. To execute against that we think about our finance function in three areas. One is transaction processing. The second was the creation of Centers of Excellence, which bring together finance systems; bring together reporting, planning and analysis capability; and bring together some of the regulatory reporting capability. And then at the top of the pyramid if you like, we believe in a concept called “business insights” where we think about people in the finance function working very closely with the business on support, supplier renegotiation, market, product, competitor analysis – that kind of thing. We felt we could get more value from our finance function that way, but we didn’t want to add cost – quite the opposite. So as part of that overall strategy we’ve outsourced all of our transaction processing across the group and where appropriate in the Centers of Excellence we’ve begun to outsource some of that as well.

SSON: It sounds like a lot of the things you’ve included in “business insights” would fit into the Centers of Excellence, no?

AK: Not really, no! The Centers of Excellence house activities and areas of commonality that serve the whole business. Things around the month-end close, standard ways of reporting, standard ways of running a budget or a forecast process: they can all come into a Center of Excellence. The analysis around the way we would deal with our consumer business in the UK and think about that in terms of the price plans, BT Together etc, is fundamentally different from the analysis and support needed when you’re running a global services networked IT services business.

SSON: What’s next? Where to go to the next relationship with Steria and BT outsourcing philosophy?

AK: Well, we’re one year into the next six-year period of the second-generation deal, so over the next year or so Steria and ourselves will work to get to the 80-20 offshore-onshore ratios. We are constantly looking at and refining scope; there’re some interesting interplays between what Steria does and what BT does around their involvement in procurement and procure-to-pay, and payroll, and those interfaces: there’s plenty to explore there. We have in the current deal created the concept of aspirational SLAs, so we have a vision of trying to drive the service towards world-class by setting and then working together to deliver against aspirational SLAs, and we’ll see where it takes us in a couple of years.

SSON: How do you define “aspirational SLAs”? The SLAs most of us are familiar with are very set-in-stone targets against which a service is measured and assessed…

AK: Yeah, and its nature is not aspirational – because you should never assume the contract, to make it more likely they will come to sanctions.

SSON: So how have you arranged things?

AK: We have two levels. First, we have SLAs, just described, and then we have a number of aspirational SLAs which we recognized when we would need them, probably a high level of investment is determined by the mo Lema party. These are the things that are part of the governance of our discussion on the relationship that we intended to deliver a truly first class service.

SSON: Planning for future added value from the agreement?

AK: Yes, exactly.

SSON: That’s quite unusual, but sounds dynamic. Was this something you developed yourself?

AK: It’s something we were reflecting on. One of the things I’ve been thinking about as I’ve been working with the outsourcing world for three or four years now is that there’s a tremendous focus on SLAs: you get to your quarterly governance meetings and everything’s green and there’s no sense of challenge or pushback or aspiration or ambition, because everything is seen to be working ok. For me that wasn’t desperately satisfying. So we were really keen to find a way of striving to improve what we do, and this is the methodology we’ve come up with.

SSON: And it’s working well for you?

AK: We’re one year in and most of the focus is still on the onshore-offshore ratios, but I’ve got a couple of examples where I’m really quite encouraged actually. The way we interact – both BT and Steria – with our suppliers is too old-fashioned; there’s too much paper and pen, you know? And now we’re really pushing electronic invoicing, together, and I think that will deliver a much better supplier experience – and I think it will take overall costs out for both companies and improve the overall level of efficiency of the service. So that would be an example where we’ve gone from below 50% electronic invoicing and I’m pretty confident that during 2009 we’ll be north of 80%, and we’ll take stock at that point and work out what that means and if it’s worth taking further.

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You would probably ask or a deposit pay for materials and possibly payments as you went along with the work. At the end of the job you would let the remainder of the outstanding cash. If the customer was not happy with your work he could talk to you on-site, at the time, he could request changes and possibly agree a new cost based on those changes. In some ways all those principles still hold true for people working in the field of web projects. The main difference being that, nearly always, the work is not carried out â??on-siteâ? the modern tradesmen of the computer era nearly always work at a distance. They may not be located the same town as the customer, they may not even be located in the same country or even the same continent. Technically this is no longer a problem, a customer can be located in London and the person or company performing the web project work may be in Sydney Australia. Again this is not the problem, part of the problem for people performing web project work is that working at a distance is new. Human beings are not well prepared mentally or doing business with someone they can not see and have never met and probably never will meet. An electronic handshake is by no means the equivalent of a physical handshake. We are used to doing this with in person and ascertaining what kind of person we are about to deal with by their words and body language. We are not well adjusted to doing business with people that we have no physical contact with. But this is the reality of the modern virtual work environment, so we have come up with ways getting paid at a distance and also we have invented new electronic needs to ensure that the payment reaches the provider on completion of the work. When someone takes on a new web project, especially for a client that they have not worked for before. It is always advisable to have some kind of agreement even if it is only very basic and amounts to no more than an agreement through exchange of e-mails. The agreement should say how much deposit should be paid before work begins. This amount is usually 25-33%, but sometimes can be 50%, it should be kept in mind that the buyer of the project also does not know the provider and perhaps will not want to give away too much money before the project has even begun. It is always advisable to keep the customer up-to-date with developments, not only for the customerâ??s peace of mind but also to ensure that the work is not going in a wrong direction due to misunderstandings. Your agreement may also have stipulated that you will receive further payments as you complete certain parts of the project. These again can vary depending on the size of the job and the percentage of deposit originally put down. Once the job is completed then handed over to the customer payment should be made within a reasonable period which again should have been stipulated in the original agreement. Electronic payments are now relatively simple; there are a multitude of ways to pass the funds between the buyer and the provider. Your agreement should have laid down how payment will be made. One of the most popular options is PayPal, and other similar online systems such as NoChex and PaymentOnline. It is fair to say that PayPal is definitely the dominant online payment system. There are other ways is the payment such as via bank transfers which are quick and efficient but can also be relatively expensive. There is also the option of online credit card payments direct to the provider assuming that they already have a virtual credit card machine set up to receive customerâ??s payments. One of the more popular systems for dealing with these payments is Worldpay which is used by some of the world’s largest companies. There are multiple other companies offering similar services, this may include your own bank. Another way that gives a large amount of the security for both provider and buyer are the various online escrow providers. Some of these escrow companies operate within the online services that bring providers and buyers together. A couple of examples would be GAF and iFreelance. When both parties agree to an escrow payment, the full amount is usually paid to the third party escrow provider. The escrow company will then hand over the cash to the provider under certain agreed conditions. Escrow payments very often take the form of one single payment at the end of the job. If there is a disagreement most escrow companies will act as mediator to resolve the dispute and to make the cash settlement. The escrow company does not work on behalf of either party but is the simply way to ensure that the cash is available for the provider assuming that the job is satisfactorily completed. Conversely the buyer protected because the escrow company will not pay out the money to the provider unless the buyer is satisfied with the work that has been done. This does not mean that the buyer will just received their money back if they are dissatisfied they will need to go to arbitration through the software escrow company. This is a good way to ensure that both sides are covered against any unforeseen eventualities if source code escrow goes wrong.


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If you have less than perfect credit, you may have been tempted by advertisements offering credit repair services. In newspapers, TV, radio, and on the Internet credit repair services claim to be able to remove bankruptcies, create new credit identities, and even erase bad credit. Some, though, may be scams, so before taking up any of those offers, please read Avoiding Scams.
In the Canada, negative information on your credit report is generally reported for six or seven years. Bankruptcy information can be reported for up to 12 years. Default information regarding Canadian insured or guaranteed student loans can be reported for seven years.
If your bad credit record is a result of inaccurate credit reporting, there is good news for you. While nobody can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report, the law does allow you to request a reinvestigation of information in your file that you dispute as inaccurate or incomplete. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can dispute mistakes or outdated items for free. You may ask the credit reporting agency for a dispute form, or submit your dispute in writing. You should include supporting documentation, clearly identifying each item in your report that you dispute, explain why you dispute the information, and request a reinvestigation. Make sure you remember to keep a copy of the dispute for your records. If the new investigation reveals an error, request that a corrected version of the report be sent to anyone who received your report within the past six months. If the reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, ask the credit bureau to include your version of the dispute in future credit reports.
If your credit report is bad, but accurate, then start to think in terms of regaining your good credit reputation. This requires time, so do not be impatient. You need to regain trust with finance and credit card companies.
If you have recently had to pay off a lot of debt, you may be wondering what your next step should be. Maybe you have been through a divorce, and were left with a lot of high interest credit card debt; or maybe you got behind on your payments after being made redundant. Whatever the reason, you fell behind with your payments, your credit report suffered for it, but now you are keen to restore your credit reputation. Fortunately for you, it is a lot easier to re-build your credit than it was to get out of debt in the first place!Here are the five tips that will have your credit report restored in good time:
1. Firstly, you should expect to spend about a year or more rebuilding your credit. If that seems like a long time, it is not. You must understand things from a lender’s point of view-they have to see proof that you are serious about keeping up a good credit record. The onus is on you. You are the one with a bad record, for whatever reason. You are therefore the one who must put it right.
2. To do this, you will need to establish some sort of credit, so that you can show your future creditors that you can be trusted. If you’ve had serious credit mistakes in your past, that may mean getting a secured credit card. These types of credit cards are secured by a bank balance, which will equal the spending limit on the card. The point of them is to build credit when no one else will issue you a card. They are a good way of showing that things are now on an even keel again, and you can maintain regular payments.
If you can apply for a low interest rate credit card, you should get one and use it for the sole purpose of rebuilding your credit.
3. Another credit report building method would be to make an application for a Bad Credit Car loan, and then pay it according to the suggestions I have outlined below.
4. The biggest single thing you can do to rebuild you credit is to make your payments on time. That means that you cannot be late, ever. If you are mailing in your payments, be sure to give it plenty of time to not only reach the destination, but also clear the processing channels. If you think that you’ve left too little time, send it on an assured overnight delivery. Nothing should stop you from getting those payments in on time! Remember, even one late payment can make a difference on your credit report so make your payments on time.
5. You should also aim to pay more than your minimum payments every month. That way you are showing creditors you are prepared to go that extra mile to repair your credit standing. Ideally, you would pay off your credit card every month, but if you can’t do that, then do pay more than the minimum. For example, if your minimum payment was $25 per month, try to pay at least $35. This will accomplish two things. First, it will make you look better in future lender’s eyes, and secondly, because by doing so, you will paying more toward your principle balance every month, (as opposed to interest), and that will reduce the overall amount that you’ll have to pay. The Best way to improve your beacon score with a secured credit card is to never take your total balance over half of the credit limit and pay the whole balance off every month.
Paying the extra may have a good psychological benefit to you too, as well as save you that horrendous monthly interest. It could be that, if you can pay more and more above the minimum, eventually you will be paying the balance off each month, and moving towards being a saver, someone who has more coming in each month than going out. That should be your aim long term, and the sooner you can start the better.
Do all of these things with patience and determination, and you’ll soon find yourself with a credit rating that you can be proud of!About the Author:
Auto Source Financial is a Canadian Financial Firm that assists people with No credit or Bad Credit Obtain Vehicle Financing. We Specialize in New Immigrants and Foreign Student Vehicle Loans. www. autosourcefinanical. com


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In my last two articles, I wrote about some of the reasons why money isnâ??t the only missing link in the fight against poverty as well as RAISE TRADE a new form of trading that brings various stakehaolder together with the view to promoting the notion of VALUE ADD. Over the next few articles I will explore the money issue further and I will present you with conversations that I had with people I work with in Africa.

I begin with the question  IF IT REALLY ISNâ??T ABOUT THE MONEY  WHAT ELSE IS THERE?  I answered this question in part in the previous post I will therefore draw from my first conversation to explore it further.

You may recall Tony Blairâ??s 2005 Commission for Africa, (Blairâ??s Commission) one of the decisions that came out the commission was the establishment of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa or ICF. The ICF is charged with helping African countries to create a more attractive business environment and realise its potential as a global trading partner. It works to remove real and perceived obstacles to domestic and foreign investment by assisting Africans to prepare and promote the continent as an investment destination (source ICF 2003)

The ICF is based in Africa and in August 2008 I called in on the Chief Executive Omari Issa in Dar es Salaam Tanzania to find out more about their work.

I began by asking him about the money. I have heard it said that money is the number one priority and as such a lot of emphasis has been placed on making it easier for people in African and women for that matter to access finance/loans for business

Omar: I would argue that the money is only part of the equation, as we found in this investment climate facility for Africa

That is interesting would you run me through the issues as you understand them?

Omari: Money is not the only constraint preventing folk from starting and running businesses and whilst access to finance is important it is not the primary factor If we consider the group of women you work with at Ethnic supplies,

1. Education, awareness and skills are the number one priorities that must be addressed to ensure economic success for small to medium business and these are mostly owned by women

2. When we break these down you will appreciate their importance. If you take an example of example one of your producers in Madagascar in order for them to generate an income from their baskets certain conditions must be in place

3. She needs to know where the market is and how she can access that market

4. Secondly she needs to develop her product to such a level as to be acceptable by that market,

5. then she needs to put together a business plan to demonstrates a bankable business

Would you care to elaborate on the last point please?

Omari: Well the banks here have a lot of money that they would like to lend people, I know as I used to work for such institutions. However the banks need reassurance that the person to whom they are lending the money will be able to repay it and the only way they can know is through a business plan. Women also need to demonstrate that they can handle balance sheets and this is a question of skills. An important factor is the environment in which businesses are run and that is where ICF comes in

How so?

Omari: The environment in which to run a business is important as is money. The environment covers issues such as Customs and Exercise, access to Legal systems that expedites commercial disputes, property ownership, political stability, speedy Company registration even issues such as power outage

Why is power outage such an issue?

Omari: Imagine a Woman who owns a hairdressing saloon but canâ??t afford a generator if there was a power outage on a Saturday which is ideally her busiest day of the week for her how much business would she lose? Most of the large corporations have access to generators and are therefore not necessarily affected by power outages and as it happens this was the case when I went to a barbers last Saturday (22. 8. 08) instead of going elsewhere I was happy to have my hair cut the traditional way with scissors otherwise the barber would have lost my business

How does easy and fast business registration help?

Omari: It is important that the setting up of and running of businesses is streamlined, barriers to importing and exporting of goods is made easier by clear and easy to understand customs and exercise regulation? The efficient Customs and Exercise practice and speedy business registration are necessary but are these need to matched up with skilled people on the ground If you can step back and consider a woman who has to travel at least 6 to 8 hours to register a business, by the time she arrives to the Company House office chance are that they will have closed for the day upon her arrival or as is currently the case in most African countries she has to see several people in order to complete the registration process. If that process were to take 8 months how much money would she have lost in bus fares?

He was at one point and I know and work with a woman, a woman named Julia Masaai widow, who ran from his village, but has increased 12 AIDS orphans, and does so sale of pearls.

Thinking about women in particular are there key issues that prevent them from achieving economic independence?

Omari: women work harder than men and are willing to work together. In fact womenâ??s co-operatives are more successful than menâ??s. By addressing the issues discussed here it becomes easier to run successful enterprises especially smaller ones owned by women.

It is all very well working to improve the investment Climate in Africa, but what about people like Julia. How does she benefit? She only speaks Swahili and has to rely on people who can speak English and live in the city to access buyers of handicrafts such as Ethnic Supplies. For instance she missed out on an order earlier in the year because the head of the co-o-op she belongs to failed to get to her.

Omari: that is where good management come in and this come from good education skills and awareness

As I left Omari, I felt that we had had a good conversation and I had a clearer understanding of what ICF is trying to achieve. But it seemed to me that whilst the folk at ICF are doing their best to improve the business environment it will be sometime before this is felt at the bottom of the African society, I wondered too  how soon the benefits of this system could be felt by women like Julia.

I also reflected on two conversations I had had with two female African High Commissioners in London. One of them is a strong advocate for Micro finance. I told her that I thought Micro finance was a good idea however that women that are lent this money need access to a much wider market to enable them to repay the loans. In addition that I was aware in some rural areas especially, these women had become victims of loan sharks. She was of the opinion that a much wider market isnâ??t necessary as people can do business locally and succeed.

The conversation I had with the second High Commissioner concerned Micro loans given by an organisation called HABITAT FOR HUMANITY. The basis of their work is decent shelter for all and they are very active in this particular High Commissionerâ??s country. Typically money will be give for the purchase of a piece of land on which the recipient can build a basic two room house. She was of the view that whilst people need decent places to live without jobs they will never be in a position to repay such loans. Do you see a chicken and egg situation in the two conversations?

In the next article I will write about  the person I met after I left Omari. She unknowingly validated everything Omari told me.

If you have a view about any of the issues raised here or simply want to join the conversation, please do so at http://ethnicsupplies. wordpress. com/2009/09/03/it-really-isnt-about-the-money/!

Ethnic Supplies supports women in the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Madagascar by sourcing handmade handicrafts and fashion accessories from suppliers that support women to be financially independent or directly from established womenâ??s groups in rural locations.

 


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In order to achieve excellent results every time you fire up the grill you are going to need to cook your food properly. Unfortunately, with the amount of barbecue myths that exist, it is so easy to be led astray.

Many of the myths out there, as with many myths, are often passed on as truth. In addition, the myths out there are fairly well known.

A lot of the bad results that the misconceptions are blamed on are actually the result of another factor.

The result is that many people new to barbecue cooking give up easily when they inevitably fail. Cooking on and keeping big charcoal grills in good working condition isn’t rocket science, but. . .

There are many barbecue tutorials out there that simply give horrible, myth laden, advice. Much of the bad advice is merely exaggerated, or assumed information.

So what are some common misconceptions about barbecuing?

1. Flipping meat too much results in tough meat

Flipping the meat itself isn’t the cause of tough meat. As long as you flip it with care you won’t have a problem. So if you flip like a mad man, that’s why your meat gets tough!

2. Fire itself will clean the grill

Thinking that your grill will clean itself is an incredibly risky practice. Your grill will not clean itself. The fire makes helping cleaning easier, but that’s all. So use a tough wire brush to clean your grill, after the fire has started, each and every time you use it.

3. Putting salt on your meat will dry it out

It is true salt has the potential to dry your meat. This will only happen if you put salt on the meat a long time before grilling though. There is no point of putting salt on in advance anyway.

If you have any doubt about advice

Simply cross check the information with a reliable source. Cross checking with multiple, reliable, sources will increase the likelihood of proper grilling even more.


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A poor credit home loan is available to good people who have had more than their fair share of financial troubles. This loan allows people with not so great credit to achieve the dream of owning their own home. Even though there may not be many lenders willing to work with people who are in financial straits, there are some that are willing to work with good people and understand that financial troubles can happen to anyone. The most important thing to look for when you decide to get this sort of loan is to not fall for the deals that sound too good to be true. If it sounds too good to be true, then it more than likely is, and you will end up on the losing end. Read More

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With the signing of the economic stimulus bill, there has been a rush to identify â??shovel readyâ? jobs. But, behind the scenes, business and government leaders are grappling with the problems of being â??people readyâ? for the millions of green jobs that will be created through the investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Meanwhile, job seekers, anxious and excited about the prospect of a lifeline into a new career, are finding it difficult and confusing to identify and determine the qualifications needed for a sustainable jobs. Many find, after navigating the waves of information about the green jobs, they end up with far more questions than answers. An ebook released by www. TheCompleteGreenJobGuide. com identifies the challenges and solutions for green job hunters trying to make the transition to a sustainable job. â??The Complete Green Job Guide 2009: Secrets For Getting The Job You Want” is the most up-to-date green job search resource available. Experts agree that the money allocated thus far for training falls far short of that needed to meet the demands for skilled workers trying to make a green job transition in the coming years. In fact, research conducted by National Renewable Energy Lab (http://www. nrel. gov/) shows the major barriers to a rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency are insufficient skills and training in Americaâ??s workforce. It is important to understand that momentum for green energy has been building for several years. After almost thirty years of debating the issues, government, business, financial and environmental experts agree that the conversion to sustainable energy is a necessity. The message is clear: we must act now. And those who act on their own to adapt to the new job market will have limitless opportunities in a green energy economy. With the support of government and business, green energy is poised to provide the largest growth in employment opportunities of recent decades. Statistics prove the green job movement has already started. â?¢ The American Solar Energy Society (http://www. ases. org/) reported that nearly 8. 5 million jobs were created in renewable energy and energy-efficient industries in 2006. By 2030, that number will sky rocket to 40 million. In twenty years, one in four workers will be in a green energy job. â?¢ The online job site, Career Builders (http://www. careerbuilder. com/ ), reports that thirteen percent of employers they surveyed said they plan to add â??green jobsâ? in 2009, up thirty percent from the previous year. â?¢ Several studies estimate that $1 invested in renewable energy or energy efficiency would yield up to four times as many jobs as $1 invested in oil and gas. In his pre-inaugural speech on the economy, then President-elect Obama outlined the reasons for investing in sustainable alternatives when he spoke of the paradox and the promise. â??So many are in need of work and there is so much work to be done. â? It will take an army of workersâ??an estimated 5 millionâ??from all backgrounds to begin the work to build viable alternative energy sources; retrofit our homes, offices, schools and hospitals for energy efficiency; improve and expand mass transportation; build fuel efficient cars and trucks, and develop biofuels. For many, the big question remains unanswered. That is how to be competitive in the green job market? With information scattered throughout agencies, it is difficult to understand the qualifications needed to qualify for the cleantech jobs, what businesses are emerging in this new market that will create sustainable jobs, and how to conduct an effective green job search. Never before have so many complex issues intersected to create such an urgent need to act. This complexity makes information a key advantage for the green job hunter. Those who donâ??t arm themselves with research, donâ??t monitor ongoing developments, and donâ??t take the initiative to identify, adapt and upgrade their skills risk losing an early advantage in the emerging green economy. So where do you start in this quest for information? Inspired by the growing questions among job seekers, the green hiring professionals at www. TheCompleteGreenJobGuide. com decided to find answers. To find the answers green job hunters need, their staff did extensive research to:â?¢ review the history of the green energy job movement â?¢ consult with hiring and training experts â?¢ examine the statistics to ferret out the facts behind the headlines The results of their research is compiled in a comprehensive report, â??The Complete Green Job Guide 2009: Secrets For Getting The Job You Want”. For those green job seekers who want the make transition into a sustainable job, â??The Complete Green Job Guide 2009: Secrets For Getting The Job You Wantâ? is a comprehensive green job resource which organizes your job search into a ten-step program. The steps are:1. First things first: define a green energy job?â?¢ Green energy is a move toward a new economy, with new industries, new jobs, and a new vision for economic and environmental stability. Learn what defines a green energy job. 2. Be informed and be committedâ?¢ Although green energy is a key item in the stimulus package, it is first and foremost a critical part of discussions on national security, energy independence and global warming. Any professional pursuing a career in this market segment will need a thorough understanding of the myriad of issues impacting green energy. 3. Learn â??green speakâ?â?¢ Green tech, cleantech, sustainableâ?¦green terms such as these have become part of corporate and popular culture. New idioms show up in conversation frequently. Job candidates need to extend their grammar check to include green glossaries and dictionaries. 4. Find the company that fitsâ?¢ Find out where green jobs are growing. Identify the top new business in the industries for your green job search. Learn where green jobs are emerging in traditional businesses. 5. Pick the job you wantâ?¢ What are the job titles for a green energy job. Qualifications? Career track? Pay? Green job seekers will need to see where they fit in the new job market. 6. Take inventory and show your skillsâ?¢ Assess your skills for a green job transition. How will you transfer them to a green energy job? 7. Bulk up your qualificationsâ?¢ Do you need more training or certification? Identify short term, cost effective ways to become better qualified for a green energy job. 8. Be sociable and network your way into the back doorâ?¢ Learn how to get into the back door through personal contacts. Understand how social networking can enhance your green job search. 9. Brand your unique qualificationsâ?¢ Translate your unique abilities into benefits for cleantech job. Create your own brand, and market it through your resume, letters, networking contacts, and interviews. 10. Make job boards and job fairs work for you. â?¢ Navigate the 40,000 job boards and effectively narrow your search. Utilize job fairs for research and visibility and find the one that will help you make the green job transition. By following these ten steps, job seekers can successfully navigate the path to a green job. As job losses mount weekly, that transition becomes increasingly urgent. The good news is that, armed with a thorough understanding of its goals and requirements, we have the opportunity to meet the challenge being â??people readyâ? for the emerging economy.


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Kerala has numerous local festivals that are celebrated with great pump and sour, it is the most beautiful girl on earth, South west part of India, and a land of fairs and festivals. Kerala, God’s own country is one of its many claims to fame. There are certain festivities like the boat races, which originated to commemorate religious events but subsequently turned out to be events of social importance. Most of the festivals of Kerala are connected with local traditions and religions.

Vishu

Kerala’s festivals start with the occasion of Vishu. It is celebrated in the month of April. This is the first day of New Year according to the Malayalam calendar. The main event of the Vishu celebration is the ‘Kani- Kanal’. Coconuts, fruits, cereals and Konna flowers are kept in big pots to prepare Kani. The elders in the family give money to the youngsters and bless them. This is supposed to bring good luck throughout the year. The day is marked by heavy feasts.

Onam

Onam is the most famous and popular festival of Kerala amongst the festivals of Kerala. Onam is celebrated with lots of fervor and gaiety. It is held during the end week of August or early September week.  . Onam festival is an example of religious harmony and provides for family get-together. The celebration lasts for 10 days with special rituals such as wearing new clothes; making traditional cuisine, with dance and music. At others, performers painted like tigers in bright yellow, red and black, dance to the beats of instruments like udukku and thakil.

Mahasivarathri

Maha Shivaratri is an important festival of Hindus and is celebrated every year in the month of Kumbam (Feb-March). Maha Shivratri meaning the Night of Shiva who is known by hundreds of names. Mahasivarathri festival commemorates the day on which Lord Shiva consumed the deadly poison (Kalakuda visham) to save the world from destruction. In Kerala the celebration of Shivratri at the Siva temple which is on the sand bank of River Periyar is attended with great ceremonial elegance and splendor.

Thrikarthiaka

Thrikarthika festival is dedicated to Shakti, the energy source also known as Bhagavati in Kerala. It is the festival of lights celebrated in the month of Vrischikam (November – December). On the Thrikarthika day, after sunset, houses, streets and temples are decorated with special oil lamps. It is an integral and unique part of the festival.

Extend your tryst with this spectacular wonder called Kerala and experience its rich cultural heritage and festivals, which adds vibrancy to its diverse and bountiful natural wealth.

Click here for detail about Kerala tour packages in India.

Festivals of Kerala, Kerala Tour Operator, India Tour Operator


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