29 April, 2011

Looking For A Reliable MLM Company?

Much controversy surrounds multi-level marketing (MLM) companies, and none more so than QuestNet. This article gives the company profile of QuestNet and talks about whether the company is legitimate or if it just a pyramiding scam.

Who is QuestNet?

QuestNet traces its beginnings in 1998. Initially, it dealt exclusively in selling collector coins and medallions, eventually earning a reputation as being one of the world's leading companies in numismatics. Eventually, the company expanded their product line, including other kinds of jewelry, luxury watches, health and wellness products, household products, and even vacation packages. Aside from retail, the company has also delved in telecommunications, also investing in radio stations.

Strictly speaking, QuestNet is unlike other kinds of MLM companies in that it neither has physical distributors that sell the products, nor does it require those who are part of the network to reach a certain sales quota each month. Instead, it has independent representatives (IRs) that earn money by referring people to QuestNet, effectively making the organization a mail order retail company that makes use of MLM strategies to get the word out on their products and services. Because people don't have to deal directly with inventory management and don't require a big capital in order to earn in QuestNet, a lot of individuals have become interested in joining the organization, with most doing so in order to supplement their income. A person can earn as much as $2,400 per day, depending on how much effort he or she makes in promoting the company. See this QuestNet presentation for more details.

Another difference QuestNet has with conventional MLM companies is that IRs can have unlimited operating accounts, which theoretically gives them an unlimited source of income, while other MLM organizations limit their members to having only a single account at a time.

Today, QuestNet has over 5 million IRs worldwide, establishing and maintaining their presence in over 160 countries.

Is Questnet a Scam?

As with other companies that operate using networking principles, a lot of critics have come up and accused QuestNet of being a big scam, with some of the accusers previously serving as some of the company's IRs who didn't manage to make a lot of money even if they were involved in the company. The controversies surrounding QuestNet has left a bad taste on a lot of people's mouths, and they automatically believe the naysayers simply because they have the loudest voices.

The truth, however, is far from what is being widely publicized. QuestNet is in fact a legitimate business. The reason why it has received so much negative flack is that, being one of the companies that make use of MLM models, the company has automatically become attached to the pyramid schemes that have victimized thousands of people globally. The fact that QuestNet has been in the business for over 10 years and is a trusted brand by even some of the biggest events and companies, including but not limited to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2004 Athens Games, and the Federacion Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), to name a few is a testament to its legitimacy.

While it's true that there are some IRs that don't make a lot of money even if they joined QuestNet, that is mainly more their fault than the company. All too many people join QuestNet and other MLM companies because they believe that these organizations can make them get money quickly and easily. However, like other legitimate companies, the income of the IRs will depend on how much effort and commitment they put into their work. Simply put, if they don't work, they don't earn.

The fact that it has weathered several criticisms and controversies is testament to the enduring nature of this organization. QuestNet is a reliable company that seeks to share their financial success with hardworking individuals who are willing to take the time and effort to earn extra income.

09 April, 2011

Singapore: A Booming Business Hub

Singapore has been ranked by the World Bank as the 3rd best country for doing business and trade. It has also come first in being the least bureaucratic and corruption-free place for all business matters in Asia (Source: Singapore - Number One Choice for Foreign Investors).

Despite not having many natural resources to call its own, this tiny island nation has defied the snide comments of others and beat all odds to become one of the “Four Asian Tigers”, holding one of the most rapid growing economies in the South East Asian region.This success can be attributed to its industrious population and its strategic location on major sea routes. It is no wonder that international trade associations are now on the rise in Singapore.

After separating from its now neighboring country, Malaysia, way back in 1965, the country faced numerous challenges that were brought on by the limitations on resources and lack of an international market. The Singaporean government then adopted the strategy of enforcing export-oriented policies and encouraging foreign investments by combining it with state-directed investments in government corporations. This move proved to be a huge success as the economy grew at an average of 8% from 1960 to 1999.

It is always said that the one resource Singapore always has is their human resources. True enough, their highly skilled workforce proves to be one of the factors responsible for putting Singapore on the business map. Together with its favorable tax regime, fair laws and regulations, Singapore has managed to attract businesses from some 3000 multinational companies from US, Europe and Japan.

New and exciting employment opportunities are constantly being created in an effort to turn Singapore into a knowledge-based economy. At present, Singapore’s business sector is a thriving industry that attracts people from all around the globe. The growing economies of fellow Asian countries India and China, has also seen many foreign investments coming the Singaporean way, most notably in the IT sector.

Interested in setting up your business in Singapore? Refer to Company Registration Singapore for comprehensive guides on the requirements and step-by-step procedure for incorporation.

21 March, 2011

Developing Your IELTS Listening Skills

The common belief among students getting ready for taking IELTS or TOEFL is to listen as much as possible, as often as possible from all potential sources, in all possible dialects of English.
This approach might efficient with advanced students. Some upper-intermediate students can follow this approach too.

What about those whose command of English is at a lower level? Well, I would advise them to refrain from listening to randomly selected materials, especially if they find them too difficult and as a result, discouraging. No one wants to get discouraged, do they? Instead they should choose carefully their listening practice by making sure it is at a suitable level. An ideal listening exercise should enable learners to guess the meaning of new words from the context. Besides, they should be able to follow the main idea of the recording without difficulty. To find out the level of your English, you can either take a placement test in a language school or test your own listening comprehension skills by using recordings available on the internet. Start with listening for beginners, then move on to materials for intermediate learners, and finally those for advanced learners. It should give you an idea of your English proficiency level.

While you're at it, you should make an attempt at this IELTS quiz and see how you fare.

01 March, 2011

GMAT: The 2-at-a-time Sentence Correction Method

No one likes staring at a mass of text on the monitor of their computer adaptive test on the big day of your GMAT exam, whether it’s a reading comprehension passage or a long critical reading prompt. But one particularly area where it’s particularly daunting to see a lot of text is on sentence correction question that’s four lines long- and all four are underlined. One question could be almost as long as a short reading comprehension passage.

First, we have to break down the question into layers and eliminate accordingly. See a plural singular error in the first answer choice? See if you can spot a similar error in another answer choice- and eliminate both of them. Often, errors repeat themselves.

After that, compare the answer choices to one another two at a time. Pick which one you think sounds better, and eliminate the other one. Eventually, you’ll arrive at the correct answer- and with less stress than if you had tried to compare all 5 in your head at once.

Finally, learn to spot the common sentence correction errors- especially ones involving parallel structure, comparisons, and modifiers. These will help you get through the longer prompts much more quickly.

Remember that the GMAT is about more than getting the correct answer- it’s about getting the correct answer in enough time and without stress. The test designers know this- that’s why they use longer stimuli for sentence correction questions- for intimidation as much as difficulty. If you can break the stimulus down, compare two choices at a time, and remember common errors, you’ll have more than enough preparation to stare down those intimidating monster questions.