m2weekly.com » Commentary

Is your Office Chair a Seat of Pain?

M2 — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:12:34 +0000

Blessing Nwobodo
It’s the start of a new year, welcome to your official seat of pain called your office chair which you must be confined to in the next over 3 thousand hours. If your job involves sitting in front of a computer throughout the day and on a daily basis, then you must have felt that nagging back or neck discomfort that comes with sitting for too long.
Sitting in an office chair for a long period of time will definitely cause one low back pain or worsen an existing back or neck problem. This is because sitting in a chair is a static posture that increases stress in your back, neck, shoulders, arms and legs. It adds a lot of pressure to the back muscles and spinal cords. In fact, sitting is harder on your back than standing. Why?
Most people think that their backbone supports their body, but this is untrue, our body actually supports our backbone. Your back’s 24 vertebrae and its jelly-like disks offer you flexibility, but not much strength. And when you stand, your spine maintains a state called lordosis. Pressure is evenly distributed along your backbone. When you sit at a right angle, the bending of your body flattens the lumbar, or lower, section of your back. This causes a state called kyphosis, or uneven pressure on the disks in your back. This state strains the muscles in that area and causes lower back pain.
The less we move while sitting, the less our bodies are able to supply parts of our bodies with vital nutrients. When your lumbar area is nutrient-deprived, those fluid-filled disks harden. As they become less flexible, your body is more vulnerable to injuries caused by motion, and sitting incorrectly, essentially crunching your lumbar area, will gradually erode the disks in your back over time.
Sitting and leaning forward to work at your desk or computer results in a 150% increase in pressure on your discs over standing. This pressure compresses discs and can cause pain due to trapped nerves. When sitting in an office chair for a long period, the natural tendency for most people is to slouch over or slouch down in the chair, and this posture can overstretch the spinal ligaments and strain the discs and surrounding structures in the spine. Over time, incorrect sitting posture can damage spinal structures and contribute to or worsen back and neck pain.
Owning an ergonomic office chair is not necessarily enough to avert chair induced pains, however it is important that people learn the right sitting posture. it is also necessary to adjust the office chair to the proportions of the individual’s body to improve comfort and reduce aggravation to the low back and neck.
Here are a few tips on the right sitting posture.
Elbow measure
Begin first by sitting comfortably as close as possible to your desk so that your upper arms are parallel to your spine. Rest your hands on your work surface (e.g. desktop, computer keyboard). If your elbows are not at a 90-degree angle, adjust your office chair height either up or down.
Thigh measure
Check that you can easily slide your fingers under your thigh at the leading edge of the office chair. If it is too tight, you need to prop your feet up with an adjustable footrest. If you are unusually tall and there is more than a finger width between your thigh and the chair, you need to raise the desk or work surface so that you can raise the height of your office chair.
Calf measure
With your bottom pushed against the chair back, try to pass your clenched fist between the back of your calf and the front of your office chair. If you can’t do that easily, then the office chair is too deep. You will need to adjust the backrest forward, insert a low back support (such as a lumbar support cushion, a pillow or rolled up towel), or get a new office chair.More Office Chair InfoErgonomic ChairsOffice Chair Back Support
Low back support
Your bottom should be pressed against the back of your chair, and there should be a cushion that causes your lower back to arch slightly so that you don’t slump forward or slouch down in the chair as you tire over time. This low back support in the office chair is essential to minimize the load (strain) on your back. Never slump or slouch forward in the office chair, as that places extra stress on the structures in the low back, and in particular, on the lumbar discs.
Resting eye level
Close your eyes while sitting comfortably with your head facing forward. Slowly open your eyes. Your gaze should be aimed at the center of your computer screen. If your computer screen is higher or lower than your gaze, you need to either raise or lower it to reduce neck strain.
Armrest
Adjust the armrest of the office chair so that it just slightly lifts your arms at the shoulders. Use of an armrest on your office chair is important to take some of the strain off your neck and shoulders, and it should make you less likely to slouch forward in your chair.
On a final note no matter how comfy your office chair maybe, sitting in one spot for a long time is not good for your back, therefore you may also need to include standing up, stretching and walking for at least a minute or two every half an hour. Walk to the coffee machine, water cooler and even the rest room.

Just For You, Son

M2 — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:20:17 +0000

Bruno Oaikhinan
My dear son, I have been reading about love and forgiveness lately. For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, I have decided to write to you, so that you will have a fuller understanding especially of whom and what love is. Love is about expectations, acceptance and forgiveness and love does not work alone. It works with knowledge and the power to love. Love is not one sided, it’s about relationship. It is much easier to forgive others than to forgive oneself. A lot of people take it out on themselves without even realizing it. In fact they even go as far as justifying the hurts as you would found out. Don’t be surprised.
How else would one explain a lady who was molested by her dad in childhood stage, she later forgave and showed love to her dad in her adult age but today she is a prostitute? She does not believe in marriage any more. She is never ashamed to be a prostitute. She claims, she was born that way and besides God loves prostitutes. In fact, she is championing a course that prostitution should be legalized. It was never meant to be so, my son. Let me also tell you about a young man from a very rough family background and who probably at some point was sexually molested as a teenager, he has forgiven those who were not very nice to him while growing up but today, he is gay. Yes, he has showed love to others but not to himself.
God loves prostitutes. God loves gay people or lesbians. But God does not expect them to maintain these lifestyles once they embraced the love of God. Sometimes in life, we run faster than we think, that is why God allows some bumps on our way to slow us down and bring us to order. This letter to you could be a bump on your way to slow you down to consider the whole picture of God’s love. God’s love is first and foremost about you and not others. You are the one to love others and that is why God loves you. If you do not love yourself, how can you love your neighbor as yourself? Let me shock you for once, people do not respond to your love, they respond to who you are. God loves because God is Love.
Do not be deceived. If you are not love, you cannot give love. Love is not a task. Love is not a burden. You do not use love as bait for people to accept you. God has a very high standard for us. He expects us to be holy. But because God has already accepted us, it is easy for Him to forgive us even when we fall short of His expectations.
So my son, when you fall short of God’s expectation, repent immediately and sin no more. Do not take it out on yourself or be a stumbling block to others.

Yours sincerely
Dad.

Bruno Oaikhinan is a banker.
e-mail: sas_kingdomnews@yahoo.co.uk He writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

Airtel’s Miss on Current Recharge Commercial

M2 — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:18:15 +0000

Nze Eunice
“Husband: Mama Caro! (I am not sure I got the name right).Wey the Airtel phone I gave you? Wife: You mean the one you dash me last month?…”
By now we are all familiar with this Airtel ad on radio. The first time I listened to the commercial, I said to myself, “funny stuff” and in my usual tradition, I began to dissect the message(s) of the commercial in order to really understand the essence of the communication material.
The first line was like: Mama??? Where is the Airtel line I gave you? and the wife responded thus, “ U MEAN THE ONE YOU GAVE ME LAST MONTH? What does that statement mean? To a layman, it means that Airtel”s lines are not important. They are usually a second or third option. Always dumped, only to be picked up when the company comes up with one promo or the other. Now the question is: Is Airtel trying to wash their dirty linens outside? Another way to ask the question is: Is Airtel trying to itself undo itself by itself?
To a communications expert, it means just the same. So I begin to ask myself if these people actually listened to this particular message before coming up to air it. In school, I leant that before any form of advertisement or commercial is released for public’s consumption, it would have gone through a lot of processes one of which is bringing a group of people who are not part of the agency or the company to do a form of “test running” by listening to/viewing/reading the message(s) just for the purpose of critique. These happen after the copy must have gone through a lot of editing, criticizing and more, before it is even exposed to the public.
The consequence of this is that they are unconsciously giving the idea that Airte’s lines are a second or even a third fiddle. This vague idea might get to such extent that it begin to spread and once this happens, it will become a belief and once it is believed, it becomes a norm and once it becomes a norm, it becomes a tradition to be passed on to the next generation. That is the much damage it could cause. It is a fact that every brand has its own share of brand loyalists but then by the time this cycle mentioned here starts, (of course I don’t pray it starts) even the so called loyalists might not even be able to survive it because they will not be proud to use the line as their number one.
This is because they would likely succumb to the pressure from outside forces that they are not in tune with the world. Judging from the trend in the Nigerian market, Nigerians are more in tune with what is trendy and if the Nigerian fashion prescribes that your brand is a second fiddle, then that is where it stays. It will only take a lot of hard work and persuasion which will also equal to spending more money to change that perception. Most of them want to have what is in fashion even when it is not better than what is not. That is the more reason why a brand should spend quality money on good communication messages that will clearly depict its products and services (both visually and otherwise) to avoid customer dissatisfaction, prevent unwanted surprises,and to assure your customers that everything is okay.

A case for community Radio in Nigeria

M2 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:31:51 +0000

When The Community Radio Coalition, CRC, a non-governmental initiative committed to the development and promotion of the community radio in Nigeria began its advocacy in November 2003, it created an awareness that led the NBC, former President Olusegun Obasanjo to make public pronouncements on the issue. Their activities also awaken the consciousness of many Nigerians in the broadcasting sector to the relevance of community radio in Nigeria, However, despite the awareness created, community radio is still crawling in the country. Yemi Olakitan writes

The benefits of community radio in the socio-economic development of a nation have been described as enormous particularly in a developing country such as Nigeria. The experience of other developing nations in Africa has shown that community radio contributes to the economic, democratic, social, cultural and agricultural growth of a nation.Among other things, community radio helps to solve health problems by spreading awareness concerning it, disseminate information faster, it promotes education, eradicates ignorance and gives ordinary people the chance to air their views. Reports from other countries have shown that community radio helps in eradicating poverty and contributes immensely to the prosperity of a developing economy such as Nigeria. Community radio is actually important for a successful democracy and governance with the huge population of Nigeria and its diverse communities, cultural and language differences. Community radio, if used correctly can bring peace and stability to a nation, and contribute to successful governance. This is because of its capacity for public enlightenment, education, mobilization and social reconstruction.
Despite the huge benefits of community broadcasting, Nigeria is yet to take advantage of its huge potential in tackling the nation’s innumerable problems. In 2006, former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared that Nigeria would embrace community radio. The president said that the high illiteracy rate of 67 percent in Nigeria was totally unacceptable. He noted the fact that about 73 million young girls were not receiving any education in Nigeria at all. According to him, such a situation must be addressed if Nigeria must move forward as a nation. The importance of community radio broadcasting cannot be over-emphasized because Nigeria has enormous governance and development challenges to tackle and overcome. This is demonstrated by basic social data in a few key sectors. In the health sector, a report says, maternal mortality stands at 800 per 100,000 live births; infant mortality rate is 100 per 1000 live births; prevalence of HIV/AIDs stands at 3.8 per cent, and live expectancy for the average citizen is 43 years. In education, although the country’s 1999 constitution provides that the government “shall strive to eradicate illiteracy”, general literacy rate still stands at 67 per cent. Over 65 per cent of the country’s 140 million people live below the poverty line. Nigeria was ranked 158th out of 177 countries in the 2007 annual Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP. Community radio can help solve these problems. It can sensitize the highly illiterate population on the dangers and fallacy of violent religion particularly in the northern part of the country, and sensitize the populace on security issues.
In 0ctober 2010, while declaring open the 8th biennial conference of Africa broadcasters held in Abuja President Goodluck Jonathan empowered the National Broadcasting Commission to license Community radio Stations in Nigeria without further recourse to the presidency provided such applications meet the stipulated conditions by law. Represented by Vice President Mohammed Namdi Sambo at the event, the President disclosed that, “Consequently the Federal Executive Council has considered and approved the guide lines proposed by the National Broadcasting Commission for the Licensing of Community radio in Nigeria. Months after President Goodluck Jonathan’s pronouncement of the devolution of power to the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC to issue Community Radio Licenses, the directive has not been supported by concrete action from the Presidency, although the commission has given licenses to certain communities, particularly in the academic environment such as university of Calabar, the university of Lagos, the university of Ilorin and the National Open University. This, according to experts is merely a drop in the ocean considering the huge population of Nigeria, her diverse and pluralistic communities and cultural and religious differences.
Globally, community radio is now recognized as a development medium, which gives participation to all for the pursuit of even development and sustainable growth of any society. According to reports, Nigeria remains the only country in West Africa where community radio is at infant stage. One of the most important reasons for having community radio is so that members of the community can speak to one another and to those outside their community about the issues that matter most to them. A village radio in a typical farming community in Nigeria will be useful in discussing and or announcing weather conditions, new seed hybrids, the problem of fertilizers and how to solve it; new methods of processing raw fish or drying melon; market days, meetings of farmers’ union among others. A community radio can help the community to organize itself. A community radio can easily become the medium for mobilizing people to solve common problem or address a common issue. Community radio can bring development to the community. Information about health and disease control can be discussed on radio with community members Interacting with health workers. A community radio helps a community to realize the abundant resources it has for solving its own problems. It expands the list of options that a community has. For example, if there is an invasion by birds in a rice-farming community, a community radio can organize a group discussion where members of the community discuss various options for tackling the problem. From such discussion will emerge options that people had not thought about as individuals. It can bring government attention to the needs of the people. Community radio can help make this need a priority to the clinic management. It can be a medium for addressing and solving the problem posed by insecurity, poverty, natural disasters, harmful cultural practices, infrastructural decay and so on. A community radio will bring cultural development and relevant entertainment to a community. Very often, people in the rural areas are made to listen to foreign music. Local artists will feature prominently on community radio for the enjoyment of the community. This will encourage artists to do more. Community radio can serve as a way to preserve and renew a community’s cultural heritage.
Among other benefits, community radio addresses the need of the individuals also. It is often a source of relaxation , entertainment, advice and information to individuals to help them in making decisions.The medium of communication increases the understanding of rural people and enriches their knowledge of issues while at the same time spurring their creativity. Because of its contents which must include successful people who matter, community radio guides social behavior by offering role models.
When one looks at all these benefits to the nation there is only one conclusion, Nigeria must set up more community radio stations.

Kinky Braids: Rave of the Moment

M2 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:25:28 +0000

Blessing Nwobodo
After lying low for a while in the choice of hairdo for ladies, the Kinky Braids appears to have taken over as the rave of the moment particularly as Xmas approaches. A walk down into several salons on the streets of Lagos shows so many women opting for the style as hairdo of the season.
If there is one thing that ladies don’t joke with during seasons, especially the yuletide it is wearing the latest hairdo. In past years, we have witnessed the one million braids, Miss Rola Extensions etc steal the show for the yuletide. However for this year, the craze is for Kinky braids. One wonders, the edge which the hairdo has over others.
Ronke Adelabi an hairstylist within the Mainland axis of Lagos state, reasons that it could be because of its affordability and durability. “Kinky braids are very affordable and last longer. You know the economic situation. People want to spend less and get good value for money,” she stated
On her part, Joyce Nwokolo, another stylist said it is not entirely about affordability but just that it is a mentality thing. “We have been waiting to know what hairdo will be the rave for the season. We thought it was going to be extensions from the know brands, but it appears, there is nothing of such. Few persons remembered the kinky braids and as they would say the rest is what you have noticed. It has become the in-thing. The beauty of the hairdo is that you can’t go wrong with it. It is very stylish and a perfect fit for virtually all face types,” she commented
Still on the choice of hairdo for the season, a customer in one of the visited beauty salons, Thelma Adewale remarks that the Kinky braid is an easy hair to make and also a very stylish one too. According to her, she has been waiting to see the hairdo for the season, but noticed, there wasn’t any. Suddenly she observed that the ladies were going back to kinky braids and so she decided to make hers too, to join in the trend. “The last time I made Kinky braids, I loved it so much and wished it would continue to be in vogue as it was a perfect fit for my face. But then you know how it is with women, another hair comes up, we relegate the previous ones. So I was so happy to see that the braids came back especially at this season. I love other braids like the Marley braids, the one million braids, but I love this one better, you don’t have to sit for too long to make this one, it’s not bulky like the ordinary braid and then again it lasts longer,” she stated.
The Kinky braids certainly offers a lot to women in every class. It comes in a variety of colors, and comes in the form of locks of hair that can be separated and twisted in with one’s own hair. Also, afro hair can be purchased in bulk and used for kinky twists as well. So Ladies, if you are thinking of onfidence boosters for the season, having a kinky braid might just be one of them.

How To Marry Your Targets And Keep Them In Love

M2 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:05:52 +0000

Lawal Abiodun Kazeem
As soon as I saw her my heart skipped! Where could she have been all this while that I was seeing her for the first time-given the fact that I had eyes for all the good and beautiful things around campus (ladies top the list). It was on a sunny afternoon and exams were almost over. The main library witnesses the highest number of visitors around this time. For various reasons anyway-some come for serious reading, while some others come there to scout for new girls. She sat some two tables away from me and I just couldn’t help but steal serious looks at her every now and then. I lost concentration and had to quickly look for somewhere else to sit to avoid a looming disaster because I had my final exam the next day and couldn’t afford not to prepare well. I saved my first move for the afternoon of the following day- after my exam of course.
Immediately after my paper the next day i hurried off to the library with the few notes I took to the exam hall. My first port of call was the table where she had sat the previous day. I didn’t find her there. Slowly, but thoroughly, I began searching all the tables. And just as I was about giving up on the search I saw her gently nestled in a corner. As soon as I got to her table I motioned to her for permission to sit across her. She gladly obliged. I feigned seriousness but was rehearsing my introductory lines deep inside me. Twice I looked up to steal a glance at her, twice our eyes locked and twice my heart skipped! I finally summoned courage. I chatted with her briefly just to avoid disturbing her flow as she also has her final paper later that evening. As soon as I was about leaving I asked for her phone number and hostel details, which she gladly provided. As I smiled and waved goodbye at her, she gave me what till date remains the most romantic smile I have ever had. I melted like butter touched by a hot knife and fell in love as many times over again. Whoever said there was nothing like love at first sight!
The following evening i rushed to the only confectionery we had inside campus and bought, with the little I had left of my savings for the session, a small but romantic love shaped pizza and a bowl of strawberry ice-cream with chocolate toppings. I was at my dashing best when, just as earlier agreed, at exactly 7pm I knocked on the door to her room. She came to answer the door. And there she was before me looking every inch like an angel. She ushered me in and introduced me to her friends amidst giggles. Just before I sat down, I presented my gift to her and I could easily tell from the look on her face that she was deeply touched. As I later found out, the pizza and ice cream combination were her best. For the rest of the night we chatted and shared some very funny experiences we had had. Our next date was at the love garden the following day. For the rest of the session, we were always together and we carried on as if we had always known each other. When finally it was time to leave for home, we both felt as if we were being separated for life. I expressed my love for her and she also did same. She confessed of falling in love with me the day we sat together in the library. And so, given the fact that we were both graduating students, we decided to make our affair official by meeting each other’s parent and intimating them of our decision to become lifelong partners. We did this and got our parents’ blessings. And as they say, the rest is history!
Just like it is in love affairs involving humans, so it is with the way consumers fall in love with brands. The above story can be adapted to illustrate how brands can get consumers who will remain loyal to the product. Consumers are tired of reading or watching commercial advertising that would just tell them stories about the product. Consumers are no longer willing to listen to a brand that is talking to them. They want to participate in the communication process. They want to experience the benefits the product has to offer them. In clear terms, consumers want to be engaged. Just like the strategy the love- struck fellow drew up for winning the love of the lady, brands must also draw up their strategy in four parts- Engage? Involve? Connect? Retain. With engagement marketing, brands achieve all of these.
Consumers are engaged when brands create an interesting experience through which they pass across brand messages. If for example a toothpaste brand wants to pass across a message to primary school pupils on the benefits of keeping good oral health, there is a need for them to do so by introducing fun events that will catch the attention of the children. In the midst of this fun experience, the message/s is/are gently passed across.
Involvement goes hand in hand with engagement. It has to do with participation. When consumers are engaged in the brand communication process they are also being involved.
Connection is achieved when consumers become aware of the benefits and usefulness of the brand in question. When they participate actively in the brand communication process and arrive at the conclusion that the brand is indeed good for them, they become converted to the brand. After conversion to the brand, they are retained with the realization of the functional power of the brand. And, of course, the recruitment cycle is complete when consumers are converted and retained.
This is what Engagement Marketing does. It helps brands’ Engage their targets, Involve and Connect them, while making sure they are permanently converted and Retained to your brand.
The way of engagement marketing is the sure way to marry your targets and keep them forever in love with your brand!

- Lawal Abiodun Kazeem works with Brand Regimen sfs Limited and can be reached via abiodun_lawal2008@yahoo.com or 08059380677.

Are you having Food Allergy or Food Intolerance?

M2 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:51:25 +0000

Blessing Nwobodo
Nearly everyone at some point in time will have food allergy or food intolerance as the case maybe. Interestingly when people have an unpleasant reaction to something they eat, they often reason that they are allergic to the food. Findings reveal that this is not true and that rather only about 3% of adults and 6%-8% of children have clinically proven true allergic reactions to food.
This difference between the prevalence of clinically proven food allergy and the public’s perception of the problem is due primarily to misinterpreting food intolerance or other adverse reactions to food as food allergy.
A food allergy is an exaggerated immune response triggered when the body mistakes an ingredient in food usually a protein, as harmful and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it. Food allergy symptoms develop when the antibodies are battling the invading food. The most common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts , fish, and shellfish, milk, eggs, soy products, and wheat.
On the other hand, Food intolerance is a digestive system response. It occurs when something in a food irritates a person’s digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest or breakdown, the food. Intolerance to lactose, which is found in milk and other dairy products, is the most common food intolerance
Although both irritations have almost the same symptoms, food intolerance is most common among than food allergy. People who have food allergies must identify and prevent them because, although usually mild and not severe, these reactions can cause devastating illness and, in rare instances, can be fatal. If you ever get food allergy, it is necessary to see an allergy specialist. Some of the symptoms of food allergy are rash or hives, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, itchy skin, shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the airways to the lungs and anaphylaxis. For food intolerance the symptoms are nausea, stomach pain, gas, cramps, or bloating, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches, irritability or nervousness.
Food allergy can be triggered by even a small amount of the food and occur every time the food is consumed. People with food allergies are generally advised to avoid the offending foods completely. On the other hand, food intolerances often are dose related. People with food intolerance may not have symptoms unless they eat a large portion of the food or eat the food frequently. E.g, a person with lactose intolerance may be able to drink milk in coffee or a single glass of milk, but becomes sick if he or she drinks several glasses of milk.
It is important to know as well that food allergies and intolerances are different from food poisoning, which generally results from spoiled or tainted food and affects more than one person who ate from the food. Your health care provider can help determine if you have a food allergy or intolerance, and establish a plan to help control your symptoms.
Now that you can ascertain whether it is an allergy you have for a food or whether it’s simply an intolerance which you can help by not overdoing it, here are tips that will help you eat what you love without getting an irritation afterwards.
· Know what food and in what amount will cause you to have symptoms, then limit your intake to amounts you can handle.
· When you are eating out, ask your server about how your meal will be prepared. Some meals may contain foods you cannot tolerate and that may not be evident from the description on the menu.
· Learn to read food labels and check the ingredients for problem foods. Don’t forget to check condiments and seasonings. They may contain Monosodium glutamate or another additive that can lead to symptoms.

Financial Intelligence plus Savings Equals Investment

M2 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:35:35 +0000

Bruno Oaikhinan
Another way of expressing this headline is knowledge plus understanding equals wisdom; or character plus attitude equals personality; or purpose plus vision equals mission.
Ideally, the essence of all these is for us to be successful in whatever we are doing and helping others to be successful too.
Every result (whether investment in product or services; wisdom; personality; or mission as stated above) must have a purpose and a vision. The challenge is not in what to invest in but in knowing the specifics to invest in and having what it takes to invest. Knowing what to invest in is financial intelligence while having what it takes to invest is savings.
There are five major things people should invest in nowadays. Top on the list is self. The second is fixed deposit. The third is buying and selling; the fourth is stock market; the fifth is property; estate etc. There are three factors that make investment profitable. They are consistency, persistence and passion.
Profitable investment improves on the way you look, sound, smell, taste and feel. It also enables you to empower people and for more profits. People are interested in investment not for its sake but for what profitable investment can perform. Performance is the solid foundation for relationship. In fact, performance is for relationship and relationship is for performance. Since we are human, we are bound to err in relationship, that’s why we need the elixir for human connection. That elixir is what people refer to as ‘swaga’. It is the passion that comes from consistent saving of money, energy and time.
In summary, profitable investment improves on your looks (your gifts) and makes you more attractive for relationship. It takes ‘raps’, ‘swaga’ and looks to have a unique relationship. The ‘raps’ is financial intelligence; the ‘swaga’ is the elixir that comes from saving of time, energy and money while the looks (your gifts both natural and divine) are your investment.

Bruno Oaikhinan is a banker.
e-mail: sas_kingdomnews@yahoo.co.uk He writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

GTBank Make a Hit with Fund Transfer

M2 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:31:05 +0000

Nze Eunice
I have noticed of recent that GTBank has been making serious efforts to make banking more enjoyable for their customers with the recent introduction of value added services like e-banking, transfer from one bank to the other etc; but what I did not envisage is that they would make it possible for their customers to transfer funds in USD, Great Britain Pounds and Euro from their GTBank domiciliary account to beneficiaries abroad for several purposes.
I have been a benefactor of their services recently but I still find this latest value added gesture overwhelming to believe. It has to a great extent taken a lot of stress of people I know. This is what customer care is all about. I was discussing this with a colleague in the office and I was informed that United bank for Africa started the e-deposit scheme before the other banks copied them.
Now my question is that why didn’t UBA communicate this to their customers? They probably don’t know the relevance of simple communication. I have 5 siblings who bank with UBA and they had never talked about it. I have got several emails about GTB doing one thing or the other. I may not have been practical about it, but I have been well informed.
One lesson I would like brands to take away from this is that there is a difference between wanting to please your customers by providing their needs, and carrying them along. From my little investigation, a lot o people said they are not even aware that their banks have a deposit machine, I not exclusive. Until now, I used to think GTBank is the first bank to come up with the deposit machine, why? Because they were able to carry their customers along knowing how powerful the word of mouth can be, they in turn have been proclaiming the gospel.
The brand GTBank is able to feature on the brand HIT page today because it has scored an extra goal with the transfer of funds in USD, Great Britain Pounds and Euro from any GTBank domiciliary account to beneficiaries abroad. Just like they were not the first to own the deposit machine, they might as well not be the first to provide the transfer service but they are indeed the first to take their customers seriously.

Business Sophistication (2)

M2 — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:51:02 +0000

Tony Ajah
The advancement in human activities has also affected the level of businessing all over the world, even in our home soil. We must wake up to the fact that it is no longer business as usual. One must equally advance in tools of operations in order not to be left behind. Here are other important areas that we must fortify ourselves to as to benefit from the gains that today’s business terrain brings.
Your minute
When I say minute, I mean time. Time is your most precious resources in the war field. Every war takes place at a centre stage called time. It’s the same time that winners emerge that there are dozens of losers. The difference lies in their usage of time. That is to say, your success or failure is dependent on how you utilise your time; you don’t have eternity to fight a particular war. A wise man once said, ‘Each day has its duty don’t postpone it till tomorrow’.
The Law of Forced Efficiency says that there is never enough time to do everything, but there is enough time to do the most important thing. In business war-front, there’s no time for pleasantries – it’s either business or nothing. Learn to say no to an activity that takes much time from you and contribute so little.
Those who are masters of time are often masters of events that turn out with time. It’s the same thing the other way round. The indispensable key to time management is concentration – the ability to focus single-mindedly on one thing, the most important thing, and to stay with it until it is completed. Next to it, there is time to let things happen, and a time to make things happen as the war tempers. And you need wisdom to differentiate between the two. This would enable you to respond appropriately to the situations as they come.
Your money
Money is a powerful force in business war. Those who have it have an advantage over those who don’t have it. Nothing lubricates your efforts like money or limits your efforts like lack of it. It takes money to go for war and win. Anybody who says otherwise doesn’t know the power of money, or is not at war. Whenever I hear some folks say it doesn’t take money to run a business, it’s obvious that they don’t have it, and ignorant of what they are saying. (It may be before when we use trade by barter but not anymore). Money is power, if not the most powerful weapon of war presently. Imagine an American at war without money – their power and influence in the polity of nations would drastically reduce.
In business, money gives you control to a reasonable extent. When you have it, you have options and can do amazing things that would keep you ahead of others. And above all, you’d have a very respected and audible voice. Someone says that the golden rule literarily means that he who has the gold rules! The big question now is, how do I get this money? And my simple answer is: use your network. And one more thing: never have more money than you know what to do with it – it may work against you.
Your men
It takes more than a man to fight a war and win. As you see the big picture and what you’d do to reach there, you would need others to help make your mental picture a reality. No organisation can do better than the people it has. In other words, no general can do better than his men. People make the profit. People do the work that would keep buyers coming. People use the weapons. People and not just machines or any other tools do the starting and the finishing! People, people, people! And people here mean your men.
As the fighting or competitive war continues, it is wisdom to know the strength of your men. The most important thing about your squad is that each person and the assignment given to him fit well. Accept responsibility for placements that did not deliver maximum result, and remove those who do not perform. You either find a player for a position, or find a position for a player, if not fire him. There is no sentiment and there shouldn’t be; when it comes to (business) war, it’s a matter of life and death! Don’t just have men, have team with uncompromised team spirit. And I repeat, it must be a team that is team indeed, where everybody knows his or her role to achieving the core objective. John Maxwell once quipped, ‘Team working for a worthwhile vision makes it possible for common people to attain uncommon result’. Convert every number to a member who sees himself as part of the squad and the whole system. It will amaze you on what they can make happen by seeing that they fit in perfectly. I have seen and know the power of a great team, and can’t trade it for anything else.
As I conclude this piece of writing, I want to remark that simplicity is the highest form of sophistication, and the basis of simplification is to eliminate the needless. Never-ending sophistication is the basic requirement for being in charge in business now and afterwards. So, continuous improvement would transform your operation amazingly. Every challenge or opposition has got a soft-spot. Begin from where you have the greatest strength to fight. Paul J. Meyer observed that, ‘Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated; they simply quit’. That’s revealing. ‘Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can’. Those were the words of Arthur Ashe, an ace tennis player. Go ahead and make it happen. It’s a new business day!

Tony Ajah is a highly consulted business growth strategist and the Principal Strategist, TA Strategic Solutions, a Lagos-based firm into business growth and development.
tony@ta-strategies.com ajahxt@yahoo.co.uk 01 958 7802