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Volume 7 // Number 4 // Article 3
Categories of GM Risk-Benefit Perceptions and Their Antecedents
W. Bruce Traill, Sara R. Jaeger, Wallace M.S. Yee, Carlotta Valli, Lisa O. House, Jayson L. Lusk, Melissa Moore, and J.L. Morrow, Jr.
University of Reading; University of Auckland; University of Bologna; University of Florida; Oklahoma State University; Mississippi State University; Birmingham-Southern College
The stated benefits and perceived risks of genetic modification (GM) cover very diverse issues, such as food safety, world food security, and the environment, that may differentially affect consumer acceptance. In this research, we hypothesize that consumers perceive up to eight dimensions: risks to business (farmers, agribusiness, etc.), benefits to business, risks and benefits to the environment, risks and benefits to the developing world, and risks and benefits to self and family. Moral concerns are also recognized. Using data collected in 2002 in the United States, France, and the UK, we investigate these different dimensions. Second, we analyze the extent to which the dimensions of risk-benefit perceptions can be explained by general attitudes widely used to explain food purchase behavior (such as general attitude to the environment, to technology, etc.), as well as by perceived knowledge of GM, level of education, and trust in various sources of information. In all locations, the majority of consumers only perceive a medium level of risk from GM products. Attitude to technology is the most important attitude variable -- those with a positive attitude to technology in general also have a positive attitude to GM technology. More Americans than Europeans fall into this category. Those who trust government and the food industry tend to think GM technology is less risky, whereas those who trust activists believe the opposite. Americans are more trusting of the former, Europeans of the latter. Level of education is positively associated with benefit perceptions and negatively associated with moral concerns. Location continues to play a limited independent role in explaining perceptions even after these factors have been taken into account.
Key words: attitudes, developing world, environment, health, knowledge, moral concerns, trust.Introduction
Potential benefits and risks associated with genetic modification (GM) go beyond food safety and encompass issues such as the impact of GM products on the environment and the developing world. Potential consumers may also be concerned about moral and ethical aspects of GM technology. It is likely that these different dimensions differentially affect consumer acceptance of GM in food production. In this paper, we explore whether consumers really perceive different dimensions of risks and benefits1 and whether their perceptions can be explained by their general attitudes (to the environment, technology, food quality) and to trust in food chain actors, knowledge of GM, and level of education. We are aware that people may exaggerate risk perceptions in surveys (e.g., see Al-Sendi, Shetty, & Musaiger, 2004; Rimal, Fletcher, & McWatters, 1999, Yeung & Morris, 2001), but in this paper our interest is in relative risk perceptions (e.g., risk to the environment vs. risk to food safety), so this does not cause a problem. The information generated should be valuable to producers and policy makers interested in understanding and perhaps attempting to influence people's perceptions of GM. It may also help in understanding differences in perceptions between EU and US consumers; to this end, data were collected in various locations in the United States, UK, and France. Finally, we would also hope that the findings elaborated in this paper can be generalized to other products of other new technologies for which consumers have to weigh up risks and benefits, although it is unlikely that these will be identical across technologies.
Perceived Risks, Benefits, and Moral/Ethical Concerns Associated with GM Foods
Research on perceived risks from food has traditionally focused on risks associated with food safety. Researchers have made use of Slovic's (1987) theory to explain why people exaggerate some risks (relative to the "true" objective risk) and underestimate others. Consumer acceptance involves a weighing up of risks and benefits (Frewer, 1999; Hoban, 1998). However, in the case of genetic modification, consumers' concerns and potential benefits extend beyond traditional food safety. Among the supposed advantages of GM are improved food safety, functional benefits to food (better taste, nutritional quality), environmental benefits (e.g. less pesticide use; Caulder, 1998; Grunert et al., 2001), and to satisfy growing world food demand. It has also been argued that any country failing to embrace GM methods risks becoming technologically backward and suffering falling international competitiveness (Food Standards Agency [FSA], 2003a, 2003b)—therefore, potential consumers may feel that they are supporting their own farmers and food manufacturers by supporting GM technology. But for each potential benefit, there is potential risk—safety may be lowered, quality reduced, the environment damaged, developing countries disadvantaged, and farmers and food manufacturers rendered subservient to multinational life science companies (Bredahl, Grunert, & Frewer, 1998; Morris & Adley, 2000; Perdikis, Kerr, & Hobbs, 2001). Consumers have also expressed concern about the "abuse" of living things for commercial benefit (FSA, 2003a, 2003b; Grunert, Bredahl, & Scholderer, 2003).
Past research has shown that there is an inverse association between consumers' perceived risks and perceived benefits (Alhakami & Slovic, 1994; Lloyd, Hayes, Bell, & Naylor, 2001; Siegrist, 1999), and it has been suggested that the negative correlation shows that people fail to consider the dimensions of risks and benefits separately (Alhakami & Slovic, 1994). In other words, those that perceive high risks would tend also to perceive low benefits from GM. However, it is perfectly reasonable to argue in favor of both high benefits and high risks—herbicide-tolerant or insect-resistant crops may require less herbicides and pesticides in production (good for the environment) but reduce biodiversity (bad for the environment). We investigate whether there is a case for aggregating perceived risks with (inversely scored) perceived benefits.
Scales to measure food risks and benefits from GM have not been widely tested and accepted, so they require some scale development. (For a discussion of scale development, see Henson & Traill, 2000.) Essentially, an immeasurable psychological construct (e.g., perceived food safety risk of GM) causes a number of measurable items (e.g., specific food safety concerns associated with GM), which can be measured in a questionnaire and combined to give a score for the strength of an individual's feeling with respect to the underlying construct. Based on our reading of the literature on consumer concerns and benefits (e.g., Baskshi, 2003; Pretty, 2001; Rowland, 2002; Smith & Skalnik, 2003; Wu, 2004), as well as discussions in the media and by industry, environmental, and consumer groups, we drew up a series of questions (items) grouped into nine categories: agricultural and food business risk, agricultural and food business benefit, risk to self and family, benefit to self and family, risk to the developing world, benefit to the developing world, environmental risk, environmental benefit, and moral/ethical concerns. Nine-point scales were anchored at the ends with the terms strongly disagree and strongly agree. Scale items2 are shown in Appendix A.
Risk and Benefit Antecedents
Our intention is to examine whether people's GM risk-benefit perceptions can be explained by their general and food-related attitudes and by other variables expected to influence risk perceptions, such as knowledge (or perceived knowledge) of GM, trust in sources of information on GM products (government, industry, activists), and level of education (the ability to analyze information). We also investigate whether the anticipated American acceptance and European rejection of GM can be explained by these risk-benefit antecedents or if there remains a "cultural residual" that we are unable to explain.
Attitudes comprise a person's beliefs about an object, their feelings toward the object, and action tendencies with respect to the object (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). Relevant attitudes that have been used to explain food buying behavior include food neophobia (the tendency to avoid novel foods), attitudes to technology, attitudes to food quality, and attitudes to the environment. In our study we employ four scales: attitude to the environment, adapted from the New Environment Paradigm scale (Dunlap & van Liere, 1978); attitude to new foods, adapted from the Food Neophobia scale (Pliner & Hobden, 1992); attitude to technology, adapted from Hamstra (1991); and attitude to food quality, adapted from Steenkamp (1989).
People's general and food-specific attitudes alone will not completely explain their risk-benefit perceptions. They regularly seek and/or receive new information that they must process. Thus, risk-benefit perceptions are hypothesized to be related to people's trust in the source of information (see Verdurme, Gellynck, & Viaene, 2001). We measure the level of trust in government and the food industry and in activist groups such as environmental organizations. We anticipate that because government and the food industry promote a generally positive message about GM technology (e.g., FAO/WHO, 2000), people who trust these information sources will perceive lower risks and higher benefits. By contrast, environmental groups tend to paint a bleak picture of GM technology, so trust in these organizations should lead to higher risk and lower benefit perceptions.
It has been argued that ability to process information also influences awareness and potential attitudes; this ability is presumed to be related to level of education (Steenkamp, 1997; Zhong, Marchant, Ding, & Lu, 2002), although the direction of the effect is somewhat ambiguous, because level of education could result in a better capacity to identify risks as well as benefits (see Berrier, 1987; Hursti & Magnusson, 2002; Office of Technology Assessment, 1987; Steenkamp, 1997; Steward, 2000; Subrahmanyan & Sim Cheng, 2000).
Perceived knowledge about GM is also expected to have an influence on risk-benefit perceptions. It is hypothesised that people perceive risks that are familiar to them as lower than those that are unfamiliar (see Miller, 1998), suggesting a negative association between perceived knowledge and perceived risk.
Data Collection
The modelling and data collection are based on a joint US/UK project that enabled data to be collected in three American locations plus one location each in the UK and France. Data were collected during the third quarter of 20023 in Lubbock, Texas (n = 80), Long Beach, California (n = 47), Jacksonville, Florida (n = 39), and two locations in the EU: Reading, UK (n = 108) and Grenoble, France (n = 98). The locations were selected to provide diversity in geography, population, and culture.4 In each of the five locations, marketing research companies were hired to recruit individuals for participation in the study. Recruitment was restricted to females between the ages of 25 and 65, because women remain the primary grocery shoppers (Progressive Grocer, 2002). Age restrictions were implemented to ensure that a disproportionate number of students or retirees, with relatively low opportunity cost of time, would not dominate the sample. Subjects were originally contacted by phone and offered $50 (or the equivalent in local currency) to participate in the study. Participants completed the questionnaire in rooms hired for the purpose.
Empirical Results
In this section we look first at the dimensions of risk-benefit perceptions, then at the hypothesised antecedents, and finally at the explanation of the risk-benefit perceptions by the antecedents.
Scales of Risk-Benefit Perceptions
Scale items are shown in Appendix A. We investigate various alternative propositions:
There is no accepted single decision criterion for selecting an "optimal" scale. A combination of visual inspection, Cronbach's alpha,6 inter-item correlations, and goodness-of-fit statistics in confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)7 are used. Tables A1 through A8 show values for these various statistics. They provide no definitive answer, but the following are general observations:
Risk and Benefit Scale Values, Attitudes, Trust, and Knowledge
Figure 1 shows the mean values for the four-scale aggregation. Environmental risks, risks to self and family, and moral concerns are viewed as the most important problems associated with GM in all locations. There is surprisingly little difference in scores between Long Beach, Jacksonville, and Reading, but we learn that there are substantial differences between the French and Texans—this may not come as a monumental surprise!9 The mean values for all risks and all benefits of all respondents are 5.92 and 5.22, respectively. The French perceived most risks (mean value = 6.68) and least benefits (mean value = 4.48). Texans perceived least risks (mean value = 5.23) and most benefits (mean value = 5.89).
Table 1 shows the distribution of aggregate perceived risks/benefits (all risks and benefits with the exception of moral concerns aggregated). Although the French have the highest proportion of respondents who view aggregate perceived risks as high, even there half the sample considers risks to be only at a medium level. In other locations, a significant majority fall in this category, and overall two thirds of respondents consider risks to be medium. This should provide some reassurance to those keen to promote GM technology.
Figure 1. Mean value of risk/benefit components and moral concern.
Table 1. Distribution of aggregate perceived risks scores.
For the four general attitude scales, namely the New Environment Paradigm, food neophobia, food quality, and technology, scale reliability is good (α = 0.70, 0.85, 0.86, and 0.81, respectively), except for the New Environment Paradigm, which is marginally acceptable, given the number of items employed. The New Environment Paradigm scale has been the subject of some debate in the recent literature (Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig, & Jones, 2000). In general, attitude scores are close to the mean of the nine-point scales, and there is reasonable variability in the data. On the specific attitude scales, French consumers are more environmentally conscious and accord higher importance to food quality. Americans are more open to new technology, and the British are most open to new foods.10
Table 2 shows trust in different sources of information. It is noteworthy that Americans in all locations have more trust in government and industry and less trust in activist groups than their European counterparts.
Perceived knowledge was measured with the question "How knowledgeable would you say you are about the facts and issues concerning genetic modification in food production?" (1 = not at all knowledgeable, 9 = extremely knowledgeable). Scores averaged 3.04 for the United States and rose to 4.64 for France (i.e., consumers in all countries perceived that they had limited knowledge of GM food). Level of education was defined in terms of whether the respondent had a university degree (0 = non-degree holder, 1 = degree holder)—about equal numbers fell into each category, but the proportion with a degree was unexpectedly much higher in Reading than Grenoble.
Table 2. Mean value of consumer trust.
Regression Results
Risk-benefit perception scales were used as dependent variables in a series of single equation regressions estimated by OLS for which the independent variables were attitudes, perceived knowledge, level of education, trust in sources of information, and regional dummy variables. We specifically investigate further the questions:
Table 4 shows results for all risks aggregated and all benefits aggregated. Technology is again the most important attitude variable, particularly with respect to perceived benefits. A lack of trust in government and the food industry is particularly strongly associated with a high level of perceived risks. Level of education is positively associated with a perception that GM technology will bring benefits. Regional differences are slightly more significant than in Table 3, particularly with respect to benefit perceptions, but most of the differences are associated with Grenoble and Lubbock.
Table 3. Results of regression analysis with four risk/benefit categories.
Table 4. Results of regression analysis with two risk/benefit categories.
Surveys conducted in the United States, UK, and France indicate that people's risk and benefit perceptions are not unidimensional; rather, they should be represented by a number of different dimensions, although the data are not conclusive as to whether these are best represented as three scales (in which risks and benefits are viewed as distinct and moral concerns form a third dimension) or as four scales (in which different types of risks and benefits are perceived separately, as are moral concerns, but risks and benefits within each category are perceived unidimensionally). Both ways of looking at the data shed some light on the importance of different aspects of risks and benefits and the way they are related to more general attitudes, trust in source of information, and level of education—both important to the industry and to policy makers as well as academics.
One interesting finding from aggregating all risks and benefits together is that in none of the five locations studied did people perceive GM foods to be as risky as generally portrayed. In all locations, the majority see GM in food production as having a medium level of risk and, apart from Grenoble, this grouping represents around two thirds of those surveyed (Table 1). Perceived self and family risks and perceived environmental risks are the most important risks perceived across the locations. The single attitude variable that best explains GM risk and benefit perceptions is individuals' general attitude to new technology; Americans' generally more favorable attitude to technology partially explains their greater acceptance of GM. Trust in information provided by government and industry is likewise a very important determinant of risk and benefit perceptions; once more, the Americans' greater trust in these institutions is associated with greater acceptance of GM production. By contrast, Europeans are more trusting of consumer and environmental groups; this trust is associated with higher perceived risks and lower perceived benefits. High levels of education are associated with a greater perception of GM benefits and less moral concern about the technology. Nevertheless, there remain unexplained locational differences in risk-benefit perceptions, although these are only really important between Texas and France.
The findings suggest some ways by which greater acceptance of GM could be promoted, although none of these is short term or easy: greater education and promotion of a more favorable attitude to technology (probably related) and the development of greater trust in government and industry. Trust and risk communication are issues that have been recognized as important in recent years. This research supports the significance of trust building, if not contributing to the debate on the means of achieving it.
We see this paper as having contributed to the general debate about how to measure risk and benefit perceptions of GM products. We would also hope that the findings can be generalized to other products of new technologies for which consumers have to weigh up risks and benefits. Our results suggest that there may be a number of risk/benefit dimensions that merit investigation, although it is unlikely that these will be identical across technologies.
1 In this paper, risk perception is considered as a psychological construct that may influence people's behavior rather than the probability associated with a random outcome, as used in an economics context. Perceived risk (and benefit) in the psychology literature are usually measured on a Likert scale between end-points represented by statements such as very risky and not at all risky (e.g., Alhakami & Slovic, 1994, Frewer, Howard, & Shepherd, 1997; Siegrist, 1999).
2 There is a possibility that the respondents might misinterpret the questions due to the complexity of the questionnaire (as suggested by one of the reviewers), however, this problem was not manifested during the pilot test.
3 Piloting took place in April and May 2002.
4 Lubbock has a population of about 250,000 and is located in a predominantly agricultural area in the panhandle of Texas. In contrast, Long Beach is definitively urban, as it is located in Los Angeles County, which has a population of over 9.6 million. In terms of the number of residents, Jacksonville lies between Lubbock and Long Beach, with a population of about 790,000. The selected EU locations are roughly similar to Lubbock in terms of population. In addition, Lubbock, Reading, and Grenoble all have sizable universities. Reading is located approximately 60 kilometers west of London and has a population of about 250,000. Grenoble is located in southeast France and has a population of about 400,000.
5 In this case, as under the first bullet point, reverse scoring is required to enable scale amalgamation.
6 Cronbach's alpha is used to assess the measurement reliability: the extent to which repeated measurements by the same method on the same subject produce the same result. α = [N / (N - 1)] [1 - Σσi2/σT2]; where α = Cronbach's alpha; N = number of items; σT2 = variance of the total of all items; Σσi2 = sum of item variances. It ranges between 0 (indicating that items are completely uncorrelated and therefore cannot reliably be said to have been caused by the same underlying psychological construct) to 1 (if the items are perfectly correlated). An "optimal scale" has items that are highly but not perfectly correlated. Alphas above 0.7 but not much over 0.9 are considered ideal.
7 Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using LISREL 8.30 in order to assess the validity of the proposed factor model. In other words, this statistical procedure assessed whether the proposed combination of items to represent the underlying factors is reasonable. The LISREL program produced several goodness-of-fit indices, including root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), goodness-of-fit index (GFI), and adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI) to indicate whether the suggested factor model is a good fit of the existing data.
8 The overall model fit was assessed using the difference between the covariance matrix predicted by the model (implied covariance matrix) and the sample covariance matrix derived from the observed data (observed covariance matrix). Commonly used fit indices include the root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA), the goodness-of-fit index (GFI), and the adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI). These were utilized to avoid reliance exclusively on a single measure (Bagozzi & Baumgartner, 1994; Bollen & Long, 1992). Suggested thresholds for good fit are RMSEA < 0.10 (Schumacker & Lomax, 1996), GFI > 0.90, and AGFI > 0.80 (Gefen, Straub, & Boudreau, 2000).
9 Post-hoc tests revealed that with the exception of moral concerns, the mean score of the respondents in Grenoble was significantly different from other regions in the five composite scales. The mean scores of business risk, environmental risk, and you and your family risk of those in Reading were significantly different from those in Lubbock, and the mean score of moral concerns was significantly different among Lubbock, Reading, and Grenoble, all at 0.01 level.
10 This could be a consequence of their traditional foods!
11 Perhaps this is a result of the New Environment Paradigm scale not performing well as a measure of environmental concern (see earlier discussion) and being insignificant in explaining risk-benefit perceptions.
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Appendix A. Measurement Items for Risk-Benefit Perceptions and Moral Concerns
Agricultural and Food Business Risk (α = 0.69)
Agricultural and Food Business Benefit (α = 0.61)
Risk to Self and Family (α = 0.78)
Benefit to Self and Family (α = 0.77)
Developing World Risk (α = 0.68)
Developing World Benefit (α = 0.78)
Environmental Risk (α = 0.67)
Environmental Benefit (α = 0.65)
Moral Concerns (α = 0.78)
Table A1. Correlation between risk and benefit scales—nine scales.a
Table A2. Correlation between risk and benefit scales—five scales.
Table A3. Correlation between risk and benefit scales—three scales.
Table A4. Alpha value—nine scales.
Table A5. Alpha value—five scales.
Table A6. Alpha value—six scales.
Table A7. Alpha value—two scales.
Table A8. CFA overall model fit of various risk/benefit scale aggregations.
W. Bruce Traill is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Food Economics, University of Reading, UK. Sara R. Jaeger is an associate professor in the Department of Marketing, University of Auckland. Wallace M.S. Yee is a research fellow in the Department of Agricultural and Food Economics, University of Reading. Carlotta Valli is a research associate at the University of Bologna. Lisa O. House is an associate professor in the Department of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Florida. Jayson L. Lusk is a professor and Sparks Endowed Chair of Agribusiness Studies at Oklahoma State University. Melissa Moore is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing of Mississippi State University. Bert Morrow is an assistant professor in the Division of Business, Birmingham-Southern College. This research was funded by USDA-IFAFS grant #52100-9620.
Suggested citation: Traill, W.B., Jaeger, S.R., Yee, W.M.S., Valli, C., House, L.O., Lusk, J.L., Moore, M., & Morrow Jr., J.L. (2004). Categories of GM risk-benefit perceptions and their antecedents. AgBioForum, 7(4), 176-186. Available on the World Wide Web: http://www.agbioforum.org.
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X Factor's Tamera Foster in 'car crash' performance, but Gravesend girl survives
PUBLISHED: 08:09 25 November 2013 | UPDATED: 08:10 25 November 2013
Gravesend's Tamera Foster forgot her lyrics for a third time this weekend, as she survived another week on the X Factor.
The 16-year-old made it through to the final five despite her live brain-freeze while performing James Arthur's Impossible during the ITV talent show's 10th anniversary night.
Tamera has struggled with remembering her words since her first arena audition, when she left the stage after fluffing the lines of Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing, and again during Shirley Bassey's Diamonds Are Forever last week.
She entered the live shows as favourite to win, but her battle with song lyrics has seen her slip behind rivals Sam Bailey and Nicholas McDonald with bet makers.
Speaking after her performance on Saturday night, judge Gary Barlow said: "It's hard to watch, it's really hard to watch. I don't know how to solve this problem. On the live shows it's excruciating watching a car crash happen."
Louis Walsh added: "It's so frustrating to watch someone who can be a potential superstar messing up her words. You can't do it any more."
However, despite the lyric hiccup - Tamera will now sing once again next weekend as the final approaches.
Check back later in the week to find out what the former Northfleet School for Girls student will be singing on Saturday.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Gravesend Reporter. Click the link in the orange box above for details.

subset: commoncrawl


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Kartika Purnima 2019 in Odisha – Boita Bandana or Boat Festival
Tomorrow is Kartika Purnima, the full moon day of the Hindu month of Kartik.
On this auspicious day, just at daybreak, men, women and children across Odisha head for the nearest water body to set afloat toy boats with lamps, betel leaves, crackers fruits and coins.
Known as the Boita Bandana or Boat Festival, this is supposed to be a mass commemoration of the maritime glory of the people of Odisha, which was known as Kalinga in ancient times. But some believe the tradition is meant to offer prayers to the ancestors.
The full moon day or 15th day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) of the Kartika month is considered as Kartika Purnima.
During this month all the pious Hindus refrain themselves from eating fish, meat and egg. All of them take pre-dawn bath and visit temples as a matter of routine habit. The last five days are considered more sacred, in which there is wide participation of devotees. Taken together the days are called 'Panchuka' and the last day being the "Kartika Purnima".
CHECK: Bali Yatra in Cuttack begins today


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Home Blog New RTV Webinar – The IMAGE
RTV is excited to announce a free monthly photography webinar titled "The IMAGE." Held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the last Wednesday of every month, the IMAGE will cover both introductory and advanced photography tips and reveal how to capture the most effective images when shooting photography for property marketing purposes. These webinars will also explore some common and useful techniques that photographers and real estate agents can utilize to help overcome potential stitching problems when creating virtual tours of subject properties.
Ideal for any level of photography knowledge, these webinars will provide photographers and real estate agents with professional tips and tricks to help improve their photography shots and their bottom-line. So join us each month for the image and learn how you can capture the perfect IMAGE every time.
Register NOW for your first episode of "The IMAGE" and invite your clients, because this webinar is open to the public!
Wednesday, March 25, 20097pm EST – 8pm ESTREGISTER NOW!
The IMAGE…"The quality of your IMAGES can make or break YOUR IMAGE"
Posted by: RTV Tours
Posted: March 9, 2009
Category: Blog Uncategorized
Tags: The Formula The Image virtual tour company virtual tour software


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Investment bankers can help you to sell your business, but not all investment bankers are created equal. Here are attributes to look for when you are choosing an investment banking firm.
Most business owners approach the task of selling their company in traditional terms, crossing their fingers and hoping for the best in the commercial marketplace.
(article continues below)
If that approach doesn't sound appealing, you may have another alternative. But to get there, you're going to need the help of an investment banker.
An investment banker is an agent for an organization that helps private companies convert ownership equity into securities in the primary market. By issuing an IPO (Initial Public Offering), a good investment banker can be a godsend, raising significant capital for business owners and propelling the company into its next stage of life.
The process typically goes something like this: A company selects an investment banker, who in turn guarantees the company a specific amount of capital minus a fee. The investment banker then proceeds to raise the guaranteed capital through the IPO, but assumes all of the risk should the IPO fail to attract the necessary investors. Not a bad deal, right?
In reality, the success of your relationship with an investment banker will depend largely on two factors: Your company's stage of life and the quality of the investment bank itself. Investment banks are most interested in established, mature companies. Although younger start-ups can conceivably attract an investment banker, the pool of potential candidates will likely be substantially smaller and the deal will be less beneficial for the business owner.
If your company is well-established and mature, the only thing standing between you and investment banking success is the selection of a top-rate investment banker. Here are some of the most important characteristics to look for when choosing investment bankers:
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Drilling is the primary process for exploring and manufacturing crude oil from a tank. In this process, rocks are crushed by using drill bits to extract crude oil to form a cylindrical hole in the earth's surface. Drill bits consisting of different materials such as diamond, tungsten, and carbide are widely used in the oil & gas industry. Drill bits are segmented according to the type i.e., roller cone drill bits and fixed drill bits of the cutter. The most popular drill bits used for finning conventional wells is the roller cone drill bits. The segment with roller cone drill bits is expected to be the most dominant segment over the forecast period, while the growth of the segment of fixed cutter bits is enhanced by increasing the production of non-conventional shale gas and tight oil.
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The drill bit market report aims to provide an overview of the drill bit market with detailed market segmentation by product type, application, and geography. The global drill bit market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading drill bit market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.
The global drill bit market is segmented on the basis of product type, and application. On the basis of product type, the drill bit market is segmented into: Fixed Cutter Bits (Natural Diamond Bits, Polycrystalline Diamond Bits), and Roller Cone Cutter Bits (Tungsten Carbide Inserts, Milled-tooth Bits). Based on application, the drill bit market is segmented into: Onshore Drilling, and Offshore Drilling.
The List of companies covered in this Reports are:
- BLACK+DECKER Inc.
2. Halliburton
3. Hartner
4. Hilti
6. Makita Gulf FZE
7. Metabo
8. Robert Bosch Tool Corporation
9. RUKO GmbH Pr?zisionswerkzeuge
10. Schlumberger Limited
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The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides an overview and forecast of the global drill bit market based on various segments. It also provides drill bit market size and forecast estimates from the year 2017 to 2027 with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South & Central America. The drill bit market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers the analysis and forecast of 18 countries globally along with the current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.
The report analyzes factors affecting the drill bit market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics affecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South& Central America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors affecting the drill bit market in these regions.
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It may seem like every industry is already plugged into tech and professionals are working smoothly with digital workflows, the actual truth is that there are still technological bumps in the road. This may be due to the personal workflows of professionals themselves or the industry they're in which may be slow to adopt more digital methods.
Regardless of the cause, technical expertise within an industry comes with learning. And most professionals are still learning their way around technology. So how are industries and professionals dealing with the digital shift that surrounds us? We take a look at three sectors.
Due Diligence With Digital Data Is A Must For Lawyers
Sifting through digital documents is at the top of the task list for any legal professional. For instance, learning to work with legal PDFs accounts for a good portion of the main digital tasks they can expect to face.
While there's some opinion that having to be tech-savvy depends on the lawyer and whether or not they have an assistant to work with the legal paperwork instead, it's important for lawyers to know how to navigate or become somewhat technologically competent to convert and handle PDFs.
As files and case evidence are going digital, lawyers gathering the material for the courtroom need to be aware of the ins and outs of the e-discovery process which includes collecting the evidence, safeguarding it and working with it properly. Not only that, but lawyers need to check to ensure that the information is accurate.
For example, lawyers will be performing legal research which, as it turns out, can be problematic. In a study, it was found that six major legal research platforms turned up different results for the same searches. If the search algorithms aren't consistent, how can a lawyer determine if the research is incomplete or not? This highlights an important point in which legal professionals need to know the pitfalls of the technology they work with, which means also knowing its strengths.
The onus is ultimately on the lawyer. They have to be aware of how legal tools and service vendors work. Yet, this isn't always the case as one lawyer's e-discovery error proves when she inadvertently disclosed highly sensitive financial information while under order of a subpoena for a certain set of documents.
In the legal sector, it's crucial to be on top of digital documents and the e-discovery process or they may face liability claims and lawsuits if mishandled.
Educators Are Learning As They Teach
Educators, on the other hand, have the burden of teaching with technology that they, themselves, are still learning to use. They're teaching and integrating technology into a classroom that is vastly different than classrooms were just a decade ago.
When classrooms are populated with students who have been born into a world with technology, it's impractical to teach them with old school methods and material. The current K-12 generation has grown up with a different learning style than that with which their educators grew up (or partially different, at least).
There was a time when PowerPoint presentations, Chromebooks, and Google search results didn't exist. But now the gaps are being bridged. Students can take a more active role in their education over the web with tutorials, blog posts, videos, and webinars. Also, educators are turning to platforms like Google For Education, for example ,for training and educational tools needed to digitally streamline the curriculum as much as possible.
Whether it be to learn how to code, research online or develop their own app, kids are now reliant on technology to get a headstart. For educators, this forces them to focus on their ability to incorporate technology in education, to prepare students to interact and become a part of a high-tech future that will require a wide range of digital skill sets.
Data Extraction And Analysis Are Key For Investigative Reporters
And this need for digital skills as a standard is a growing necessity in data journalism, as well. To write a credible story, a journalist has little room for error. Journalists have to put accurate facts, numbers and statistics into context.
And the majority of this data is provided by governments and organizations that is often in PDF tables that have been scanned in. Data in this state is impossible to clean, analyze and refine for a story. But the relationship between the data and the story is the backbone behind the news we consume on a daily basis. How can they work with that data?
The data has to be extracted and then analyzed in tools like Excel or SQL which can help investigative reporters back up their stories and claims. Their ability to work with the data centers upon technical skills that include coding, data visualization and analysis, PDF conversion, database knowledge, and Excel.
In addition, the initial findings of the first Global Data Journalism survey, which is aimed at developing guidelines for the future of data journalism. Conducted across 43 countries with 181 participants, the survey sample showed that formal data training in newsrooms is lacking. It was shown that journalists did have degrees, but very little analytical (or at least, basic) skills.
Fortunately, university data journalism programs are widening the range of data analysis courses in their curriculum, which is helping budding reporters to better cope with the locked down data they receive.
Connecting people to their work is what technology is all about. It solves problems. It simplifies jobs. While every profession has different technological needs, one thing is true: technology is shaping both how those professionals work and how these industries develop.
Source: investintech.com


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下载手机dafabet娱乐场Basic theoretical knowledge is not sufficient in todays times. Like other domains, this is also applicable in case of digital marketing. Especially, if you are looking for a digital marketing career progression; in terms of getting a high paid job or want high salary in reputed company
下载手机dafabet娱乐场Although, having basic knowledge is utmost necessary, that is not all. In this constantly changing field, one needs to stay updated at all times. Along with theory, practical implementation of it is also necessary. That's where we train our trainees at Digital Trainee. Join us and feel the difference!
下载手机dafabet娱乐场One may get a job initially by just knowing about Search Engine Optimization or SEO. However, the scope would remain limited if you continue with just that. Digital marketing is not just about SEO. It is a vast field and includes many other aspects related to online marketing. E.g. Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Google AdWords, Social Media Marketing (SMM) etc.
If you really want a digital marketing career growth or salary boost, then you should know about all these concepts as well.
Where will you get to learn all this? At Digital Trainee of course!
Digital Marketing Career Boost program at Digital Trainee:
At Digital Trainee, we don't just train freshers, but also those who are already working in the digital marketing profile.
To help them boost their existing careers in digital marketing, we offer various types of customized advanced dedicated training programs. Many working digital marketing professionals today just know about SEO. They think that digital marketing is nothing but SEO. Well, as discussed above, that's not the case.
For those who already have the knowledge of SEO, we at Digital Trainee would teach them other concepts like PPC etc. and vise versa. In this way, the knowledge does not remain stagnant as you learn the various concepts under digital marketing. Our Customized Practical Training are as follow
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Robert Lord
Robert Lord was an American screenwriter and film producer. He wrote for 71 films between 1925 and 1940. He won an Academy Award in 1933 in the category Best Writing, Original Story for the film One Way Passage. He was nominated in the same category in 1938 for the film Black Legion. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and died in Los Angeles from a heart attack.WIKIPEDIA


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Hey Ladies: Let's change the topic of our gossip; dare to discuss vaginal health in your group
Give options to a lady; Go for Movie or go for gossips with your friends, the higher chances is that she will choose the latter one. Woman enjoys gossips and their topics vary from kitchen utensils to bollywood, Ranbir Kapoor, SRK and Angelina jolie. Except politics, they like to discuss everything. They are not concerned who is going to be next PM Narender Modi or Manmohan Singh, they give a damn to it although entire nation (man) is talking about that only. So same goes with my women friends also, whenever we meet, generally the topics of our gossips...Read More


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Price: $100.00
Quantity: 1 available
Book Condition: New
not issued with a dust jacket.
A lavishly illustrated survey of the fire retardant textiles produced by FR-One.
Title: FR-One
Categories: Textiles,
Edition: 1st
Publisher: Kontich, Belgium, Bru Textiles: 2016
Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: New
Type: Book
Weight: 1.00 Item
Seller ID: 26764
Keywords: Fire Retardant Textiles


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How many Blogging Tory sites before and during the election campaign were calling on Harper and the Conservatives to eliminate public election financing? For that matter, how many were calling for it in between election day and prior to the leakage about Flaherty intending to eliminate it 3 days ago?
It certainly wasn't in the Conservative Party platform. And, as I recall, it wasn't passed or even talked about as a resolution out at the CPC policy Convention in Winnipeg.
Strange how it's become a matter of utmost importance now that the Conservative government is in peril, eh?


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Pick up this book for an in-depth look at new models in reference services, and use it as a hands-on tool to help you incorporate new trends into your library.
February 2020
Libraries Unlimited
eBook Available from ABC-CLIOEmail ABC-CLIOorCall Your Preferred eBook Vendor for Pricing
Paperback: £50.00/57,00€/A$93.00
Offering a broad overview of consequential changes in the landscape of reference services, this guide also provides practical guidance on how to meet the new challenges they present.
For the past decade, librarians have been lamenting the demise of reference services. Encouraging recent research shows that reference librarians are actually in more demand than ever; however, nearly everything about reference has changed—from technologies, tools, and techniques to models of service.What are these changes, and how can the profession respond to and prepare for shifting priorities and user needs? In this volume, business librarians Diane Zabel and Lauren Reiter bring together a host of experts to answer these timely questions. Topics range from the education and training of professionals to meeting the needs and wants of employers. Covered are trends in chat reference, research consultations, do-it-yourself reference, tracking trends with user populations, assessment, and data-driven decisions about reference services.Grounded in the principle that, regardless of the evolutions in service, the user remains at the center of reference, this guide offers readers an exciting look at the future of this important public service.
Diane Zabel is Louis and Virginia Benzak Business Librarian and head of the Schreyer Business Library at The Pennsylvania State University. Formerly president of RUSA and editor of RUSA Quarterly, she edited Reference Reborn: Breathing New Life into Public Services Librarianship (Libraries Unlimited, 2010) and coedited Leading in the New Academic Library (Libraries Unlimited, 2017) and Rethinking Collection Development and Management (Libraries Unlimited, 2014). Lauren Reiter is Sally W. Kalin Librarian for Learning Innovations and business liaison librarian at The Pennsylvania State University Libraries. She was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker (2016) and received the New Librarian Honor Award (2016) from the Pennsylvania Library Association. She coedited a double thematic issue of the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship (JBFL) on private equity and venture capital research (2017) and coedited a special issue of JBFL on financial literacy (2015). Her research has been published in leading scholarly venues including the Journal of Academic Librarianship and Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice.
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Steven Carroll
Christina Hill reviews 'The Time We Have Taken' by Steven Carroll
Steven Carroll's The Time We Have Taken is the latest in his trilogy – with The Art of the Engine Driver (2001), The Gift of Speed (2004) – about a northern suburb of Melbourne. Referred to only as 'the suburb', this anonymity serves to make it a universal place on the fringes of any Australian city ...... (read more)
Kerryn Goldsworthy reviews The Year of The Beast by Steven Carroll
In his 2017 essay 'Notes for a Novel', illuminatingly added as a kind of afterword at the end of this book, Steven Carroll recalls a dream that he had twenty years ago. It was this dream, he says, that grew into a series of novels centred on the Melbourne suburb of Glenroy, a series of which this novel is the sixth and last. It was ...... (read more)
Patrick Allington reviews 'A New England Affair' by Steven Carroll
In his fiction, Steven Carroll stretches and slows time. He combines this with deliberate over-explaining and repetition, the echoing of memories and ideas, coincidence, and theatricality. A distinctive rhythm results: when reading his work, I often find myself nodding in time to the words. Occasionally – and it happens now and again in his new novel, A New En ...
Kerryn Goldsworthy reviews 'Forever Young' by Steven Carroll
Steven Carroll on T.S Eliot in 'Tarantula's Web'
Private Eye said of Stephen Spender that he wasn't so much famous as that he knew a lot of famous people. They might have said the same of John Hayward. His editorial and scholarly work notwithstanding, it's doubtful that a biography of him would have been written had it not been for his close friendship with the premier poet of ...
Don Anderson reviews 'A World of Other People' by Steven Carroll
Novels have been appearing in the last decade or so in which one or more of the characters are actual historical figures, often themselves writers, appearing in propria persona, not considerately disguised and renamed, as Horace Skimpole was in Bleak House, for example. Perhaps the most notorious instance in recent years is Virginia Woolf in Mich ...
Open Page with Steven Carroll
The idea for The Art of the Engine Driver came from a dream of my old street. It was so vivid – virtual, you might say – that I abandoned the project I had in mind and followed the dream.... (read more)
Patrick Allington reviews 'Spirit of Progress' by Steven Carroll
At the beginning of Steven Carroll's new novel, Spirit of Progress, Michael stands on a platform of the Gare Montparnasse in Paris. Readers of Carroll's 'Glenroy' trilogy will remember that Michael is Vic and Rita's son – a boy who grew up with an unblinking grasp of his parents' fractured marriage and who learned early to fend for himself. Now a man, Michael observes the ...


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Thank for your interest in Peet's! While we don't have any retail stores in Canada, our roast-to-order home delivery service ships around the globe. Simply place an order on peets.com and enter your international shipping address at checkout.
Articles in this section
- What does roasted-to-order mean?
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- Can I cancel or change my order?
- I don't see my order in the Order History tab, why?
- There is a problem with my coffee order from Amazon, can you help?
- How to I buy a Peet's Gift Card?
- Why am I seeing multiple charges?
- How do I use Shoprunner?


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The Iraq Club is a business-focussed forum run by people who understand the nature of doing business in Iraq.
This exclusive network brings together senior professionals to share experiences of working in Iraq's energy and construction sectors. Our guests make connections that will help them solve the particular challenges they are facing in country.
Please note that The Iraq Club operates a strict invitation-only policy -- places are limited, so if you are interested in attending the next event in Dubai on 6th November, please contact the organisers at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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On August 31 of 2018, I passed my CCENT. On December 17th, I passed my ICND2 exam and became CCNA certified (yay!). I've had a few people reach out to me on Instagram and LinkedIn asking what I did to prepare for the exams, so I wanted to take some time and talk about that... Continue Reading →
That One Time I Became CCENT Certified
Yesterday, I sat for my CCENT and passed my exam! Not going to lie, this was a tough exam, but thanks to my preparation, my consistency and positivism, I was able to succeed. In this entry, I want to share some of my study process and some exam day tips. Getting Exam Day Ready I've... Continue Reading →
Studying For the CCENT/ICND1 Exam
Let's keep it real. I've been studying for this exam off and on since early last year. I didn't follow through, be it because I got busy learning something else for my job, because I moved to a different state, I moved back to my home state, because I didn't understand subnetting and immediately gave... Continue Reading →


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Grande Punto Abarth carpet floor matsTuesday, October 7th, 2008
It seems that Abarth UK and the dealer network are being a little slow when it comes to sorting out the accessories range. This has been particularly annoying when it comes to sourcing simple things like carpet mats.
For now, I'm using a set of standard Punto mats (which Westover ripped me off for), but the foot-board in the passenger foot-well means they don't fit as they should.
After a bit of hunting around, Fiat Forum member 'magicmole' uncovered the part number for the genuine Grande Punto Abarth mats:-
Part no: 46003939
Description: Carpet mats – Grande Abarth
Bin: New
Retail: £35.49 + VAT = £41.70
They're currently showing as 'in production' and due to arrive in the next 3-4 weeks.


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Consolidating Credit Card Debt in Harrisburg, Arkansas
Have you thought about the easiest way you could consolidate personal credit card debt in Harrisburg, Arkansas? You need to select the ideal method for you specific financial circumstances and ability to make payments. The objective of consolidation is always to help make your life less complicated by restructuring your credit card debt and your repayment agreement to something that better meets your requirements.
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Disclaimer: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links for which we get compensated.
Consolidation techniques for credit card debt in Harrisburg, Arkansas
Some choose to use balance transfer cards for personal credit card debt consolidation, and it is necessary in these cases to benefit from the very low or zero percent interest rate. This means you need to have a steady source of income and you shouldn't count on paying a reduced amount each month. You need to have the ability to pay just as much as you are able to as your monthly payment will go to your principal and not the monthly interest. This can be a great option for people who are able to use it to pay a significant amount towards the debt balances.Read More
If you have a good credit standing, then selecting a personal unsecured loan for consolidation is a great method for saving money on excessive interest rate credit debt. To maximize the financial savings available, it is best to simply obtain a quicker term. Should you combine the affordable-interest rate and the short loan repayment period, you'll be able to lessen the interest charge total that you have to pay through the loan. That can improve the benefit you will get from using a personal unsecured loan to consolidate your personal credit card debt.
Then, there's the home equity loan approach, that is just viable if your home has adequate equity. To find the best outcomes, your equity ought to cover as much of your higher interest credit debt as is possible. Furthermore, you will need to think of a schedule that can help you repay the home equity loan. If you fail to complete the monthly payments, than the strategy puts your property in jeopardy.
Justifications favoring and in opposition to consolidation in Harrisburg, #state;t#
It simply is practical to weigh out the advantages and drawbacks of consolidation before you can decide.
Following are the pros of deciding to consolidate your consumer credit card debt.
It simplifies your credit card debt payments. This credit debt solution combines your numerous debts into one. Instead of following and tracking each of the credit card accounts you have, you only need to deal with one. Much less work is necessary to manage the simplified payment process.KEN
It helps you make use of better terms. The business of consolidation involves many credit card balances restructured in to a new arrangement. You can aquire better conditions on the loan within this adjustment. You could get cheaper rates of interest, much more versatile plans, or shorter terms, giving you many approaches to cut costs.
It offers you the chance to reduce your interest rates. Locating a lower interest is an essential part of consolidating debts. It isn't worth it to consolidate if you can't get one. It won't make sense to move your present debts into a new one which has a greater interest.
Here, we'll look into some of the disadvantages.
Many people incorrectly feel that they are debt free. Once you consolidate your various debts, you are going to clear up other balances - specifically your charge cards. This will make it feel like you've paid off your credit debt however in reality, you only moved your debt balances in to another financial loan. You'll still owe exactly what you owed previously, only restructured.
Additional debt may follow. The urge to utilize charge cards, since your lines of credit are opened up, can result in additional credit card debt over time. This can cause increased financial debt balances, and the exact same scenario that you began in.
You still have to find methods to tackle the main source of your debt problems. Debt consolidation is also something that could make your financial debt installment payments easier - yet it will not actually solve the situation that caused you to get into debt. Similar to a flu medicine, you are merely treating the effects, not the cause.
You may end up endangering your assets. Many opt to put their properties up as collateral, placing their houses at risk if they're unable to pay. Of course, you could get a great minimal interest on a home equity loan. You just must understand the possibility of sacrificing that property should you be not able to pay.
What are the basic steps to request a credit card debt consolidation loan in Harrisburg, Arkansas?
The application procedure for consolidation loans is dependent entirely on how you will want to consolidate.
A personal loan debt consolidation plan involves requesting the loan as you would with another unsecured loan. You start with sending in your application, and you will then be accepted or turned down according to your history of credit. When you're accepted, you proceed to the next step in the application process and provide the details required. If you are using the internet to submit an application, then you might be scanning and giving electronic digital versions of your data. This can be done on the loan company's web page or via e mail.
Following this process, the lender will be able to carry out a thorough procedure for underwriting the financial loan. After things are all accomplished and accepted, then you will get the amount you borrow. If you start an account with the lender, the way many of them demand, you will then be given the money in this way.
In order to use the equity in your property in the consolidation loan, then you'll adhere to the process of a common mortgage application form. Further, this is similar to the process of applying for an unsecured loan to consolidate debt. The only difference is that the collateral will be subject to a home and property valuation. This is normally more costly than submitting an application for an unsecured loan.
A lot of people don't realize that they will save time and cash by consolidating their financial debt with the same loan company or financial institution that they're currently dealing with.
Bad credit and consolidation in Harrisburg, Arkansas
Indeed, one can obtain a debt consolidation loan even with a bad credit score. There's two ways that this could occur.
You could apply for a secured loan or a standard unsecured loan, to begin with. You have to anticipate that in either loan, you're going to get a substantial interest rate since you will be deemed to be a high risk applicant. Suffering from bad credit conveys a story of a history of not paying debts punctually. Naturally, the interest rate of your unsecured loans will be greater than a secured loan. The collateral that you will lay at risk with a secured personal loan can help you find a cheaper interest rate.
Then there is the second solution, if unsecured or secured personal loans are not a workable course of action for you. This option is a debt settlement program. This is a wonderful option for those that have poor credit scores and delinquent or defaulted debt.
With a debt settlement program, you will negotiate with the loan company to repay a portion of the credit card debt and have the remainder pardoned. That is less complicated with the aid of a debt negotiation company that will take care of the negotiations. When you've reached a deal to settle your debt for a lot less than what you owe, the financial institution or collector pardons the remainder of the debt.
Consolidating your credit card debt when you've got weak credit in Harrisburg, Arkansas
There are 2 techniques for finding lower interest debt consolidation loans. The first approach is to have the best credit score reputation. A good credit score shows to the loan company that you repay what you owe and are an accountable borrower. If you need a low rate of interest loan, your favorable credit can make a huge difference to get approved.
In case your credit isn't good, then you can certainly turn to the next approach for a minimal rate of interest consolidation loan, which would be to obtain a secured personal loan. Home equity loans are the most popular illustration of this. When you try to get a home equity loan, you'll be placing your house as collateral. So if you fall behind on your payments, the loan provider will take your home.
Could you consolidate your consumer credit card debt at no cost?
It is not actually possible to find a consolidation loan free of charge. Naturally, the loan must be repaid which is with interest. Certain companies might demand a low application service charge yet it's typically difficult to entirely eliminate this charge. All things considered, the company pays the credit reporting agencies to check on your credit profile and other experts required to finalize the financial loan application. They'll have you shoulder these kinds of costs with the application cost.
Many organizations providing debt consolidation loans in Harrisburg, Arkansas can give you a cost-free estimate so you'll know exactly how much the loan will cost you when it comes to monthly payments. Yet that's the only cost-free step you will get.
Learn how to compare businesses which provide consumer credit card debt consolidation
You need to verify that the service is legitimate, and you'll accomplish this by reviewing the provider's accreditations. These are the companies or organizations that they're associated or colleagues of. Various organizations will investigate the business before accepting them to be certified by their institution. By simply knowing the criteria and specifications of these organizations, you'll be aware of what the debt consolidation company could give you.
Here are some of the credentials that legal businesses pursue.
Better Business Bureau. This institution rates their Business Partners utilizing their Better Business Bureau Business Partner Code of Conduct as a guide. Through their website, you will find the issues that clients have with a debt consolidation service and how they performed to take care of them.
American Fair Credit Council. The American Fair Credit Council is the leading Consumer Credit Advocate organization. They strive to support people who are overcome by debt and advocate for their fair treatment.
National Foundation for Credit Counseling. This organization is committed to strengthening both debt relief companies and customers when it comes to financial wellness. The Council on Accreditation authorizes consolidation businesses for the NFCC.
International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators. The objective of the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators is to ensure that debt consolidation services utilize debt arbitrators that are thoroughly trained and certified.
You may also look into other accrediting bodies to get more information. Should you select a consolidation lender by examining accreditations, then you can certainly relax knowing that you are dealing with a legit organization.
Investigate the debt consolidation company's consumer reviews
Studying review articles is yet another great way to find out about the consolidation organizations that you look into working with. You will find client review articles all over the internet, which includes web sites which are specially developed for consolidation business reviews. A few are personal financial web pages or modern associations that showcase certain businesses.
When you are examining these customer reviews, make sure you take notice of the cost, debt relief method, comments from customers and the other financial loans or services that the company provides. Your primary priority, when examining reviews, shouldn't be the expense. Presenting a low payment is not the only crucial thing for a consolidation company. Instead, you'll want to place more value on the measure of satisfaction as reported by clients of the organization.
Then, you have to consider your own unique requirements for debt consolidation. Avoid getting fooled by affordable rates and useless promises. You might end up saddled with a tough repayment schedule or substantial fees. If the method and payment terms are more critical than a low-interest rate, then make sure the provider you're going to deal with can help you meet your debt relief requirements.
Do nonprofit agencies consolidate credit card debt?
While you can find non-profit consumer credit counseling companies, there are no consolidation loan companies who are not involved for the profit. You should be quite suspicious of any consolidation loan company who promises to be non profit. You'll always have to pay back beyond the amount that you borrowed when you receive a loan. The provider usually receives their earnings from administration fees and interest charges.
Instead of searching for non profit organizations, you'll want to concentrate on looking for those who will offer the cheapest monthly interest and fees. An excellent credit history and lower service fees will guarantee your success with your debt consolidation loan.
If you ever find a business that promises to be non-profit for debt consolidation, you must be very careful and persistent with your investigation. It is remarkably probable that such a business is planning to scam you into having to pay excessive service fees.
Top consolidation lenders
Choosing the top debt consolidation loan companies will not be as hard as before - owing to the info you will find online. In reality, it's not necessary to use up a lot of time researching services before deciding on one. The biggest thing is to understand your finances before choosing. The info in this article should be more than enough to allow you to get going in the right course.
Lightstream is a good approach for people with great credit ratings. This is a lender which offers unsecured credit card debt consolidation loans. There's strict standards, but if you satisfy them, you can get the smallest rates available. When you have no less than 5 years in credit history, have obtained a number of debt forms and have a great credit rating, then this can be a good company to think about.
People seeking out fast acceptance for a consolidation loan would be wise to take a look at Lending Club. This web-based lending company has a rapid turnaround time. Sometimes, they are able to provide the loan within a few days. Your credit and the sum of the financial loan are going to establish the length of time it requires to get approval. It's natural to be somewhat wary of using an internet based company, but this one has got a superior security and safety program and your personal data is going to be thoroughly protected.
For those who have unfavorable credit ratings and some of the loans you want to consolidate are in arrears, then National Debt Relief is the business to get in touch with. National Debt Relief settles your credit balances by negotiating with your credit card companies. The purpose of this settlement method is to take care of your debts by paying just a portion of the complete balance. And then, the rest of the financial debt is absolved. You can lower your debt and consolidate your credit card accounts with this strategy.
It is wise to investigate any company you consider dealing with for debt consolidation in Harrisburg, Arkansas; though these 3 are a great starting place.
Information on credit card consolidation loans in zip code(s): 72432


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China April Manufacturing Growth Weakest in Seven Months: Caixin Survey
(Beijing) — Growth in China's manufacturing activity decelerated to its slowest rate in seven months in April, an industry survey sponsored by Caixin showed Tuesday, in a sign of emerging weakness in the world's second-largest economy.
The Caixin China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) — closely watched by investors as one of the first available indicators every month of the strength of the Chinese economy — came in at 50.3 last month.
It was down from 51.2 in March and marked the weakest reading since September's 50.1.
The survey, compiled by information and data analytics provider IHS Markit, is based on figures collected from more than 500 manufacturing companies across the country. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a number below 50 points to contraction.
The April reading bodes ill for overall economic growth, which gained momentum in the previous two quarters. Some analysts have expected economic growth to lose steam in the coming months.
"The downward pressure on manufacturing gradually emerged in April," said Zhong Zhengsheng, director of Macroeconomic Analysis at CEBM Group, a subsidiary of Caixin Insight Group, in a statement releasing the manufacturing PMI figures. "The Chinese economy may be starting to embrace a downward trend in the near term as prices of industrial products decline and active restocking comes to an end."
The official PMI for the manufacturing sector, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Sunday, was 51.2 in April, down from 51.8 in March due to corrections in commodity prices and slower expansion in new orders and output. The April reading was the weakest in six months, NBS data showed.
"Upstream prices saw a meaningful pullback in April, which was the biggest drag to the headline manufacturing PMI," said analysts with investment bank China International Capital Corp. (CICC).
Prices of commodities such as steel, coal, and midstream products such as chemical fiber all saw "a notable correction" in April, partially driven by the ongoing financial deleveraging that strained interbank liquidity, they said in a report on Sunday.
Government efforts toward deleveraging have stepped up since March. President Xi Jinping last week renewed a pledge to safeguard financial stability and prevent systemic risks, as authorities are worried about the country's mounting debt levels and hazards buried in its opaque and increasingly complicated financial system. Total borrowing by the government, companies and consumers in China rose to about 260% of gross domestic product at the end of 2016, up from 250% a year earlier, according to research firm Oxford Economics.
The Caixin survey showed that increases in output and total new business both hit their lowest levels since September, with new export orders rising at their weakest pace since December. Some companies blamed the softer rise in new work on relatively muted customer demand.
Stocks of purchased goods expanded after falling into contraction territory in March, but the improvement was marginal, suggesting that companies were still rather inactive in restocking, likely due to caution over the business outlook.
The rate of payroll cuts picked up to their fastest in three months in April, as companies continued to shed jobs or delayed replacement of those who left their jobs voluntarily.
The rise in input costs eased to a seven-month low, and firms slowed output price increases to their weakest pace since August.
China's year-on-year economic growth accelerated to 6.9% in the first three months of the year on the heels of higher investment, recovered exports and a continued real-estate boom, official data released last month showed. The strengthening followed an increase of 6.8% in the last quarter of 2016 that was the first pickup in two years.
But analysts have warned that the recovery may prove short-lived partly as the effects of measures to cool the real estate market kick in, while the government is expected to tighten monetary policies to rein in debt, especially financial leverage.
Some also voiced concerns that the rebound in manufacturing and private investments, supported by increased profits in upstream industries driven by commodity price rises, may lose traction given that charges on some key raw materials, such crude oil, have started to fall more recently.
A number of economists have predicted overall growth to start slowing as early as from the current quarter. For example, investment bank Nomura has forecast the pace of expansion to moderate to 6.8% in the April-to-June period and continue to weaken to 6.6% in each of the last two quarters of the year.
"We see downside pressures looming and maintain our call for a shallow slowdown through the course of this year," Nomura economists said in a note on Sunday after the release of the official manufacturing PMI for March.
Contact reporter Fran Wang (firstname.lastname@example.com)
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Blockchain promises to transform how transactions are managed
Blockchain technology enables the incorruptible, irrefutable recording of transactions and value, all on a distributed ledger that is validated by and stored across all the computers that maintain it. By transactions, we literally mean anything from currency trading to sales transactions, and by value we mean anything from land ownership to medical records.
It is the "distributed trust network that the internet never had but always wanted" (Tapscott and Tapscott, 2016). Blockchain is a type of digital network for storing and sharing value, rather than the internet which is primarily a network for storing and sharing information. The underlying technological principles behind blockchain are not new; the original concepts date back to 1991. Blockchain is just one type of Distributed Ledger Technology (which in itself is a concept that's existed since the Romans!), but the reason why it's attracted the so much hype recently is that it solves the fundamental issue of shared trust.
Through the "proof of work" consensus protocol (we won't get into it!), Blockchain enables the full decentralised storage, and therefore transaction, of value.
CBRE's Thomas Herr and Achim Jedelsky, President of FIBREE and Head of Processes and IT at Daimler Real Estate Gmbh, demystify blockchain and explore how it is incrementally improving various real estate functions, but requires further commitment from organisations to fully understand and utilise its capabilities.
FIBREE is the leading international network for exchanging knowledge between the real estate industry, the IT sector and blockchain technology.
- Automation of supply chains for occupiers: Smart contracts on the blockchain can enable the self-execution of pre-arranged conditions in the supply chain logistics process.
- Efficient documentation of the history of assets: Using the blockchain, the history of repairs, maintenance and environmental credentials of a building can be stored in perpetuity, enabling a more transparent view of the history of assets.
- Speeding up the leasing and sales transaction process: Utilising an industry-standard blockchain as a land registry would enable faster and more accurate (perhaps even safer) transaction processes. There a multiple barriers for this to happen and so may take several years to materialise.
Blockchain technology could provide the mechanism to store an asset's 'health records'. Not only could an industry-wide blockchain store all previous ownership of assets (or portfolios), but it could store the history of its health; which repairs have been done and when, which equipment (AC, lighting etc.) has been installed over the years and what the environmental credentials of the building are. This would enable more accurate and efficient due diligence processes when purchasing a building as an investor or leasing a building as an occupier.
Perhaps the most obvious impact is on the transaction process from both a leasing and sales transactions point of view. However, it would rely heavily on industry collaboration between purchaser, vendor and intermediary. It's important to remember that blockchain in itself is completely incapable of advising on decision-making processes, and its main application would be in speeding up and reducing the costs of transaction processes, as well as potentially making investments more secure.
More efficient supply chains through the use of smart contracts (enabled by IoT). The end-result will eventually be far more pressure on retail and logistics assets to be more adaptable, as occupiers use them in a more fluid way.
If landlords can enable this then their assets will be more attractive (and therefore profitable).
There are very few direct effects on end-user experience in a commercial real estate context. The area where there are increasing case studies is in improving the efficiency and 'enjoyability' of the residential sales and letting process.
- Objective: Pilot asset transaction on private blockchain.
- What they did: Using a multitude of partners, from banks, consultancies and start-ups, the Swedish Land Registry have successfully demonstrated the possibility of transacting a real estate asset between buyer and seller.
- Outcome: Remains to be seen but after two years of continued piloting, the results are promising.
- Public, Private or Consortium blockchain? Different blockchain types serve different purposes – choose the right one for the right solution.
- If something goes wrong using blockchains, who would resolve the disputes? Particularly in the case of public or consortium blockchains, there are governance issues around who would take responsibility in the event of disputes. While there is no obvious solution for this at the moment, the success of blockchain initiatives relies on extensive collaborations between all parties using the blockchain.
- Develop an ecosystem of partners: The only way that the exponential value of blockchain will be achieved is through collaborating with partners across the entire value-chain, from policy makers and governments, right through to advisors and clients. Regulatory uncertainty is the top challenge to blockchain adoption according to some surveys.
- What are the barriers to Blockchain implementation? RICS, 2019
- Only 30% of companies think blockchain is very likely to disrupt operations in the next three years KPMG, 2018
- A third of CIOs have no interest in making blockchain plans Gartner, 2018
- Blockchain and IoT used together have the potential to cure pain points BCG, 2018
- The blockchain revolution may be a little bit behind schedule, but its value for real estate is clear ULI, Patrick J. Kiger, 2018
- Fully explore the legal ramifications of deploying blockchain! DWF, 2018
- The biggest barrier to deploying blockchain is regulatory uncertainty PWC, 2018
To find out CBRE can help you identify Blockchain opportunities, contact CBRE's James Pearson – firstname.lastname@example.com or call +44 7880 054 252


text: Do numbers really have any significance in scripture? Are there patterns and meaning in them that are put there by God? Is there a holy being that is in charge of numbers and the revealing of them to us? Does the Bible describe Him and can we determine His identity?