Promoting Your Site Using Discussion Boards

Discussion boards are without doubt one of the best ways to get traffic to your site and heaps of backlinks without doing that much work. In this article I hope to show you how to fully utilise the power of community forums, and there is a list of dos and don’ts at the end for quick reference.

First off, what is a message board? Okay, maybe that is a bit of an easy question to answer, but as with everything in site promotion, we must analyse even simple elements so that we can really employ them to our benefit. Back in Roman times, a community forum was a ‘public space in the middle of a Roman city’ where people would sell items and meet up to socialise. The word ‘discussion forum’ in its Internet sense, is generally accepted to be a niche-specific community where individuals can post and reply to comments about a theme, and network with each other.

In case you are a bit confused by the phrase ‘niche-specific’, it just means that it is targeted to a particular topic, such as cars, or cooking. In this case, both ‘cars’ and ‘cooking’ are niches. If you are a webmaster, you may be part of some webmaster boards such as the famous DigitalPoint forums. DigitalPoint will be talked about further later on in this article.

So now that we know what a forum is, let’s get into the real stuff of how you can use discussion boards to promote your website. Firstly, you must choose a discussion board that you like and can imagine yourself spending some time on posting. It should also be related to your website’s topic. For instance, if you are advertising a ‘cooking’ site, don’t think of advertising your site on a ‘cars’ forum. To find discussion boards related to your site do a search on Google for “‘…’ ‘forums’”. Replace ‘…’ with a keyword related to your site such as ‘cooking’.

Once you have picked a message board, you have to sign up to it. The registration process varies depending on the discussion board, but in general you have to fill out some information and get emailed your login details. Discussion board registration will be free 99.99% of the time, so don’t worry about having to pay money. After you have logged in successful it’s time to update your profile.

You should now update your profile. Again, this may vary from forum to forum, but your profile normally has place to enter a forum ‘signature’ or your website url. A signature is added onto the end of every comment you post on the forum and is the best way of promoting your site on discussion forums. In the signature field you should put a link to your website. If there is a website address field on your profile, then fill that out too.

Note: Some discussion boards require you to have posted a minimum amount of times before you can add a signature. If this is the case, then just read on and come back to this step later.

It’s time to get posting. Remember, don’t spam. Never spam. You’ll get kicked off or banned, and then you have wasted all of your time. Make intelligent posts, and hopefully if you have chosen a related discussion board, you will know the topic quite well. Don’t focus on promotion at the moment, just answer questions, post comments, anything to try and get up your reputation. If you have already got a signature, then that should show up at the end of each of your posts which counts as a backlink each time. If you have yet to get a signature because of minimum post requirements, fill it in when you have reached that number of posts.

If you’re stumped choosing a forum, then I would recommend you check out DigitalPoint. You can get a lot of visitors through this website and it is very respected in the search engine’s eyes.

Here are a list of message board dos and don’ts:

Do…

  • Add a link to your website in your signature
  • Post informative/intelligent comments
  • Visit the message board often

Don’t…

  • Sound artificial/promotional in your comments
  • Add a link to your website and then disappear
  • Be inactive on the discussion board

If you have the time, sign up to more than one forum so that you get more possibilities of getting site visitors and links back to your site. Post on your chosen message board(s) often, and each time you will receive an extra backlink with your post. Also, try and get a good reputation by making useful posts, as this will make people want to check out your website.

Top Internet Marketing

Aspects of Top Internet Marketing

The phrase “top internet marketing” is encountered quite often when you need information about various aspects of internet marketing. After all, if you are going to try to learn which way a given market is going, for example, then your going to want to know about the top internet trends, so that you can take advantage of the present market conditions. Or perhaps you might want to know what products are hot right now. A search for the “top internet marketing products” is a good place to start. There are any number of similar searches one can do, but they all have one idea in common. They all are a result of someone wanting or needing information about the best of some aspect of internet marketing.

The Internet Is Improving

As a result of searches such as the ones described above, the internet is constantly improved. As more people find that information that tells them one internet marketing school is better than another, the better schools get more business and the schools that may not be as good tend to disappear from lack of business. Simple market forces at work.

Benefit From The New Search Engine Algorithms

How can you put this information to work for you? By employing top internet marketing techniques yourself. Give people valuable content that will benefit them. As more people find your information helpful, and show it by linking to your information, search engines such as Yahoo, Bing, or Google will rank your site higher and you will receive more targeted traffic as a result. Search engines want to give their users the information that they are actually looking for and not just give them a site that the owner of which knows how to manipulate the ranking through backlinking. As time goes by, the search engines are getting more sophisticated and are able to eliminate these sites, and find the sites that are actually more helpful.

Good And Valuable Content Is King

Some top internet marketers advocate and teach methods that used to work quite well for getting their sites ranked high in the search engines, but those methods are no longer as effective. You may have heard or read recently about some well known marketers having their Google AdSense accounts deleted or simply having their sites disappear from Google’s search engine results pages or SERPs. This was due to Google’s desire to produce the best possible results for their users. Apparently, when some accounts hit around $100 per day, the sites associated with those accounts were visited by Google engineers, and if their impression was that the site did not offer real valuable information, then they took action.

Now, in order to be among the top internet marketing virtuosos, it is necessary to offer real, and useful content. No longer will poorly written, spun articles do it. Content is really becoming king in the world of top internet marketing.

Find Out Why Building a Home Based Business is a Long Term Process

Not many people are aware that building a home based business is actually a long-term process and is not something that’s going to happen overnight. Even though there is a lot of people that promise you success overnight and money within minutes the truth is that they are just lying to you in order to get you in their program.Real success with a home based business is going to take time because a business takes time to build. If you are doing things the right way all you need to do is keep doing them consistently and you will see results in the long run. The people that don’t see results in the long run are the ones who are doing things the wrong way and try to make it happen as fast as possible.Remember that for you to be successful in a home based business you must develop and grow into a successful person. By understanding this concept you’re going to realize that you are already on the right path to becoming successful and all you have to do is be patient in waiting for the results of your efforts.The way that you’re going to know if you’re in the right direction is by doing some investigating on the home based business that you’re part of. If they have been around for a while and are legit then you should definitely continue to promote it. There are many ways to promote your business but if you’re going to think long-term like I told you before the best way to go is article marketing. It is something that does not cost any money and just requires time to invest into it.The good thing about article marketing is that as you do it you are going to grow and become a better person and this is what you need to do in order to be successful in the home based business industry.

3 Immediate Home Based Business Benefits

Working from home can be a wonderful experience, however it can also be a scary decision to make. There are many home based business benefits that should be considered and weighed in as part of the decision making process.More Family Time is one of the most Appealing BenefitsPerhaps the single most appealing aspect of working at home is the ability to spend more time with family; this seems to be especially true after the birth of a child. The ability to be at home while children are small is a huge benefit that more and more people are wanting to take advantage of. This benefit is also nice if children are older and already in school. It gives parents the ability to help out in the classroom, with field trips, and with parties.With this particular home based business benefit comes the added bonus of saving on daycare expenses. As any family knows, when you are employed outside the home, daycare expenses can be enormous, especially if there is more than one child or if the child is an infant.You can Control IncomeFor those without children, the best aspect could be that you literally control your own income potential. For most home based businesses the income is limited only by your desire and ability to work your chosen system. When you choose to take advantage of working from home, you choose to free yourself from being paid only what someone else is willing to pay. You free yourself to take control of your income.Income potential is a very important aspect of any type of work that you consider. Whether you choose to go into business for yourself or to work from home for someone else, you put yourself in the unique position of controlling your money making potential.Saving Money is another Big BenefitAlong with having more time to spend with your family and being able to determine your own income, another benefit is saving money. When commuting back and forth to work five days a week is cut out of your schedule, so too is the gas that is used as well as the wear and tear on the car. Along with saving money on the car, there is money to be saved by not having to buy work specific clothes, and not having to clean of them; lunches that are eaten out every day can now be made and served at home.It can be scary to leave a job, especially if the pay seems to be good. However, with some careful research and planning, making the decision to leave it and work from home could be the best decision for you and your family. Remember to keep in mind that there is a lot of money that is spent every day to maintain employment outside of the home that can be completely eliminated by taking advantage of these and other home based business benefits.
Don’t be afraid to make that choice, it is something that is usually not regretted.

Home Based Business – The Importance of MS Office Skills

MS office is a suite of interconnected desktop programs, applications and services for computer operating systems. It is especially suited for online home business. It was introduced about two decades ago for Windows and Mac OS operating systems. MS office is a powerful tool which has extreme importance in your home based business.It contains multiple office applications like Microsoft word, Microsoft excel and Microsoft PowerPoint which will help business enterprises on everyday basis.Further applications have grown considerably with tools like spellchecker, forms of data integration, publishing features and document formats for small and big business enterprise installations.Statistics indicate that about eight percent of business houses hold the latest MS office installations. MS office skills can help a home based business owner to deal effectively with entrepreneurial requirements of data management with software tools for spreadsheet, documents and word processing.Microsoft Office Applications:- Microsoft word is a word processor program that can be widely used for business applications. It has features such as Fonts, Inserting tables, page breaks, charts, clip art and photo insertion, word art and many formation options.- Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program with tools like custom functions, charting features and V-Lookups. The above mentioned tools are very vital for the home based business owners for business developments.Business Presentation Tools:- Microsoft PowerPoint application can be used by proprietors of business ventures to create innovative product or service presentations for clients. For example: It can be employed to deliver an attractive online marketing plan.- PowerPoint as a presentation program and it provides facilities to incorporate images, text and graphics in slideshows. These slideshows can be displayed on-screen by the presenter for work demonstrations. As the owner of a business from home, you may need to make presentations about your products or services to your clients.- PowerPoint is largely used by business proprietors to exceed client expectations and requirements in order to gain product orders. The slides can also be employed for webcasts to reach a larger audience of the target customer base.- Home based business owners can use PowerPoint to save presentations in multiple file formats.Reduction of Operational Tasks:- Desktop publishing application known as Microsoft Publisher offers great user ease with page layouts and design for entrepreneurial issues.- It is seen to have high end capabilities like coloring output, shading and transparency features which can tremendously benefit home based ventures cannot afford to hire professional designers for the preparation of marketing documents.- Microsoft Office Accounting software can be employed for home and small business units that employ a limited number of employees.- Free version of the above mentioned software is available for home business ventures.- Latest version of the above accounting software provides advanced features like tax preparation tools, foreign language packs and report construction instruments are available.To Simplify Communication:- Microsoft outlook can be employed as personal data director and communication software. The features available are calendar, task manager, e-mail and address book.- Microsoft Office communicator can be used to integrate meetings and conferences with clients in real time.- Server applications like Live Small Business, Live Workspace and Live Meeting can vastly benefit the online home based business owners to provide virtual services.

Four Steps to Accelerate International Business Growth

U.S. exports continue to grow, but many American companies lack the international business know-how to capitalize on this potential source of increased sales and profits. Proliferating trade agreements and a weakened U.S. dollar have resulted in one of the most favorable export markets in decades. Foreign importers of U.S. goods report an increasing demand for U.S. products–from popcorn to pet food. The U.S. has enjoyed 11 straight quarters of increasing exports–yet with 95 percent of the world’s population residing outside of U.S. borders and an increasingly promising international sales outlook, experts are questioning why only 5 percent of U.S. companies are currently exporting. But how do we initiate and sustain growth in unfamiliar markets?

1. DEFINE STRATEGIC NEEDS

Tapping into new markets provides the opportunity for increased revenue and profits. However, this initiative needs to be consistent with the company’s overall strategy. Inconsistent, sporadic, or unfocused deployment of resources directed toward international growth can result in an underperforming initiative that soaks up limited resources with little return. Barriers to entry (duties, regulatory, and trademark restrictions) need to be identified and addressed. A SWOT analysis detailing the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will identify and help maximize the company’s strengths, minimize its weaknesses, and give focus to the international opportunity.

An international growth plan consistent with the corporate strategy will enhance the odds of success. Tactical aspects of international development such as sales, distribution, and marketing need to be addressed. International growth factors can be sufficiently different from the U.S. models that a lack of familiarity can dramatically reduce the chances of success. Above all, there must be clear direction, full management support, and dedicated resources.

2. SECURE APPROPRIATE ASSISTANCE

Small or medium firms initiating or expanding into international business will find the U.S. Government’s Department of Commerce (DOC) an enthusiastic partner in helping American companies succeed globally. This organization coordinates resources from across 19 Federal agencies to help American businesses plan their international strategies in an increasingly globalized environment. In an unfamiliar foreign market with confusing regulations, uncertainty, and risk, the DOC can help U.S. businesses navigate the overseas sales process and avoid hazards such as payment defaults and misappropriation of trademark and intellectual property.
The DOC’s commercial service provides a surprisingly actionable array of quality services including in-country market research, trade events and missions, trade leads, and introductions to prospective business partners. The Export-Import Bank and the Small Business Administration unite to help in the financing of U.S. goods and services exports to the international market, enabling companies to turn international leads into solid sales.

Firms specializing in international business development can help jump-start foreign expansion. These firms are groups of highly skilled, experienced professionals offering practical, cost-effective assistance to companies committed to maximizing revenue and profit potential through accelerated international growth. The range of services offered varies by firm, but overall they help companies conceptualize, implement, and manage large or small international business development projects. These services can range from determining the overseas market potential for a product to managing a firm’s export sales to identifying and qualifying foreign strategic alliances.
A company wanting to penetrate the international market needs to assign a fully dedicated resource to this initiative. This individual should be the linchpin connecting the organization’s resources, know-how, and culture to the international initiative. As the business develops, additional resources should be assigned to maximize the opportunity. These should be considered investments rather than costs.

3. DETERMINE MARKET ENTRY STRATEGY

A firm’s appropriate market entry strategy will largely depend on its level of international development. For a company just commencing its international development, market penetration via in-country distributor sales may be the fastest and most cost-effective way to enter a foreign market. Selling through in-country distributors is relatively low-risk and will provide valuable learning opportunities. Once the target country or region has been identified, a process that will naturally derive from the SWOT analysis, the selection process can begin. Various U.S. government agencies and trade associations can provide a wealth of data to begin narrowing the selection.

Trade publications and events are also an excellent source. Factors to consider when selecting a market may include such criteria as regulatory environment, market size and potential, cost of entry, and competitive environment. To further narrow the possibilities, an in-country visit is required. Once there, the use of trade leads, competitive evaluations, local government assistance, and potential candidate interviews will provide additional information and insights. Major considerations in selecting a distributor are: willingness to assign a dedicated resource, market leadership or track record, marketing savvy, complementary and not competitive products or services, site inspection, and financial stability.

Penetrating a new international market is often perceived as an extension of the existing domestic business. Consequently, many American companies bypass standard business guidelines requiring rigorous market analysis. Only after performing thorough due diligence can one elaborate a service or product offering and accompanying marketing programs.

A company’s preferred mode of entry–in-country distribution, joint venture, merger, or acquisition–will depend on that firm’s primary objectives from opportunistic sales to positioning for long-term market-driven growth.

Economic globalization will increasingly lead to the creation of strategic alliances. U.S. firms must make sure that potential partners share short- and long-term objectives in order to reduce the divergence of ideas and efforts. Common values and shared business/ethical standards will enhance communications, transparency, and effectiveness. The partners should have complementary strengths and weaknesses to build a stronger and more effective alliance. Principles and processes for conflict resolution and the relationship must be drafted and agreed to by all parties concerned for the partnership to run smoothly.

4. DESIGN EFFECTIVE MARKETING

All markets have commonalities. However, effective international marketing begins with the awareness that markets are also different in ways that are not immediately apparent. The key is understanding consumers and identifying their needs through culturally specific market research. Focus groups can be especially effective in identifying the international consumer’s wants and needs. The advertising agency used in developing the offering should be local or have local representation. Employees with a thorough knowledge of market characteristics and idiosyncrasies will be particularly effective in communicating the desired message and creating and enhancing the brand image. Language skills and an affinity for different cultures are critical assets when marketing internationally.

Flawless execution is key. As a firm executes the international strategy guided by a solid business plan, it is important to celebrate milestones and benchmark against industry leaders.

Outdoor Education Camps With Programs

Summer camps are special camps arranged for people to enjoy their vacation or tour in any adventures. Summer camps comes up with special offers outdoor education camp, leadership camp, science camp, awareness camp and many other social welfare schemes are offered to the public for reasonable prices. Outdoor education forms major part of the education and it is more required for people. Outdoor education is considered has important and essential requirement for most of the people and they fetches more demand among the people. Outdoor education is created and offered specially for kids, children and adults.

The main purpose of estimating and offering outdoor education is to develop self confidence and self esteem among the people. The outdoor education activities, outdoor education courses, outdoor education programs are offered to kids, children, adults by outdoor education schools or outdoor education centers. Outdoor education camps are conducted either inside or outside classrooms. Outdoor education forms major part of the education system and it is more important to be known by the people to come up with every possibility in life. Most of the parents feels better that their children should be aware of outdoor education programs offered and they should compete with outside world.

Outdoor education activities or outdoor education courses are provided by more number of outdoor institutes or adventure outdoor schools. An outdoor education course, outdoor education programs initiates cooperation, coordination, team building, goal settings and spirituality among the students and others. Outdoor education camps are provided by more number of outdoor education institutes or outdoor education schools for reasonable and affordable prices. The outdoor education camp provided will be more worth and valuable for the students who obtains and they are provided under complete knowledge and experience.

Generally, adventure outdoor school or outdoor education schools provides outdoor education activities, outdoor education courses, outdoor education programs to kids, children and adults under prescheduled, guidance and procedures. With regards to qualified, professional and expert outdoor education instructor, outdoor education programs will be offered. Under proper guidance and precautions, outdoor educations will be offered to the people to enable them to know the required outdoor education provided. More number of kids, children and adults are obtaining the outdoor education programs offered.

The outdoor education professionals, experts or instructors guide the kids, children and adults in efficient manner. Generally, outdoor education programs and outdoor education courses are offered to students based on age group, duration of course offered and kind of outdoor education program selected. The outdoor education camp offered will be creative, enthusiastic, innovative and technical appraisement for the students hindering. Outdoor camps will be offered to the students for reasonable price consideration and they are offered by more number of adventure outdoor schools.

Ethics in Business

Sustainable advantage of an organization can be determined by its ethical capability. Ethical capability of an organization is its duty to do what is right. Some organizations such as Enron, Sathyam, and Tyco etc have made false statements in their accounts and cheated both the stakeholders and government. These kind of issues gave rise to the importance of business ethics in business schools all around the world.

Sustainable advantage can be defined as the beneficiary element that determine the long term objectives of an organization, where objectives would be the economic development that generates wealth and meets the needs of the current generation while saving the environment, so future generation can meet their needs as well. There are number of factors that determine the sustainability of an organization, which are its ethics, strategy, employees, financial capital etc. in present scenario, human resource of an organization considered to be its competitive advantage, but it will not provide sustainability. Sustainability of an organization will depend on the impact it has on the people, in the form of trust, honesty, integrity, respect, quality and responsibility. Organizations with poor sustainability will fall back as happened in case of Enron and Sathyam.

Enron was an American energy company founded in 1985 by Kenneth Lay after merging Houston natural gas and internorth( citetation). In early 1990′s Enron sold electricity at market price. At around the same time US congress passed a bill regarding the deregulation sale of natural gas which favored Enron to sell energy at higher prices. In 1992 Enron was the largest merchant of natural gas in North America. Online trading model developed in November 1999 known as Enron online has developed and extended the abilities to negotiate and manage its trading business. By 2001 Enron had both owned and operated gas pipe line, pulp and paper plants, broad band assets, electricity plants and water plants internationally. Enron stock was priced at US $ 83.13 and market capitalization exceeded US$60 billion, and Enron was rated the most innovative large company in America in fortunes most admired companies survey. By the end of 2001 the Enron scandal was revealed. The CEO Jeffrey Skilling with some of the executives have hidden billions in debt from failed deals and projects. Chief financial officer Andrew Fastow and the other executives were able to mislead the board of directors and audit committee by presenting them psydo account statements. Once the scam was published the Enron stock priced at $90 per share in 2000 plummeted to less than $1 by the end of November 2001. This fall in stock value has caused at $11 billion loss for its share holder. The employees of the organization received a limited amount of their salary and pension when it was bankrupted. Several law suits were filed against the company CEO and other executives.

Similar is in case of Sathyam computers, which is termed as the Indian Enron scandal. Sathyam computers were an information technology company which produces software’s headquarters at hyderbad, India. Its chairman Ramalinga Raju produced an account sheet which has a 7000 crore fraud. The chief auditors were also not able to identify this adjustment. As a result of this scam the employees lost their job and chairman was jailed for fraud.

These two cases throw a light on how an organizations as well as economy of the country or in large the world can be impacted with their unethical practices. That, if the organization does not practice ethics will not have sustainability.

Need for the business ethics: for the following

1. Business operates with in the society

2. Every business irrespective of size exists more on ethical mean or in total regard to its social concern to survive long.

3. Business needs to function as responsible corporate citizens in the country.

Business is a part of subsystem of a society, therefore its functioning should contribute to the welfare of the society. If the business earns social sanction of the society, where it exists then it would be able to survive, develop and excel in activities, because only through earning social sanction the business can get loyal customers. Loyal customers are sustainable advantage and therefore can survive in market without which it will collapse and die away. Large organizations put more interest on public, the managers are eager to have public opinion and always seek to maintain a proper image of company in their minds.

Now a day’s minimizing profit is not the only priority of business, it should have sustainability, which can only be achieved through ethical practices. Any organization big or small should follow ethical practices as it brings in a sense of social responsibility which eventually provides sustainability to the organization. Business should also be a responsible corporate citizen which does not allow narrow mentality goals and motives.

Cross culture variability

Ethical practices in a country or society will depend on various factors such as religious, beliefs, historic, traditions, social customs, and existing political and economic rules or policies. For example in Asian countries such as Japan, China etc loyalty to work groups and corporations has strong ethical values. This kind of ethics has been brought down through centuries long traditions, therefore one does not think of oneself but rather think of family, government and others involved with him, thus providing social responsiveness.

Nature of ethics

The concept of ethics deals only with human beings, as they only have the freedom and means to choose free will. Human being can distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, and just and proper. For example a Japanese employee believes that it Is unethical on his part to attend an interview with other company when he is still with the current company. So human can fix a goal and the means to achieve it. Ethics is also science that nowadays has become a set of systematic knowledge about moral behaviour and conduct. Ethics deals with human conduct which is voluntary and not forced by any person at any circumstances.

Business ethics and profits

The cases of Enron and Sathyam makes a point that ethics and profits are opposed to each other, as when an organisation is ethical it makes short term profit and if the organisation is unethical it makes huge profit. The same cases prove us one more thing that is it makes huge profit unethically but will not sustain in the market. Ethical companies not only make profit but also overcome their competitors and other turbulent changes happening through out the years and have contributed to social welfare. Ethical companies have social responsibilities which allow them to flourish undiminished and make profit. Tata group of companies is one company which follows ethical practises. It is said that the chief executive officer of Tata is also its chief ethics officer. Some of the ethical policies followed by the company include national interest, support from open market economy, gift and donation for social cause, political non alignment, health safety and environment care, quality product and service and regulatory compliance etc. Ratan Tata the present chairman of Tata group has declined from airline industry because he was told to bribe then minister to enter the business, which he claimed to be unethical and against the policies the group follows. His predecessor JRD Tata had set up the first commercial airlines ‘Tata Airlines’ in India which was later overtaken by the government of India and named it as Indian airlines. So besides being a pioneer in airline industry they were not able to procure it because they felt it would not sustain them and it would bring a bad image for the company. This is the reason why people have great respect for Tata group and their ethical practices and policies have created brand loyalty which has helped them to survive in market even though many competitors came.

Cross cultural contradictions

Ethical policies become a problem when the companies are not able to do business at home, therefore the other societies where the ethical policies are liberal or works in their favour. At home they are not allowed to sell products because it is unethical to use unsafe products but they may sell it in other countries where the ethical standards allow them to sell these products. It happens especially with pharma products. Some factories which emit pollutant gases are set up in neighbouring countries because ethical standards at home do not allow the factory to run business. These pollutant gases emitted are dangerous for people and the environment. Still it is ethical in certain countries. These kinds of issues give rise to cross cultural contradiction and exploitation. These issues which arise become difficult for the managers and firms to solve. Therefore the business has responsibility for their country but to four major groups they are society, employees, customers or consumers and investors.(example drugs)

Factors influencing business ethics:

Leadership, strategy and performance, individual characteristics, corporate culture and environment

Leader is a person who leads the people towards achieving a common goal. Leader can be good or bad, great or small they arise out of the needs and opportunities of a particular time and place. Not all leaders are considered to be perfect in their decision making because each and every decision they make will depend upon the character of person which differ from person to person. Character of a person includes their inborn talents, learned and acquired traits which were imposed upon them by life and experience. Leaders are models and mentors to their followers therefore they follow the path way set by their leaders. In a large organisation the top level managers or CEO are considered to be the executive and supervisory leader. The CEO should have strong commitment towards ethics and ethical conduct and should give a constant leadership in renewing the values of an organisation. They play a key role in creating, maintaining and changing the ethical culture. It is necessary for the leader to set good examples, and follows ethics. One such good leader is JRD Tata who set a good example for his successor and they still follow it. Where there are good leaders there will be good ethical practices in business.

Corporate governance: is the set of systems and processes that a company follows to ensure that it is in the best interest of the stake holders. Stakeholders are the shareholders, employees, customers, creditors and the community.

Sustainability has three components according to john elkington’s triple bottom line concept they are economic, social and environmental. According to elkington the business does not have one single goal of attaining profit but to extend the goal set by adding environmental and social values. Thus sustainability has become the new goal set by the organisation.

Environmental perspective: natural resources.

Economic perspective: about the future generation.

Social perspective: over exploiting of employees and not providing equality in gender employment, caste creed and religion based employment employing child labour.

Organisational culture: is the set of shared values, beliefs, goals, norms etc that prevails within an organisation. The organisational culture emphasis on ethics but as it grows it may change, as in the case of tyco where its organisational culture supports unethical practices. If the company makes huge profits in unethical way then individual who joins the organisation would also have to practice unethical things to survive in the company. As in the case of enron where many executives and managers knew that the company was following some illegal and unethical practices, but the executives and the board of directors did not know how to make the ethical decisions and corporate ethical culture. Thus they fall back and managers have to pay in the form of fines and imprisonment.

Business ethics is the application of ethical principle in the organization or business. An organization should produce or make its own ethical cultures, but this ethical culture formulated should be drawn from the concept of what is ethical to all and not what is right for the organization itself. The employees of the organization, also has to follow the same ethical principles. The organisation being ethical will provide certain social responsibilities such as they do not harm the stake holders, the general public and the society as well. “business that treat their employees with dignity and integrity reap rewards in the form of high moral and productivity” (Frederic, Post and Davis).

There are three major types of ethical issues that arise in a business they are, face to face ethics, corporate policy ethics and functional area ethics. Face to face ethical issues happen between the employees of an organization in their day to day organizational life. the employee face these ethical conflicts when their personal standards differs from what their job demands. Corporate policy ethical issues happen in the basic operations of a company. The top level management including the board of directors and CEO’s are responsible for ethical practices of the organization. Functional area ethics issues arise at all functional levels of the organization. For example in the accounting department, if unfair pressure is put on employees to deliver an audit report which has been altered or not showing current accounts of the organization would be un ethical, as it does not follow the standards and policies set by the organization.

Causes for unethical issues:

There are many reasons for an organization to follow unethical practices they are personal gain and selfish interest, competitive pressures on profits, business goals and personal goals, cross cultural contradictions. When an employee gives more importance to his greed or concern for his personal gain rather than any other concerns, irrespective of the harm it can bring to the organization is termed as unethical practices that arise due to personal gain and selfish interest. When a company has tough competitors in a limited or static market; it may engage some unethical practices just to be in business or to protect their profits. If the organization uses some unethical means to achieve its goal that is unaccepted by its stakeholders will give rise to ethical issues under business goal and personal goal. Here the organisaiton has set a goal that would conflict with the personal goal of its stake holders. Under such conditions the individuals involved have two choices either to follow the ethical ways of the organization or “blowing the whistle” on organization.

Environmental perspective relates to the exploitation of natural resources in business. The company should make sure that the natural resources are not exploited; it should sustain the resources so that the future generation can also enjoy them as we did. One such example is the restriction of fishing in the North Sea, to sustain the availability of diminishing cod fish to the consumers.

Economic perspective of sustainability relates to the economic growth and fall in the society. The short term adjustments made by the companies such as bribes and cartels will only be for a short period of time, it will never achieve a long time sustainability the organizations attitude towards the environment in which it is embedded. If the organization does not pay taxes are said to behave unethically similar in the case of organization that does not give donations to public institutions such as schools, hospitals, police and other justice systems.

What Can You Do With A Degree In Nutrition?

Earning a degree focused in nutrition can have many potential career paths other than becoming a nutritionist. There are six main types of nutrition paths to choose from, including teaching nutrition, public health nutrition, nutrition consulting, clinical nutrition, food science, and food service management. Most nutrition jobs should fall within one of these categories.

A degree in nutrition could help individuals land employment as a public health official, dietetic consultant, school food service director, quality control manager, food distributor, or wellness coordinator. Individuals may be employed through health maintenance organizations, school systems, food manufactures, wellness centers, and exercise and fitness centers. Government agencies also have the potential to employ those with degrees in nutrition. Some of the government agencies could include Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, SNAP- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Department of Health, and U.S. Public Health Services.

While earning a college degree, individuals will most likely be required to study a wide range of courses to gain a well-rounded education. Students could be expected to take courses related to nutrition, consisting of anatomy and physiology, introduction to food science, sociology, bacteriology, chemistry, and biochemistry. By completing an internship, individuals are able to gain hands on experience in the nutrition field before committing to a job or while still in school. Internships can serve as a great way to determine where your interests are, and if obtaining a career in this field is a good fit.

It is important for individuals wanting to succeed in a career in nutrition to possess skills such as organization and planning, strong verbal and written communication, proficient math skills for weights and measures, and interest in the well-being and health of others. To be successful working in nutrition, individuals may be required to advise patients in practicing good nutrition, monitoring diet modifications, and assessing health plans. Those with a degree in nutrition should also be able to monitor food safety conditions and create menus for specific dietary needs.

Depending on your place of employment and job description, individuals with a nutrition degree may be asked to create visuals aids and nutrition manuals that could be useful in teaching. Companies dealing with food service may hire nutrition graduates to create meal plans, ensure food safety, or develop new food products. Salary potential can depend on more than the actual job, but also education level, years of experience, and location of employment.

How to Pursue Online Nutrition Programs

Nutrition science a popular topic

One of the popular subjects in the curriculum of various educational institutions is nutrition science. With increased awareness of nutrition for the upkeep of the health of the individual, now more and more people pay regular visit to the nutrition experts to seek their valuable advice on various issues like nutritious diet, calorie oriented food and on such other related topics. As a result, nutrition technology has become one of the preferred subjects for study.

Nutrition program as a profession

Of course, there are several colleges and other organizations which teach nutrition technology as a part of the curriculum. At the same time, many institutions have started online nutrition programs for the benefit of those who are unable to attend the in house training programs. These online programs are conducted under the supervision and guidance of experts in the field. Many of these institutions teaching online nutrition programs have been accredited to appropriate government bodies. These online institutions teach as per the syllabus prescribed by the concerned authorities.

Course content

The curriculum normally is based on the credit hours. The credit hours depend on the course the student has chosen. For example, a diploma in nutrition science has 30 credit hours. On the other hand a bachelor course has 45 credit hours. These online programs also allow for specialization in nutrition science. Some of the popular fields of specialization include nutrition for sportsmen, nutrition for children, and nutrition for elderly people and so on. There are also several therapeutic nutrition programs like for those suffering from high blood pressure or for those who are obese or diabetic. Normally, students taking up online nutrition programs are taught by using the digital canvas. This helps to create a virtual classroom atmosphere for the student. The student is taught on various issues like human anatomy and physiology, application of nutrition principle for treating various ailments, nutritional therapy and also on counseling patients.

Offers better prospects

The duration of the course is normally nine months to one year. This of course, depends on the course the student has opted. At the end of the course, the students will have to undergo comprehensive examination. Normally, the student is required to undertake the examination in person at the designated place, date and time. Eligible students can opt for higher studies in nutrition technology like masters degree. The course fee varies from institution to institution. Some of the institutions also help the student in finding a suitable placement. Many of the students who have completed the online program on nutrition are of the opinion those who have taken up course at an accredited institution will have brighter chances of securing a suitable placement.