A Common Sense Economic and Market Structure Model for Developing Countries

September 30, 2012 By

A Common Sense Economic and Market Structure Model for Developing Countries

Introduction

For more than thirty years developing countries’ economic problems have created major financial crises in the international community. Developing countries have remained so due to their low-income economies. African and Middle East countries live in ethnic diverse communities and are subject to political instability and corruption than Asia and Latin American countries that live in more homogeneous communities. There is more cost involved in a population of workers and who belong to different ethnic groups because of diversity, cultural differences, religion and language. The purpose of this economic development model is to address economic stability, the problems (value inhibitors), solutions (value drivers), the strategies and implementations of the economic enhancement in order to help the developing countries be less dependent on developed countries. So many studies have been conducted on developing countries, but none of the studies have focused on how the developing countries could apply or use the economic models with less participation of the industrialized countries. World Bank and United Nations ought to examine minutely any potential foreign aid application while focusing on this model for developing countries. This model will enhance in devising a strategic means of monitoring the developing countries before distributing fund to those that may not use the model or practice noncompliance. The practical sense of the use of this model is to elevate the developing countries to economic success and stability, and reduce their dependency on developed countries.

Role of leadership

In developing countries, most leaders behave and think differently. Although, these may not be tolerated by developed countries, they are the norm and are based on their ethnicity, beliefs, religion, culture, social classes, and assumption of supremacy. Negotiating and managing conflicts in developing countries is a matter of understanding the genetic makeup of that country. Diversity may create needs but these needs do not have to be neglected in order to create balance among the ethnic or sectarian groups. A Western countries’ style of negotiating and resolving conflicts may not be applicable in the developing countries where religion and ethnicity have continuously impacted the leadership in those countries. Hence, the inefficient and ineffective leadership have led to social development and economic neglect that have caused the worse economy and poverty in those areas. If politics are set aside and economic benefits are put in the forefront by these developed countries, the chances of conflict resolution will be increased.

Leaders who have vision for change may think about what the impact the economic and market development will have in the long-run, and in the locations and in the life of its citizens. The social problems in Malaysia exist because of the ethnic Chinese who are not Muslim in a country where over 90 percent of the population is Muslim.

In developed countries, situations create focus on civilization and leadership, where civilization shapes leaders and leaders shape civilization. Power is treated as a shared resource, but in most developing countries coercion is the system used by leaders. Leaders use physical, economic, and social threats and punishments to induce change in followers for the sake of the leaders. The leaders therefore have become power wielders. These leadership problems have impacted the economic and market structure of the countries. Hence, a new model may mean a step to a new and better way of life for all the developing countries. The Western part of the Asia continent is predominantly Muslims and still have untapped resources that have not been explored because of dictatorship, politics, religion, culture, beliefs, and diversity. Exploring these countries and helping them stabilize will transcend to trading with other developing countries, which will in turn pull them out of poverty, instability, and create peace among the sectarian and ethnic groups.

Asia

Before the coming of the tsunami in December 26 2005, the South Asian countries were poor and developing. Both the South and East Asia have untapped economic sources. These potential raw materials need to be explored in order to help develop the economic and market structure of the region. The tsunami destroyed the infrastructure, economy, and the lives of the people of the South Asian countries. The 6.3 in magnitude earthquake that hit the central java of Indonesia on May 27, 2006 destroyed what was left of the tsunami. These countries will benefit from cash crop, livestock, and poultry production because of their adequate weather and availability of natural water, which will not require a high technology in order to irrigate the farmland. Mechanized farming will need to be introduced and implemented to aid in maximizing production of agricultural products. The Eastern part of South Korea has a comparative advantage over industrial, commercial, and manufacturing production. Producing and trading on building, automobile, motorcycle, and other petty materials in the form of buying and selling will enhance in the development of the market setting and economy. This will help in the stabilization of the East and South Asian countries. A stable economy will help resolve and manage conflict in these countries that have different ethnic groups and history of diversity. The economic and market structure may also aid in the stability of the leadership, political and social system. The environmental problems may need to be addressed in order to guard against pollution or any unhealthy by products or waste materials that may cause harm to people or have short or long term health problems or may be fatal to people. If these countries are stable, they will attract foreign investments rather than needing foreign aid. The military disturbances in East Timor are not helping the economic and the market structure of the young independent country.

The four factors that determine the economic growth are labor, capital, land, and Entrepreneurship. Developing countries have more labor force with lower wages than developed countries and yet their economic growth is still lower than that of the developed countries. Capital is another problem facing developing countries. They need resources such as equipments, machines, factories, and money to work with. Labor without capital is synonymous to guns without bullets. Capital will also represent an investment that will pay off in the future. Most developing countries have untapped resources such as oil, gold, diamond, minerals, forests, and water that represent land which by themselves cannot stimulate economic growth unless they are explored and converted to goods and services. Technology enhances economic growth. A group of agricultural researchers from Texas A&M University and University of California-Davis acquired a four-year grand of $4.4 million from U.S Agency for International Development’s Mission to Afghanistan eGrazing. This discovery will aid the livestock herders to successfully tend to cattle, sheep, horses and goats. If this system had been in place, it may have made an impact during the tsunami in Indonesia. Political and social factors that inhibit Economic Growth are corruption, instability, lack of leadership and administrative skills, population growth, and lack of business enterprises.

Africa

African countries are very poor and in dare need of economic and market structure development. Before these countries go global, they may to have sufficient needs of life by taking comparative advantage of their sources of raw material. Some have cash crops that need to be irrigated, some have livestock and poultry that need to be technologically upgraded, and market structure that needs to be redesigned, developed and implemented. The improvement of the agriculture will help the poor farmers send their children to school, build infrastructure, develop the quality of institutions, and make a smooth run of transportation.

Middle East

Middle East region is a turbulence area because of instability associated with religion, oil, dictatorship, and developed countries’ influence. The Iraq war has devastated the whole region, and couple with the Israel, Palestinian, and Lebanese conflict, which has created further economic drawbacks that amount in billions of dollars. The destruction of the infrastructures, and the lost of lives have sent the economy of Lebanese country decades backwards.

Latin America

Development in Latin Americans countries could stem from agriculture, forestry and fishing, to mining, and manufacturing. These Latinos can help in building their countries rather than trying to immigrate to United States of America. If guided, they will improve their countries’ economy and help in the marketing of agricultural, manufacturing and other natural resources. Immigrants spend much time in the state of California farms, Illinois factories, North Carolina, and areas in the north east of United States of America working mostly in food industries. These efforts can be redirected to Latin America in order to develop the entire area.

Political struggles, lack of administrative skills, and power supremacy have strangled the economic and market structure of most countries in Latin America. For decades the Latinos have traveled north of the border to United States of America in search of better lives. This economic situation has resulted in the deaths and mutilations of people trying to enter United States of America. The smugglers who are known as the “coyotes” have made huge profits for attempting to transport these illegal Latinos across the border. It is very dangerous ventures because of the hot temperature, train transportation, unhygienic felt, bad weather, lack of food, water, and other unknown dangers along the road to the border. Immigrants spend months traveling to the border and most times do not make it to United States because they are caught and send back south of the border. Most gang groups have resorted to kidnapping wealthy Latin Americans living in the United States side of the border for huge ransoms, demand thousands of dollars in exchange to the kidnapped victims and most of the times these victims are killed. Families are separated due to fractured economy when men live their families for years in search of money for food in the north of the border. Income is not redistributed to the population, the rich gets richer while the poor gets poorer. The people of Latin Americas deserve more from their leaders and their natural resources, which has not happened because of corruptions and drug kingpins who have operated by intimidation, coercion, and fear.

The Four “Pies” facing developing countries

Poverty stems from lack of education, opportunities, and low literacy level. These countries do not put too much emphasis in education as they resort to marrying more than one wife and having too many children. Farming and herding have been their main source of food production and livelihood. Ethnicity is attributed to too many tribes, languages, and dialects. It has also contributed to lack of trust amongst different ethnic groups due to lack of understanding each other’s culture and tradition. They have become one country but different people. Instability is created by lack of a stable government by corrupted leaders, who always come to power for the purpose of stealing funds. That ultimately leads to no mandate to build infrastructure, and develop the economy and market for the country. When people’s needs are not met, most of the times in developing countries, rebellion begins when the government neglects a certain group of people. When people are deprived of the necessities of life while the other group has it all because of their ethnicity and religious sect, it creates tensions that lead to a “time-bomb” ready to explode. These most times cause conflicts that are attributed to hatred, sabotage, riots, revolution, and deaths. This is common in the developing countries where corruption and venality have played a role due to self-centeredness on the part of the leaders. Leaders therefore resort to intimidation of their citizens and thereby control these countries by coercion.

17 Strategies for implementing economic and market structure in developing countries

(1)A comprehensive education across the country needs to be instituted. This may be in the local dialect and language in order to make it easy for the citizens of that area. Assessment test of individuals’ talent and abilities need to be explored, recognized and documented to be sure where these individuals’ maximum potentials lie. A program needs to be instituted in order to teach the citizens methods of family planning and birth control. Individuals also need to understand the social and economic benefit of the birth control.

(2)Some individuals may have ability in agricultural work (Crops/livestock/Poultry). Locations with fertile lands need to be located and utilized for crops and livestock, and those areas without fertile land may need to be used based on its comparative advantage, such as poultry, storage of byproducts, and market areas.

(3)Supermarkets are to be constructed in all densely populated locations or urban cities to enable the young men and women find and keep jobs. The stores will consist of three shifts so that students can work and at the same time go to school and do their schoolwork. These markets will be located in the areas where people can afford to shop. A Wal-mart (USA) approach will be most appropriate in these locations. The four utilities of market will have to be considered and instituted as the main reason for the location of the supermarkets.

(4)Consideration of the product that people will want, the price to set for the product, the place that will be appropriate for the supermarkets and their nearness to the people, and how the promotion of the product will be conducted in order to reach the consumers and customers.

(5)The nomadic approach of rearing, transporting, and selling livestock will be changed to using trucks to transport them if it involves long distance in order to avoid spreading of any diseases such as mad cow disease and other diseases that come from livestock feces as they are transported though out the country. Trading locations where buyers and sellers meet, and the days to meet are to be established in both rural and urban areas.

(6)Areas where people still live in poverty, a trade by barter may be established so as to allow the farmers who want to exchange items from their farms to bargain for exchange. This short-run method will continue until the economic development is in place and running.

(7)Foreign investment and property rights need to be considered as part of encouraging investments and savings in order to stimulate the economic growth. This method may help the developing countries to invest less money on capital goods, create more competitive markets, and in turns reduce or eliminate corruption.

(8)Establish local leaders by ethnicity, who will act as representatives or middlemen between the government and their ethnic group. These local leaders may be selected by group they represent and approved by the government to ensure they are working on behalf of the people they represent and not for their own self-interest. In addition, the African experts may be contracted to help establish the boundaries of no corruption.

(9)Individuals have certain religious beliefs and different ways of thinking, and as such need to be segregated according to their sect for the benefit of market structure and economic development. Individuals who understand that certain groups have designated times in which they pray will have no problem doing business with such groups. This may reduce tensions for those who understand the culture of those religious group, and for those, who do not there will be tensions and uneasiness, which is the reason for grouping citizens according to their religious sect.

(10)Government need to institute “watch dog groups” in order to police the programs and to make certain that the programs are in place and running. A 3-year trial needs to be established for any program of economic and market structure that is implemented for these countries. This is enough time to evaluate the program in place in order to ensure its workability. Experts in Africa need to be involved in all phases of implementation in order to combat corruption and promote stability.

(11)Poverty may be reduced if adequate and stable structure for economy and market is established, and the government leaders via the local leaders address all citizen’s problems. The essential necessities — housing, clothing and food – may be the top priorities for these countries in order to reduce the poverty.

(12)Professionals and skilled workers are to be encouraged through issuance of incentives in order to motivate them to stay and reside in these developing countries and help in the development of these countries rather than leaving for developed countries. Mass exodus from these developing countries only harms and delays the development of these countries.

(13)Construction of infrastructure such as roads, buildings, and bridges are important for the economic and market structure of developing countries. Food products and other necessities of life can be transported to their respective destinations as quickly as they are needed when good infrastructure is in place. It may also encourage in foreign investments. Investors will prefer to invest in stable countries to unstable countries.

(14)Construction and installation of adequate running water in developing countries and to all parts of the countries also will help in building stable economic and market structure. It will help in curtailing diseases such as typhoid’s and malaria that usually come from unclean water. It will also help the children to focus in education and literacy programs rather than traveling miles upon miles to fetch water from the streams and wells. Some of these children die in taking these water-fetching adventures.

(15)Installation of electrical system may help in the growth of communities. Businesses cannot operate adequately where electricity is lacking. As such, these countries will require electricity in all areas of the countries as a form of economic development and market structure in order to help businesses function and grow, help in the food storage, and eradicate waste of food products that would otherwise be stored safely in cold rooms and refrigeration.

(16)Social Organizations need to be introduced to help the poor get out of poverty, and give them the opportunity to operate their own small businesses. This type of organizations are set up by the government as not-for-profit organizations, and the purpose is to develop the people’s business skills and issue them interest free start-ups loans to enable them manage their own businesses, which in turn lead them to poverty free. They will guided them to the type of businesses to open, how to open them, where to open them, and why they should open those kinds of businesses.

(17)The potential goals may be achieved by enforcing the use of this model as a condition of receiving funding or foreign aid. As a way to check and ensure that monies do go to what they are intended for, developing countries pledge to use and implement this model. This model will check and police the development of the projects. The intention of this requirement is not to discriminate against developing countries, but to help the citizens of those countries as they have no way of benefiting from these funding and foreign aid that usually end up abused, misdirected, and misused for other personal and private purposes by the leaders due to corruption and venality.

Who Are the Developing Countries

World Bank defined developing countries as those with low-income economies with per capita incomes of $755 or less. World Bank is an International Organization that categorizes such countries as developing countries and also issues loans to them.

A Common Sense Economic and Market Structure Model for Developing Countries

A Common Sense Economic and Market Structure Model for Developing Countries

About the Author

Dr. Sidney Okolo is a professor, consultant, strategist, and Africa expert. He is affiliated to several universities and the Managing Director of International Business Associates, a management consulting firm, and also the CEO of Global Education Support, an education assistance program.

Among other things, he engages in all aspects of learning, knowledge, organization and human change. His focus is on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, profit engineering, human potential, excellence, achievement, business strategy, research and development. Product management, change management, conflict management, athlete management, marketing, business development and operations. He works with clients to adapt to change due to change in factors of production, technology, goods and services. He engages clients in training, retraining, development, skills enhancement, association, behavior modification, ways of thinking, and attitude adjustment. In addition to his work in the United States of America, his focus is also on developing countries in the continent of Africa, their leadership, culture, economic and market structure, community planning and development, and his created four letter word, “PIES”, which stands for: poverty, instability, ethnicity, and sectarianism.

http://www.iba-pec.com

http://www.globaleducationsupport.org

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Building a New House – Initial Steps in Developing Plans in Florida and Other Areas

August 9, 2012 By

Building a New House – Initial Steps in Developing Plans in Florida and Other Areas

Building in Miami or any area of South Florida is completely different from building in any other area of the country. While most of the eastern seaboard of the United States, and much of the rest of the country, builds houses with wood framing and a finish of brick or wood siding, South Florida builds with concrete block and concrete.

Quality vs. price

Because of hurricane winds the structures in this area must be very strong. Where the rest of the country looks down on us because they only use concrete block in their basements, for my money, I really like concrete and block construction. Concrete blocks do not get termites and will not rot. Therefore, a concrete block structure will last for 100 years or more with almost no maintenance. Unfortunately, the vast majority of houses in Miami have wood trusses with plywood sheathing for the roof, then roofing paper and either shingles or concrete tiles on top. This type of construction is not particularly good at resisting hurricane wind conditions. Although the Florida Building Code has tried its best at improving the requirements for installing the roof sheathing and the roof finish, it cannot begin to compare to the strength that the roof would have if a concrete slab were used for the roof structure.

So why, if we know this, don’t we build with concrete slab roofs? Cost – the only reason is cost. It is much more expensive both to design and to install a concrete slab roof, especially on a slope to take a concrete tile finish.

So one of the first things the homeowner needs to establish at the beginning of the design process for a new house is how much the owner wants to spend on the construction. There is the cheap way to build a home and the expensive way. This is an issue that will come up many times during the design and construction process.

The program

But in order to determine a budget, the homeowner first needs to establish the square footage of the new house. To establish the total square footage, he will have to generate a program for the house. The program is a list of rooms with their corresponding sizes.

See the sample list as follows:

Living Room 240 square feet

Dining Room 120 square feet

Kitchen 170 square feet

Family Room 240 square feet

Master Bedroom 240 square feet

Master Bath 64 square feet

Bedroom No. 2 216 square feet

Bedroom No. 3 192 square feet

Bath No. 2 36 square feet

Laundry Room 100 square feet

Linen closet 9 square feet

A/C Closet 9 square feet

Total square feet = 1,636

Circulation and walls at 20% = 1,634 square feet = 327 square feet

Total = 1,634 + 327 = 1,961 square feet

So now we have a basic idea of the major spaces of the house and approximately how many square feet total homeowner will need for the house.

Also, this is a good time to decide whether there will be any outdoor spaces, such as covered terraces or pergolas. In Florida these are particularly good additions to the interior spaces. With wonderful temperatures during the winter there is no reason to spend all the time in air-conditioned interior spaces.

The budget

So what will a house that is just under 2000 square feet cost in South Florida? There is no magic formula to determine this. The cost of the house depends on many things that have to do with the design, such as: the type of roof, the ceiling height(s), the complexity of the design, the finishes, whether it is going to be on a septic tank or sewer, and the type of foundations. Then, there are those costs that have nothing to do with the design, like the location of the house, how busy are the contractors in the area, how well-known and reliable the contractor is, etc. Although the price of a house can vary wildly because of all the items discussed above, at this time a range of $150 to $250 per square foot could be used for a house that is not too elaborate with standard construction. So if we go back to the example. A 2,000 square foot house would cost between $300,000 and $500,000 excluding the land.

The design team

The Miami-Dade County Building Department does not require plans for a single-family residence to be signed and sealed by an architect or engineer. This is not true for all municipalities in the area. For example, Coral Gables does require all plans to be signed and sealed by an architect. But for all practical purposes the volume of information that has to be included in a set of plans in any municipality within Miami-Dade County, most of the time, there is a need to hire several professionals: an architect, an MEP engineer, and a structural engineer. MEP stands for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. The mechanical engineer designs the air-conditioning, the electrical engineer designs the electrical, including the lighting, and the plumbing engineer designs the plumbing. The structural engineer designs the structure and provides the required structural calculations for the building envelope. The architect designs the entire house and coordinates everybody’s work. The coordination of all the disciplines is probably the architect’s most important role as without coordination there could be real conflicts in the construction phase. Although it is legal to produce plans on his own in some parts of the county, it will be an insurmountable task to produce construction drawings for permitting (unless the homeowner has a background in construction with actual experience and the knowledge of the Florida Building Code and the local zoning codes).

What do these design services cost the homeowner? They also vary greatly but there is also a range among good, established professionals. This range would be from 6% to 10% of construction cost for the permit plans for all the disciplines. The services during the construction phase are usually charged separately on an hourly basis or in a separate package.

Style of the house

Another important decision to be made early on is the style of the house. There are basically three styles popular for home design in South Florida – modern, Mediterranean, and Key West.

Once the homeowner decides what styles he wants, it is important to convey the style and the details to the architect. The best way to explain to an architect what he wants is through either images from magazines or actual photographs of other houses.

Choosing an architect

Now that you have the basic items together, the next step is to pick your architect. This is very important as this is the person with whom you will work very closely during the next year.

Take the survey from the existing land from the time you closed on your mortgage. If you have lost it or it’s too old or inaccurate, the architect will arrange for you to get it updated or have a new one done.

Ask to see photos of his/her work. Ask for references. Ask questions. Ask him/her how he would approach the project. Start to sense if this is someone you could work with. Do you like the predominant style of the architect’s work? Does his/her work appeal to you? Ask about the process. Ask what you should expect in the way of his/her services. Ask him to show you the plans for a similar project.

People are individuals and everyone is unique. I remember how many people have hired me because they liked my “Mediterranean” or “Spanish” style or my modern or post-modern style. One person told me that she hired me because I returned her phone calls promptly. Chemistry between people is meaningful. Do not discount your initial impressions.

The construction documents

Normally, construction documents entail several parts: the drawings, the specifications, the instructions to bidders, and the addenda. Normally, when the architect handles the construction bid phase for the owner, he selects the type of contract the owner will have with the contractor. This document is also part of the construction documents.

The drawings are the major part of the work, which along the specifications act as a step-by-step guide for the contractor to use during the construction. Sometimes on large jobs, the specifications are placed in a separate book and called the Project Manual. On most residential projects, the specifications are normally covered as notes right in the drawings. For elaborate interiors a separate package is done by the architect and charged separately.

The construction documents are generated in phases from the general to the detailed. I like to divide my projects into 4 phases: Preliminary design, design development, 50% construction documents, and 100% construction documents. Each phase builds on the previous phase until the architect feels that the drawings are all coordinated among the different disciplines and are ready to submit for permitting.

With careful planning and communication with your architect, his good drawings and coordination and the careful selection of a reputable contractor, your new house project should flow without major problems. Although there are often change orders due to unforeseen conditions or changes the owner wants to implement, most issues should be resolved prior to construction.

For more information on the role of the architect during construction, see my other article on the role of the architect during the construction process posted here.

Building a New House – Initial Steps in Developing Plans in Florida and Other Areas

Building a New House - Initial Steps in Developing Plans in Florida and Other Areas

Maria Luisa Castellanos, R.A., is a registered architect, principal of United Architects, Inc., and has been practicing in Florida for over 20 years. For a free initial consultation if you now own the land where you want to build or the house you want to improve, go to http://www.architectsinmiami.com For more free articles on good architectural design and building for long term profit in South Florida, or to see photos of her residential work, go to http://www.unitedarchitectsinc.com Copyright, Maria Luisa Castellanos, 2009.

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Best Practice in Developing Business Budgets

July 21, 2012 By

Best Practice in Developing Business Budgets

Developing a business budget is an exercise that all accountants undertake on an annual basis and which forms an integral part of any successful business planning.

A budget is a document that allocates financial, physical and human resource use over a specified period of time to attain certain goals.

A good budget upholds organizations’ long-term goals and should allocate resources to activities that will drive the company towards achievement of such goals.

The following are the best practices adopted by world class businesses while developing a budget:

1. Link budget development to corporate strategy

To best serve the company’s long term goals and objectives the managers develop a budget that is in line with the company’s corporate strategy.

This unites together personnel in focusing what matters most to the organization and avoids uncoordinated and scattered efforts by various departments and managers.

2. Leverage on technology while designing the budget

More companies are automating their budget management to ease the process and also involve every stakeholder as much as possible. When developing a budget it is best that every stakeholder is kept in the loop on progress during the budget implementation period on performance.

Technology eases business budgeting process and makes it possible for line managers inputs to be incorporated in the budget. Effective technology can be used to make, updating and track of budget much easier.

3. Tie employee incentives to performance measures

To ensure that the business budgeting is a success leading companies tie organization reward system to how best they meet the budget.

While managers are expected to uphold the organizational goals in some instances they can engage in counter productive activities creating risks. Tying budget to the reward system can bring a balanced conduct within the management.

4. Keep an eye of cost management in the budgeting

Managers should keep abreast current costs and probable futures costs to ensure that they provide the budget developers with accurate and relevant information.

This is very useful as it reduces time and cost of developing a budget, since information is readily available.

5. Manage effectively the budget process

To develop a quality budget at low cost the managers should streamline the process by ensuring necessary information is available for access during budgeting and avoid possible delaying circumstances. This will ensure the budget cycle is cost effective and budget developed is effective.

6. Ensure that the budget is flexible to accommodate change

A good budget should be flexible such that it can incorporate changes in the future. Ideally the future cannot be fully be determined and therefore a good budget should be one that can accommodate changes brought by uncertainties in the future.

This gives stakeholder’s confidence to be in a more willing position to retain their relationship with the organization.

7. Develop allocation procedures that support organization’s key strategies

Organizations that follow best practice in budgeting list down procedures on how to allocate resources. They allocate resources in a manner that supports those activities that are in line with key strategies.

These procedures and guidelines help the organization to save time in resource allocation decisions and affirm organizations commitments as planned. Success in business budgeting is easily achieved in companies that have good corporate governance structures.

Best Practice in Developing Business Budgets

Best Practice in Developing Business Budgets

Visit http://www.business-competence.com for great resource on business management.

Visit http://www.business-competence.com/business-budgeting.html for the budgeting article online.

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What Features Do Developing Basketball Players Need on Their Basketball Hoops?

July 20, 2012 By

What Features Do Developing Basketball Players Need on Their Basketball Hoops?

Available Features on Basketball Hoops:

A basketball hoop can be designed in many different ways. People typically see a basketball hoop as a pole in the ground and a backboard with a rim attached. While this view is generally correct, a lot of basketball hoops today have many features that go beyond this general description. These features are meant to enhance the game and, if understood correctly, can also greatly enhance a player’s personal training. Some of these features include height adjustments, break-away rims, different material backboards, and the size of the backboard.

Basketball Hoops Height Adjustments

While standard height of a basketball system is to have the rim set at 10 ft., most beginning players will find this high of a rim to be very difficult to practice their shot. Many basketball systems have a fixed-height design and so younger players would have no choice but to wait to grow tall and strong enough to have the ball reach the rim. This waiting period wastes many useful years the player could be developing their shot. Because of this problem, many systems today feature height-adjustable rims. Lower-end basketball hoops from Lifetime Products and Spalding feature height adjustments down to a 7.5-ft. high rim.

Other high-end systems like Spalding’s Arena View line, Goalsetter basketball systems, and others can adjust to much lower heights; some systems can even go as low as 5.5 ft. While such a low height is much easier to shoot on, 5.5 ft. is probably not necessary. Most youth recreational leagues start players shooting an a rim height of 7-8 ft. This range makes the players have to work to develop their shot while not crushing their hopes by having the rim too far out of reach. High-end systems that have this range include Mammoth Basketball Hoops, Goalsetter Basketball Systems, and Arena View Basketball Goals.

Break-away Rims

As a basketball player develops their game, particularly male athletes, the rim design will begin to be important. Different rims provide better playability as players reach the age of dunking. Performing a slam dunk does not occur often in younger athletes; but, as a player reaches the High School age, they will likely be able to develop their vertical jump sufficiently to dunk the basketball. At this point in the basketball player’s development, static or stationery rims are likely to be broken and their basketball system is likely to be damaged.

In most high schools, the NCAA, and certainly the NBA, break-away rims are used. The break-away design allows the rim to be slightly displaced out of the mounting mechanism attached to backboard and to snap back into place after the rim is released. This features not only provides greater longevity out of the basketball system, but also provides safety for the player. Were a player to dunk sufficiently hard on a static rim, the rim could be completely torn off the backboard and the player would fall in whichever direction his or her momentum was going. These kind of problems are minimized with a break-away rim.

Basketball Backboard Materials

Different backboard materials will vary greatly in how well the basketball bounces or “rebounds” off of the surface. In increasing order of reboundability, backboard materials would rank as follows: plastic, polycarbonate, acrylic, and then glass. While this difference in rebound may seem trivial to many basketball players, backboard material on basketball hoops can help or hinder a player’s shot development. In particular, a shot that is used often as a player advances his or her skills is the “bank shot.” This shot describes the player shooting at the backboard with the hope of bouncing the ball into the rim. With lower-end materials – like plastic, polycarbonate, and acrylic – the bank shot can become greatly altered if the backboard absorbs the impact of the ball.

Glass, for all intents and purposes, has no absorption of the basketball’s impact; so, a player developing their game will be able to more easily fine tune the bank shot on a glass backboard than a backboard made of the other materials. Amongst the other materials for a backboard, their is not has much difference in quality of rebound. For instance, most players will not be able to recognize the difference between an acrylic rebound and a polycarbonate rebound.

Why the materials are ranked in the order they are above is because the material of the backboard tends to coincide with other features that help stabilize the system. For example, no basketball system currently exists in the market that has a plastic backboard and a square pole, but there are such systems in both polycarbonate and acrylic. No, polycarbonate backboard currently exists on a system with larger than a 4×4 inch square post, but there are such systems with an acrylic backboard. The more stable the basketball hoop is overall, the more stable the backboard will be and the better the rebound will be.

Basketball Hoops’ Backboard Size

Finally, the last thing to be considered in this article will be the size of the backboard. On regulation-sized basketball hoops, the official backboard size is 72″ wide x 42″ high. From this size, many smaller backboard occur on many different systems. Lifetime Products produces a backboard as small as 42 inches wide. Spalding produces a backboard as small as 44 inches wide. Much like the material of the backboard, for advanced players, a bigger backboard is a better backboard.

A larger backboard allows the player to develop a full range of shots they could use in their game. A smaller backboard takes away much of the range of bank shots that could be employed in a game. Most high schools have a regulation-sized backboard and so a player will have a better personal practice the closer their basketball backboard comes to 72 inches wide and 42 inches high.

Basketball Accessories for Basketball Hoops

Many basketball accessories exist to help a player practice on their own. Only a couple will be considered here. One of these accessories is a hoop chute (also called a personal rebounder or a back-atcha chute). This accessory attaches to the bottom of the the rim and functions to direct the ball back to the shooter. This mechanism allows a player to shoot more shots on average for a set period of time than if the player had to rebound their own shot.

The other accessory worth mentioning is a ball cart. A ball cart usually functions to store basketballs when they are not in use; but, for a basketball player practicing by themselves, a basketball cart allows a player to fine tune their range from different locations on the cart by having several basketballs at their disposal to shoot continuously from the same location. Both of these accessories make more efficient use of personal practice time.

What Features Do Developing Basketball Players Need on Their Basketball Hoops?

What Features Do Developing Basketball Players Need on Their Basketball Hoops?

Competitive Edge Products, Inc. is an authorized dealer of many different brands of basketball hoops. We can answer most any questions about which basketball system will be right for your needs. We carry Lifetime Products basketball hoops, Spalding basketball goals, and Goalsetter Basketball Hoops.

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Developing a Musical Child

July 11, 2012 By

Developing a Musical Child

“Music has a power of forming the character, and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” ~Socrates

Parents who put their children to musical learning at a young age must have known that they are putting in a very good investment. All the more enlightened are parents who enroll their young in MUSIC and MOVEMENT classes, where a musical child is developed before a child musician is made.

In a musical environment where foundational musical experiences involving the whole child – mind, body and spirit – form the basis of the developmental process, a solid musical foundation is laid that ensures much more sustainable musical development for the child in years to come. Such musical foundation includes developing a true passion and motivation for this art, musical discernment, auditory acuity, pitch and rhythmic competence, motor coordination, and expressiveness.

As an area of learning, music is a challenging topic that requires perseverance and inspirations. Many children had ‘fallen out’ with their musical pursuit within a short time because they were ‘jump-started’ in their musical development, going into learning to play an instrument before any of the above musical skills were in place. It is evident in children who were fortunate enough to be nurtured musically before being put to the rigors of formal music instructions, which they are much more likely to thrive and succeed in playing the instrument well.

The type of pre-instrumental music instructions that nurtures holistically a musical child should be started as early as infancy, but taken to a higher plane at 4 – 6 years of age. These are often weekly group sessions that engage children in a fun and developmentally appropriate manner. The following areas of development must be in place:

• Vocal development – the voice is the most important musical instrument that every child possesses. A musical child ought to be able to sing in pitch.

• Listening development – the human ear is able to process information and discriminate between sound sources and discern qualities of sounds. It also governs attention and focus. A musical child will have a high command of this important sensory faculty.

• Movement development – dexterity, and coordination are motor skills required to play instruments well. Children who have danced and moved and experienced use of their body in a variety of ways will be able to transfer the same skills onto instrumental playing with ease. Music, when played expressively on an instrument, needs to be supported by an equally expressive body movement. A musical child will be relaxed and uninhibited in expressing his music through the body.

• Simple Instrumental Play that promotes eye-hand coordination and pitch association – the skill of reading music and playing at the same time is a challenge faced by many musicians. A young child can be prepared for this by working with simple melodic instruments like xylophones or glockenspiels.

• Musical ensemble works – music is a community art form that is most enjoyable when playing together with others. Different tasks requiring different levels of competence in a musical ensemble allow children of different abilities to enjoy playing together and making ‘complex’ music. Ensemble opportunities in music classes also promote focus and confidence – both important traits for musicians.

• Music Literacy – reading and writing and composing music can be as easy as ABC if the child starts learning musical notations and putting them in musical context. This can start at age 4.

• Learning about musical styles and genres, composers, musical instruments, and musical terminology – these are all knowledge that widens a musical child’s horizon.

To accomplish all these, the weekly session should be at least 60 minutes long and preferably inclusive of parents or caregiver in a portion of the session. So that each child gets sufficient individual attention, the group should not be larger than 12 – 15.

If the child loves what he does in a music class, he will be much more likely to make music his life-long passion, whether or not he chooses the path of becoming a professional musician.

The Musical Classroom Experience:

• Vocal enhancement and singing – The use of musical language may sound odd to the average person, but it plays a vital role in preparing children for reading and writing easy rhythm patterns. You will hear tonal sounds like “do”, “re” “mi” and combination of rhythm and pitch like “mi-mi”, “ti-ti” and “fa-fa”. This is the language of music.

• Moving – Children already love to dance, and this kind of musical program encourages moving and dancing to the rhythms of musical pieces. This exercise helps improve coordination and promotes musicianship.

• Musical reading and writing – Children learn about pitch, rhythmic notation, melodic notation and musical notes which will lead to their own compositions over the course of these classes.

• Attentive listening – Since young children love music already, they will be attentive and focused on learning the sounds of various instruments and develop the ability to identify them. Music classes like these also aid in learning more about the works of the master composers.

• Musical instrument exploration – The children will be given real instruments including percussion, stringed, keyboards and woodwind instruments in order to introduce them to all the choices they have in them. This opens up the opportunity for musical development before starting any kind of formal lessons.

Music plays a vital role in not only the musical development of children, but also vocabulary, verbal skills, math, emotional self-control and physical coordination. This is one of the best ways to give your child the gift of an early musical education that you can share with them.

Developing a Musical Child

Developing a Musical Child

For more information about music for children, visit Kindermusik Asia.

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Requirements and Advantages of Developing Mobile Websites For Automotive Dealerships

May 29, 2012 By

Requirements and Advantages of Developing Mobile Websites For Automotive Dealerships

Mobile websites provide a whole new dimension to automotive dealerships to consolidate their position among the potential customers. Mobile websites present good opportunities to automotive dealers by increasing their visibility, directly targeting specific customers, and generating quality leads. These websites are optimized for mobile viewing ensuring maximum user-friendliness and satisfaction creating a direct impact on customers. The customers can view the inventory and services offered by automotive dealers, and search for new and used cars on such websites.

Requirements:

The mobile websites need to satisfy various parameters to ensure that it gives quality user experience, is reliable and accessible.

Website Load Time

Faster mobile website load time ensures that the prospective customers will have to wait for less time and can browse more thereby increasing the chances of lead generation. Faster load time adds to the overall user experience and significantly impacts the potential customer. Providing additional bandwidth can help improve the website load time. Providing quick information ensures that customers are retained and does not jump off to other website.

Site Navigation

Simplicity in mobile website navigation is a rewarding experience for the car buyers. Easy navigation helps customers to find information quickly suiting their needs. Optimized website navigation provides customers with specific requirements that they are looking for. Easy navigation to inventory pages, coupons, contact forms, and directions provides a superior user experience. Efficient navigation enhances the usability of the website and allows customers to search the inventory effortlessly similar to automotive dealer’s website. The customers can conduct inventory search in website with specific information like model, make, year, color, price, and trim.

Web Page Layout

A good mobile website page layout helps in effective presentation of the dealer information. Effective information presentation enables customers to use the website easily and quickly. Information about new and used car inventory, services offered by dealers and more can be effectively incorporated in mobile screen space for easy viewing by customers. Web page layout especially designed for such website ensures better presentation of content and thereby increases chances of sales and lead generation.

Advantages:

Automotive dealers can effectively leverage the power of mobile websites to tap the growing market of mobile web users.

Improves Online Web Presence

With faster processors, faster download speeds, and more smartphone subscribers, the number of mobile web users is rapidly growing. It is essential for automotive dealers to have strong online web presence to ensure mobile web users segment is effectively targeted. Apart from PC based dealer website, mobile websites can enhance the online web presence of the dealer in this competitive market. As more potential customers nowadays access information on web through smartphones, they can also search for automotive dealer’s website. Thus, having a mobile website improves online web presence as customers can find dealer related information quickly.

More Opportunities for Sales

Mobile websites help to target specific customers and provides more opportunities for sales by receiving quality leads. Better usability of website, faster load time, navigation, and good web page layout provides superior user experience thereby increasing the chances of lead conversion and improving sales. With the fast changing market trends, they help to tap emerging segments of customers and provide more opportunities for sales.

Get Quality Leads

The main objective of maintaining online web presence is receiving quality leads. The mobile websites provides potential customers with easy access to automotive dealer information from anywhere and anytime thereby increasing the website traffic and bringing in more quality leads.

An optimized mobile website for mobile users will grant automotive dealers a competitive advantage by increasing their brand awareness in a positive way. They are also an excellent communication channel to explore new markets and generate more revenue.

Requirements and Advantages of Developing Mobile Websites For Automotive Dealerships

Requirements and Advantages of Developing Mobile Websites For Automotive Dealerships

Search Optics, Inc. is a leader in digital marketing solutions for the automotive industry. Search Optics interactive marketing services include custom websites, search engine optimization, paid search and mobile solutions that generate leads which result in sales opportunities. Search Optics specializes in automotive marketing and automotive SEO.

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Affirmation is a very powerful tool that can be used to change the mindset of a person. It can transform negative and destructive thoughts to positive and beneficial ones. But in order to affect the subconscious, affirmations should follow this guideline.

Present form

The first thing to remember is that the positive affirmation must be in the present form. As long as man desires a particular action and achieve a particular goal, then there will always be a need to influence the subconscious mind. And if you want to make your affirmation effective, there is no better time to start than “now”.

Belief that the desire is already a reality

Another tip to developing good affirmation is a belief that what you aim for and what you wish to do is something that has already been accomplished. Experts believe that people saying “I am becoming happy” is more effective as this conveys the message that you are already seeing the positive results of your affirmations.

Positive

The affirmation must be positive and veers away from any negative note. Creating an affirmation with the words “I am safe” is believed to be more effective than saying the words “I am not scared”. The presence of the negative word “not” may affect your attitude and behavior negatively. Thus, experts suggest that there is no better way to use a positive affirmation by staying positive all the time. It is also believed that the word “scared” may grab your attention more and make you think about the negative thought of not being safe often

Everyday language

It is best to come up with an affirmation that fits your language style. It means that you must draft one that uses common words or terms characteristic of the language that you normally use. One important element of positive affirmation is repetition. One cannot repeat a statement which is not common or easy to utter. Instead of including difficult words, it is best for you to keep your affirmation simple and brief so that it is easily absorbed by the subconscious. Difficult words may be pleasant and attractive to hear but the very purpose of a good affirmation is not to impress anyone but rather to help you easily utter it, remember it, and practice it everyday. An action is expected to be the end-point of an affirmation. A simple understanding and verbalization of the affirmation would lead to the desired action.

Avoid using too many words

The affirmation must consist of simple words and it must be phrased simply. A complicated phrasing would make it difficult for you to utter the affirmation repetitively. The principle of affirmation lies on the basic tenet that the subconscious mind must be exposed to the repeated affirmation so that this portion of the mind will be a venue from which the desire will come from.

Your affirmation must be specific and shows the exact action or reaction you are aiming to achieve. It may convey a particular feeling that you want to feel like a longing to feel happy, or to feel energetic, active, or feel in love. It may also be in the form of a specific action like your desire to pass an examination, find the right person, or it can even be as simple as reaching a certain destination safely.

May 17, 2012 By

You can take the power of affirmations to the highest level with a simple software tool to easily and automatically send positive subliminal messages to your subconscious. Click this Subliminal Message Software for more information.

Find out how you can use affirmations to achieve anything your heart desires, whether its health, relationship, wealth, better sex, weight loss, or more. Go get this FREE Daily Positive Affirmation Newsletter.

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Discover the Risks of Developing Cervical Cancer

May 13, 2012 By

Discover the Risks of Developing Cervical Cancer

The risk factors for developing cervical cancer are well understood. There is now a vaccine to protect young women from the strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is what causes most cervical cancers; and, with regular Pap tests, the early stages can easily be identified. This virus is passed from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity.

So, what are some things that can put you at risk? Bear in mind, this is not an exhaustive list and more research is always being done. But for now, some things that can increase your risk factor for developing cervical cancer include:

Becoming sexually active at a young age, as young women are more susceptible to HPV infection since the cells of the cervix are undergoing rapid change at puberty.

Having multiple sexual partners. Women who have many partners or who have sex with partners who have had many partners, have a greater chance of getting HPV.

HIV infection is another factor due to the fact that the immune system of a woman infected with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) is less able to fight both the human papillomavirus and early cancers.

Having a weakened immune system, such as women with chronic fatigue syndrome, women who have had organ transplants and women who are taking steroids are less able to fight HPV infection.

Smoking appears to be a contributing factor, along with HPV in causing dysplasia, which may progress to cervical cancer.

These factors are easily avoided by taking proper precautions and being smart. Remember, the road to cervical cancer prevention starts with you!

Discover the Risks of Developing Cervical Cancer

Discover the Risks of Developing Cervical Cancer

Laura Guthrie is a former cancer patient who successfully recovered. She now shares her best of the best information to give back.

She’s put together a website simply to give back to people just like you with tons of free information, you can get free instant access at [http://www.savemefromcancer.com]

We hope you got lots of value from this article, good luck in your journey.

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Affirmations get a bad rap by many in the areas of personal growth and development, and at the same time by others are touted as the magic to changing your life. There are those who tell you that using affirmations is THE way to changing your thinking thus changing your life, and others who say they are a useless waste of time.

Here I will attempt to clarify and set straight the place and value of affirmations in your self improvement efforts to change and grow in your life. The topic of affirmations fits into what I call “A fine line.” There is a fine line between going too far one way or the other. To get the value from something you must find the “fine line” place in the middle, too far one way or the other, and you loose it. And so it is with affirmations.

First, some of the misconception comes from people grasping for the quick fix. We all know how we can easily read into something what we want. And that what most people are looking for is the quickest, easiest way to make changes in their life, which does really not exist.

All related factors must be addressed to realize real results. Affirmations do play a role in your overall self development and growth but are certainly not the only tool that must be used to get the results you want. Affirmations alone will not bring about the major change in life some believe, on the other hand they are not totally worthless as many others make them out to be.

Much of what is taught in the personal growth and development field is just part of the story. Where someone has focused on one or even a few aspects of what is involved and highlighting just those parts, which gives the impression that, that is all there is. Yes, in short change it is simple, but there are many ‘between the lines’ aspects that come into play, and one of these is affirmations.

It’s easy to allow ourselves to get consumed with one aspect of life development when our focus is on just one element, which is the case with many books and trainings. It is good to study and focus on one aspect if this is something specifically you feel you need to learn and user, but don’t forget about the whole picture.

Now those who say that just using affirmations will fix your life, seem to ‘forget’ about the aspects of action, among other things, which we can’t escape as we are in this physical reality. Yes, your thoughts and your feelings play a crucial role in how you manage and develop your life, but that’s not all. You must take appropriate actions, it’s your job, your design here in this physical reality we enjoy. If we weren’t suppose to be involved physically why are we here?

And, those who say affirmations are worthless are missing out on a powerful tool that has some purpose when one is working on their thinking. And, yes, your thinking is absolutely critical as everything revolves around it. I think why some people look down on the use of affirmations comes from their reaction to others who say that affirmations are all you need. But this all or nothing reaction does not serve anyone well.

Here are some ways that affirmations are useful in your self improvement work:

* Affirmations help set your tone. Your overall attitude and feeling will affect what you think about. It affects how you act and interact with others. It virtually colors your day. Using affirmations will help direct your daily tone.

* Affirmations help keep your thinking positive – on what you want and away from what you don’t want. If affirmations serve no other purpose for you than this, it makes them well worth using, if all you do is use affirmations to replace unwanted thinking with desirable thinking you have won big. A critical part of change is to learn to stop focusing on what you don’t want and rather focus on what you do want.

* Affirmations help build mental discipline. As you learn affirmations and actually use them regularly, you are training your mind to a different way of thinking on a daily basis. You are learning how you can change your thought and how to keep it as you want. You are learning to take command of your thinking by directing it rather than allowing everything to be automatic.

* Affirmations help evolve your thinking in the direction you want. As you develop affirmations for yourself, you are thinking about and expanding your thinking in the areas that you want to play a greater role in your life. The more you work with developing affirmative and supportive statements, the more you will discover what is possible.

Now, maybe if your thinking is already 100% supportive of what you want in life, where you are going, and you never slip into any thought of doubt, worry and what you don’t like, you don’t need affirmations. Actually if this is the case, you have already assimilated the affirmation like thought into your everyday thinking. Your conscious mind is already always on the positive, supportive congruent thoughts of your ideal life as it is freely unfolding. For anyone else, affirmations can be a useful tool.

Affirmations are a wonderful tool for effecting your thinking, which is very important in your growth and development, as long as you don’t get stuck thinking that this is all you need to do. It takes more than just your thoughts to see results, but developing your thinking is key to your knowing the right actions to take, when and how to get the results you want.

April 30, 2012 By

John Halderman, I write about effective self improvement methods, more specifically how you can bridge the gap between information and creating effective results. To learn more about what you just read here and to discover how this can help you change your life, follow this link – Effective Personal Development Blog

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Developing Your Own Fashion Style

March 6, 2012 By

Developing Your Own Fashion Style

Your style is important. Ask yourself every time you buy anything, every time you make anything, or have anything made: Is it in accord with my style? Does it meet the requirements of correct dress for me?

If you live in a little city or a village and suddenly found yourself on Fifth Avenue in New York City, would you feel conspicuous in your clothes? If friends from the fashion centers of America were coming to visit you, would you feel out of place in your costume? You should not. You have the same opportunity to be correctly dressed as any other woman if you will study and persevere toward perfection in dress.

We must realize that we have a style of our own and that we are of a particular type. This is recognized by every fashion authority in the country, and by every fashion publication, for if all women were to adhere to one fashion, one fashion only would be shown in the fashion books instead of twenty, thirty, or fifty different designs.

Look through any fashion book today and you will find round-and-round and up-and-down lines in the same issue–all with the idea of helping women to clothe themselves correctly and of giving suggestions that will help them individually to find appropriate styles.

Establishing a style for yourself and then perfecting it–be it in hats, gloves, shoes, dresses, or suits–will prove economical, and it will not be long before a degree of perfection will be acquired.

A prominent New York business woman, who is one of the most distinctively dressed women that I know, wears the smartest suits and hats and always severely tailor-made gowns. And her neckwear, usually a jabot or a stock, is so smart that you would never for a minute question whether it is authoritatively fashionable. She always wears high shoes on the street, and usually they have light-colored tops, because she is tall and the light tops of the shoes help to break the appearance of height.

One day, this young woman came to visit me. I could not refrain from remarking about the completeness of her costume. I said, “If I saw your shadow, I should know that it was you by the harmony that your silhouette expresses and the very way you carry yourself.”

She said, “Do you know that remarks like yours are what caused me to persevere in acquiring my style of dressing? I used to think I wanted loose, floppy clothes in which I could relax and be just as free and comfortable as if I were in negligee. Once, when in a ferry boat crossing New York harbor, I saw sitting opposite me a line of crumpled-up women apparently enjoying their slovenly posture. Not one of them expressed dignity or pride in her personal appearance. Not one of the women on that boat, I thought, was unusual or had any desire to know better. I then took a little self-inventory. I was ashamed of myself, because I realized I was not very much better dressed than the other women on the boat. I sat up straight and determined right then and there that I would acquire a style becoming and practical for me and would express that style in the most attractive and agreeable way that I could. And that resolution has helped me more than I can say.”

She was frank enough to tell me that she attributed a great part of her success to having wakened up, to having made herself trim and having kept herself so. She always plans to have one good suit or one good dress–just as good as she possibly can afford; she procures a garment that she has to respect, and that will make her “dress up to fit.”

She said, “If I put on a shabby dress, I will allow my shoes to be shabby and will be careless about my personal grooming; but when I have a dress that I have to be particular about, I always have my hair, my shoes, my gloves, my corset–everything–Just right for it, and I always look very much better.”

Living up to your clothes, creating a style, and being equal to an intelligent expression of it are worth many dollars to a woman who wants to be a success in business, in the home, or in social life.

Developing Your Own Fashion Style

Developing Your Own Fashion Style

“Developing Your Own Fashion Style” is taken from a 1918 publication “Secrets of Distinctive Dress”. The information is timeless and just as applicable today as it was back then. To learn more about 1920′s ladies fashions we invite you to visit http://www.1920-30.com/fashion

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