Greece – Suicide or Murder?

August 1, 2019

By Peter Koenig

Pundits from the left, from the right and from the center cannot stop reporting about Greece’s misery. And rightly so. Because Greece, the vast majority of her people live in deep economic hardship. No hope. Unemployment is officially at 18%, with the real figure closer to 25% or 30%; pensions have been reduced about ten times since Syriza – the Socialist Party – took power in 2015 and loaded the country with debt and austerity. In the domain of public services, everything that has any value has been privatized and sold to foreign corporations, oligarchs, or, naturally – banks. Hospitals, schools, public transportation – even some beaches – have been privatized and made unaffordable for the common people.

While the pundits – always more or less the same – keep lamenting about the Greek conditions in one form or another, none of them dares offer the only solution that could have rescued Greece (and still could) – exiting the euro zone; return to their local currency and start rebuilding Greece with a local economy, built on local currency with local public banking and with a sovereign Greek central bank deciding the monetary policy that best suits Greece, and especially Greece’s recovery program. – Why not? Why do they not talk about this obvious solution? Would they be censured in Greece, because the Greek oligarchy controls the media – as oligarchs do around the (western part of the) globe?

Instead, foreign imposed (troika: IMF, European Central Bank – ECB – and European Commission – EC; the latter mainly pushed by German and French banks – and the Rothschild clan) austerity programs have literally put a halt on imports of affordable medication, like for cancer treatments and other potentially lethal illnesses.

So, common people get no longer treatment. They die like flies; a horrible expression to be used for human beings. But that’s what it comes down to for people who simply do not get the treatment they humanely deserve and would have gotten under the rights of the Greek Constitution, but do simply not get treated because they can no longer afford medication and services from privatized health services. That is the sad but true story.

As a consequence, the suicide rate is up, due to foreign imposed (but Greek government accepted) debt and austerity, annihilating hope for terminally ill patients, as well as for pensioners whose pensions do no longer allow them to live a decent life – and especially there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, these same pundits add a little air of optimism to their reporting, as the rightwing New Democracy Party (ND Party) won with what they call a ‘landslide’ victory on the 7 July 2019 elections; gathering 39.6% of the votes, against only 31.53 for Syriza, the so-called socialist party, led by outgoing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who represents a tragedy that has allowed Greece to be plunged into this hopeless desolation. The ND won an absolute majority with 158 seats in the 300-member Greek parliament. Therefore, no coalition needed, no concessions required.

The new Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis (51), son of a former PM of the same party, in his victory speech on the evening of 7 July, vowed that Greece will “proudly” enter a post-bailout era of “jobs, security and growth”. He added that “a painful cycle has closed” and that Greece would “proudly raise its head again” on his watch.

We don’t know what this means for the average Greek citizen living a life of despair. What the “left” was unable to do – stopping the foreign imposed (but Greek accepted) bleeding of Greece; the strangulation of their country – will the right be able to reverse that trend? Does the right want to reverse that trend? – Does the ND want to reverse privatization, buy back airports from Germany, water supply from the EU managed “Superfund”, and repurchase the roads from foreign concessionaires, or nationalize hospitals that were sold for a pittance and – especially – get out from austerity to allow importing crucial medication to salvage the sick and dying Greek, those who currently cannot afford treatment of their cancers and other potentially deadly diseases?

That would indeed be a step towards PM Mitsotakis’ promise to end the “painful cycle” of austerity, with import of crucial medication made affordable to those in dire need, with job creation and job security – and much more – with eventually a renewed Greek pride – and Greek sovereignty. The latter would mean – finally – it’s never too late – exit the euro zone. But, that’s an illusion – a pipe-dream. Albeit – it could become a vision.

If the ND is the party of the oligarchs, the Greek oligarchs that is, those Greek who have placed literally billons of euros outside their country in (still) secret bank accounts in Switzerland, France, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg and elsewhere, including the Cayman islands and other Caribbean tax havens – hidden not only from the Greek fiscal authorities, but also impeding that these funds could, crucially, be used for investments at home, for job creation, for creation of added value in Greece – if the ND is the party of the oligarchs, they are unlikely to make the dream of the vast majority of Greek people come true.

Worse even, these Greek oligarch-billionaires call the shots in Greece – not the people, not those who according to Greek tradition and according to the Greek invention, called “democracy” (Delphi, some 2500 years ago) have democratically elected Syriza and have democratically voted against the austerity packages in July 2015. Now, that they are officially in power, they are unlikely to change their greed-driven behavior and act in favor of the Greek people. – Or will they?

Because, if they do, it may eventually also benefit them, the ND Party and its adherents – a Greece that functions like a country, with happy, healthy and content people, is a Greece that retains the worldwide esteem and respect she deserves – and will by association develop an economy that can and will compete and trade around the world, a Greece that is an equal to others, as a sovereign nation. – A dream can become a reality – it just takes visionaries.

Back to today’s reality. The Greek Bailout Referendum of July 5, 2015, was overwhelmingly rejected with 61% ‘no’ against 39% ‘yes’, meaning that almost two thirds of the Greek people would have preferred the consequences of rejecting the bailout, euphemistically called “rescue packages”, namely exiting the euro zone, and possible, but not necessarily, the European Union.

Despite the overwhelming, democratic rejection by the people, the Tsipras government reached an agreement on 13 July 2015 – only 8 days after the vote against the bailout – with the European authorities for a three-year bailout with even harsher austerity conditions than the ones rejected by voters. What went on is anybody’s guess. It looks pretty obvious, though, that “foul play” was the name of the game – which could mean anything from outright and serious (life) threats to blackmail, if Tsipras would not play the game – and this to the detriment of the people.

President Tsipras’ betrayal of the people resulted in three bailout packages since 2010 and up to end 2018, in the amount of about €310 billion (US$ 360 billion). Compare this to Hong Kong’s economy of US$ 340 billion in 2017.

The democracy fiasco of July 2015 prompted Tsipras to call for snap elections in September 2015, hélas – he won, with a narrow margin and one of the lowest election turnouts ever in Greek postwar history; but, yes, he ‘won’. How much of it was manipulated – by now Cambridge Analytica has become a household word – so he could finish the job for the troika and the German and French banks, is pure speculation.

Today, the ND has an absolute majority in Parliament, plus the ND could ally with a number of smaller and conservative parties to pursue a “people’s dream” line policy. But they may do the opposite. Question: How much more juice is there to be sucked out of broken Greece? Of a Greece that cannot care for her people, for her desperate poor and sick, cannot provide her children with a decent education, of a Greece that belongs into the category of bankruptcy? – Yes, bankruptcy, still today, after the IMF and the gnomes of the EU and the ECB predict a moderate growth rate of some 2%? – But 2% that go to whom? – Not to the people, to be sure, but to the creditors of the €310 billion.

Already in 2011, the British Lancet stated “the Greek Ministry of Health reported that the annual suicide rate has increased by 40%”, presumably since the (imposed) crisis that started in 2008. From this date forward the suicide rate must have skyrocketed, as the overall living conditions worsened exponentially. However, precise figures can no longer be easily found.

The question remains: Is the Greek population dying increasingly from diseases that could be cured, but aren’t due to austerity- and privatization-related lack of medication and health services – and of suicide from desperation? – Is Greece committing suicide by continuing accepting austerity and privatization of vital services, instead of liberating herself from the handcuffs of the euro and very likely the stranglehold of the EU? – Or is Greece the victim of sheer murder inflicted by a greed-driven construct of money institutions and oligarchs, who are beyond morals, beyond ethics and beyond any values of humanity? You be the judge.

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About the Author

Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a water resources and environmental specialist. He worked for over 30 years with the World Bank and the World Health Organization around the world in the fields of environment and water. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for Global Research; ICH; RT; Sputnik; PressTV; The 21^st Century; TeleSUR; The Saker Blog, the New Eastern Outlook (NEO); and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed – fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution! – Essays from the Resistance.
Peter Koenig is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization.

First published by the New Eastern Outlook – NEO

How to Beat Your Competitors in Business

July 24, 2019

Starting a business is not something that can be done in isolation. You can’t simply launch your business and then not pay attention to what is happening all around you, because some of it will have a direct impact on what you are doing and how successful you can be. One of these things will be your competition. If you don’t pay attention to your competitors, you’ll never see just how well they are doing and what they are doing in comparison to you, and this is a crucial part of running a business.

Once you do start to take note of what your competition is doing, you will need to do something about it; you want to be the business that people come to first, over and above anyone else offering a similar product or service. Here, then, are some useful tips about beating your business competition.

Show Your Difference

With so many people having the chance to open up their own businesses, there is going to be some overlap between them. It is virtually impossible to have an entirely unique business, no matter how hard you try.

Despite that, there will be some parts of your business that are unique to you, and it is these parts that you need to focus on, whatever they may be. It could be you, for example, that makes the difference – you might have a huge amount of experience, or be excellent at customer service, or be able to use your MBA from Redlands University Online to great effect. Perhaps it’s your services, or your pricing. Maybe it’s your aftersales care. Whatever it is, you need to show this difference and make the most of it to get ahead of your competition.

Find a Mentor

If you haven’t yet taken the next step to find a business mentor, then it is time you did; having a mentor really can boost your business, and can certainly put you ahead of your competition if they don’t have a mentor themselves.

A mentor is a hugely positive asset for your business. It’s isolating when you run a business, and even more so if you are the only one working there, so having someone to ask questions to and bounce ideas off is important. They can steer you in the right direction and can stop you from making potentially costly mistakes. The choices are still yours in the end, but a mentor’s advice really can help.

Be the Expert

If you have a choice of buying something from the absolute expert in the field, or from someone who couldn’t prove their expertise, what would you do? Most people would plump for the expert because buying from someone who really does know what they are talking about gives the purchaser confidence that they are buying the right thing. They might even be happy to pay a little more than they would with a competitor because of the peace of mind that buying from an expert would bring.

So, of course, it pays to position yourself as that expert. You’ll beat the competition and gain more business this way.

In order to show that you are the expert, you can:

• Write a blog
• Give talks
• Offer advice
• Make videos
• Answer online questions
• Be interviewed by local media

Once you have done this, and can be confident in your abilities, people will want to buy from you.

Iran – Seizure of a British Tanker – more than Tit for Tat

July 23, 2019

By Peter Koenig

The British-flagged tanker “Steno Impero”, heading for Saudi Arabia, was seized on Friday, 19 July 2019, by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in the Strait of Hormuz, after it rammed an Iranian fishing boat, whose distress call it ignored.

The tanker was taken to an Iranian port, because it was not complying with “international maritime laws and regulations,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said. Most importantly, the ship did not respond to several warnings from helicopters and Iranian boats, as apparently it turned off its transponder. How could that happen under control of professional sailors, other than as an open provocation.

Shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz is crucial. Between 20% and 30% of the world’s hydrocarbons are shipped through this narrow passage of international water way before entering the Gulf of Oman. The strait is closely watched by Iran, as it is of utmost security concern for Iran. If this passage were to be closed due to conflict, it could bring down the world economy.

Do those that play these provocations, the UK as a handler dancing to the strings pulled by of Washington, realize what’s at stake? – Do they want to bring the Middle East to the brink of war? A regional war that could easily convert into a world war?

That may well be the longer-term intention. In the short-run, though it looks like pushing the escalation to a point where US ‘Client Europe’ may be discouraged from insisting on maintaining their part of the Iran Nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and to blackmail Iran into a bilateral negotiation with the US on Iran’s nuclear program.

The first objective may be achieved; the second – no way. Iran is not falling for such fraud, especially with the country that pulled unilaterally out of the deal that was negotiated for two years (since November 2013) before it was signed in Vienna, Austria on 14 July 2015, by the 5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, UK and US – plus Germany – and the European Union, and of course Iran).

Not only did President Trump, guided by his buddy, Israel’s Netanyahu, tear up the agreement unilaterally, but he also reinstated one of the most severe economic sanctions programs on Iran, plus all the western lies and smear propaganda launched against Iran. It is sheer insanity to believe that Iran would under these circumstances go to the negotiating table with her hangman. That will not happen. But war tensions are being further raised which is fully in the direction of the war criminal-in-chief, John Bolton’s dream, ever since the invasion in 2003 of Iraq which he also helped to engineer. It is like this sick man’s raison d’être. Mass killing by war and conflict is in his genes. The world can only hope that Trump, or those who pull the strings behind Trump, will eventually dismiss Bolton.

Iran has already said that they will launch a full investigation into the British tanker’s, Steno Impero’s, sailing off course and ramming a fishing boat – and that the UK is invited to participate in the investigation.

Backtracking to 4 July, when the British Royal Marines seized the Iranian tanker Grace 1 in Spanish waters, off the coast of Gibraltar, under the pretext that the super tanker was carrying oil destined for Syria which was under the EU’s sanction program. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, denied that the oil was destined for Syria; did however not elaborate further.

Spanish Foreign Minister, Mr. Josep Borrell, said that Washington informed Spain about the impending capture by the UK of the Iranian tanker in Spanish territorial waters. Spain could have said ‘no’ – but didn’t. Why not? Afraid of sanctions?

The UK did the bidding of Washington against her own interests, because the UK was one of three EU countries – Germany, France and UK – who at least made appear as if they wanted to preserve their part of the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Mind you, this is not for love of Iran, but pure business interest. Iran should be aware of that – meaning, Iran could be shot in the back at any time by the EU, by the very countries that try – or make appear they try – to circumvent the US sanctions.

What happened on 4 July was an act of sheer piracy, nothing less. A crime on high seas which the west just tolerated. The vessel is still under British control, while the arrested crew has since been liberated. Aside from the fact that Iran’s capture of the British oil tanker may look like tit for tat – Iran acted fully legitimate, as it’s Revolutionary Guard is policing the Strait of Hormus for security of other ships sailing through the narrow passage.

In one of his typical outbreaks of a madman, President Trump warned in a televised ‘fire and fury’ speech at the white House on Friday 19 July, “We have the greatest ships – the most deadly ships, we don’t want to have to use them. We hope for [Iran’s] sake they don’t do anything foolish. If they do, they will pay a price like nobody’s ever paid.”

Why would Trump not use the same language to warn the Brits for their pirating an Iranian vessel in Spanish waters? – well, we know this is the crazy, unbalanced and off-kilter world we live in. Its so normal, people in the west take this imbalance and injustice, this double-talk and hypocrisy as the gospel.

All indications are however, while building up a war scene, the US are seeking justification for what they had already called out – an alliance of the willing to send war ships to the Straight of Hormus to assure safe passage for ‘everybody’. Well, this would certainly not fly with Iran. But important to know is what’s behind this idea. Imagine the US navy and her puppet allies controlling the sea passage through which almost a third of all the world’s hydrocarbon sails every day – Washington would have one more tool to sanction, strangle countries they feel do not bend enough to Washington’s dictate. Their oil shipment would be withheld, to bring their economy down – this might be the most effective weapon yet.

World beware! Even those who are in favors with the self-declared hegemon, you never know when the pendulum may swing the other way, simply because the Israel-driven US of A may be on a whim aggression course against an imaginary enemy, or corporate interests are shifting — in conclusion nobody would be safe – and, the world economy could come crashing down, like a house of cards, making 2008 look like a walk in the park.

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About the Author

Revolutionising Japan’s Businesses Through Women

July 22, 2019

By Alecsandra Tubiera

There will always be a call for more women in the workforce, and as times are changing, it is evident that women are now leading the top enterprises in the market. In Japan today, more women are getting employed, and this could mean a transformation for the country’s economy. However, not all of them is in full-time job, and women are still working hard in the climbing up the ladders of the corporate world.

Progressive gender equality in the workplace?

Japan’s population is continuously shrinking and ageing, and the country has decided to continue to grow its workforce despite the issue. Since the population’s peak in 2010 at 128 million, it has now decreased by 1.3 million people. Additionally, its population is made largely by the elderly: 28 percent are over 65, compared to 18 percent in the UK and 15 percent in the US.¹

The country’s female employment rate has been a key contributor, as a higher proportion of women are also returning to work sooner after having children than they were previously in 2002. A government policy has aided this, by increasing the number of nursery places and making provision for all 3 to 5-year-olds free by 2021. A law passed in 2015 demands that larger firms set targets for hiring and promoting women. Other legislation caps overtime at 100 hours a month, a move designed to both prevent over-work and generate new roles where demand clearly exists.

“Highly educated women quit because it’s not worthwhile keeping that ‘stupid’ job,” said Machiko Osawa.

Women in Japan usually end up in the non-career roles, which involve administrative jobs with hardly any upward mobility. “Highly educated women quit because it’s not worthwhile keeping that ‘stupid’ job,” said Machiko Osawa, a labor economist at Japan Women’s University in a CNN report.²

The government is currently way behind the raft of targets PM Shinzo Abe set three years ago, which included the goal of women holding at least 30 percent of senior positions in all parts of society by 2020, since it is already 2019.

However, this situation has been gradually improving, with roughly 66 percent of Japanese women are working, according to Kathy Matsui of Goldman Sachs in a report from CNN. It is still below the 80 percent of men working in the country.³

In a study by Kazuo Yamaguchi, a Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago, his analysis of the gender wage gap found that gender differences in employment type—specifically the larger proportion of women than men employed in non-regular positions—explain only 36 percent of the gender wage gap.

“The primary factor is the gender wage gap within full-time regular employment, which accounts for more than half of the overall gender wage gap. The elimination of the gender wage gap among regular workers is therefore a more pressing issue than fixing the overrepresentation of women in non-regular employment,” said Yamaguchi in his article.⁴

A major cause of the gender wage disparity of Japanese regular employees is the lack of female managers. According to the 2016 Basic Survey on Equality of Employment Opportunity by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, women hold 6.4 percent of the positions of department director or equivalent; 8.9 percent of section head or equivalent; and 14.7 percent of task-unit supervisor or equivalent.⁵

Gender equality trends Japan can adopt

Working to get more women on executive boards

In countries that have an average of three women on large company, all but one also has mandated quotas, according to a report from Bloomberg. Having board quotas for women may be a step in the right direction towards equality in the workplace. In the U.S., California was the first state to require at least one woman on executive boards, and it may help pave the way for other states, as well as countries to follow suit.⁶

Fortune 500 companies with the highest number of women directors reported a 42 percent greater return on sales and a 53 percent higher return on equity than the rest, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Three out of four Japanese companies have no female senior executives and a Reuters poll said women account for less than 10 percent of management, underscoring an uphill battle for PM Abe’s “Womenomics” push.⁷ As mentioned, the government wants to see the proportion of female senior executives at listed firms climb to 10 percent by 2020 and the number in management rise to 30 percent.

The Japanese government is pressuring companies to reform as a new regulation went into effect earlier in 2016 that required firms to disclose how many female employees they have and their plans to support and promote them.

A Reuters Corporate Survey, conducted from August 29 to September 10, 2018, found that only one tenth of Japanese firms said women accounted for 10 percent or more of management. Also, at three-quarters of companies, the figure was less than 10 percent and at 15 percent of firms, there were none.

The movement is called #KuToo, which is a play on the Japanese word “kutsu” for shoes and “kutsuu,” meaning pain.

Women are on the path to reaching critical mass in government

Thousands of Japanese women have joined a social media campaign against dress codes acceptable at work. The campaign also rejects the stereotype that women should wear high heels in the workplace.

The movement is called #KuToo, which is a play on the Japanese word “kutsu” for shoes and “kutsuu,” meaning pain.⁸ Yumi Ishikawa, a writer and actress, launched the campaign after leaving a message on Twitter, about being forced to wear high heels for a part-time job at a funeral home. She said the requirement is an example of gender discrimination.

She also wrote that wearing high heels causes health problems for women with their feet and in the lower back. “It’s hard to move, you can’t run, and your feet hurt. All because of manners,” she wrote, as reported in a VOA News article.⁹

Ishikawa submitted the online petition to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on June 3, as this was the start of the screening process for new job seekers recruitment, during which many female applicants wear heels. The petition calls on the government to tell companies to stop rules enforcing women to wear heels.

However, labor minister Takumi Nemoto indicated that he will not support a drive to ban such dress codes. “It’s generally accepted by society that wearing heels is necessary and reasonable in workplaces,” Nemoto said in a Diet committee session. Some supporters of the campaign tweeted that forcing women to wear high heels in earthquake-prone Japan can pose threats to their lives.¹⁰

Equal representation in government may help more legislation get completed, and in the business world, gender-balanced leadership teams can help further the progress in a business as different ideas and solutions may come into play.

Leaders should take a stand for equality

Having leadership with an equality mindset is beneficial for a company and is a great leap forward. Bringing inclusivity and diversity to a reality will require business leaders who walk the talk and set the tone for the rest of the organisation.

It’s no secret that parity is good for business: Companies with the highest representation of women on their senior teams reap 34 percent more profits than companies with the lowest female representation, according to Catalyst, a non-profit group that promotes women in the workplace.

Catalyst found that women make up for 9.1 percent of all senior managers at Nissan (NSANF), which was above the 8.3 percent average for Japanese firms with more than 100 employees. Chie Kobayashi, who led Nissan’s diversity development office in 2016, said the company was attractive to her straight out of university because it strips the trend by not using separate career tracks. She also became the first Japanese working mother to be posted overseas for Nissan in 2005.¹¹

Nissan attracts women with its policies, including generous parental leave, flexible working hours, career mentoring and on-site childcare facilities at its global headquarters in Yokohama. Also, major Japanese companies such as Calbee and Shiseido (SSDOF), have also been singled out for their progressive policies on women employees.

However, such firms typically have foreigners in senior management, often crediting Nissan’s Brazilian-born CEO, Carlos Ghosn, for implementing such policies in the company. Therefore, Nissan is just one of the many companies that can help the Japanese government’s target of having women represent 15 percent of senior managers at private companies by 2020.

Having a government and companies that more accurately reflect the population will help push legislation forward to better understand and provide women’s wants and needs, from supporting equal pay to advocating for mandatory parental leave to greater protection against sexual harassment.

References
1 https://www.finchannel.com/business/financial-markets-and-stocks/77095-more-female-and-older-workers-have-boosted-japan-s-labour-market
2,11 https://money.cnn.com/2016/10/16/news/economy/japan-companies-women-careers-nissan/index.html
3 https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/15/news/economy/japan-working-women-report-card/index.html
4, 5 http://www.ipsnews.net/2019/03/japans-gender-gap/ 6,11https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleyzalis/2019/01/04/6-equality-trends-to-watch-in-2019/#2c7a55744ad4 7 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-companies-women/women-in-management-at-japan-firms-still-a-rarity-reuters-poll-idUSKCN1LT3GF
8, 9 https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/japanese-women-stand-against-high-heels/4945361.html
10 https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/10/national/social-issues/men-force-feet-high-heels-japans-kutoo-movement-seeks-build-media-attention/#.XRWlJegzbSE

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Japan’s politics is opening up to women, but don’t expect a feminist revolution yet

July 22, 2019

Three women have in recent months been appointed to politically powerful positions in Japan. But even as seeing women in positions of power becomes less unusual in the country, gender parity is a long way off.

Renho Murata (commonly known as Renho) is the new leader of the opposition Democratic Party; Koike Yuriko beat her two male competitors to become Tokyo’s first female governor; and Japan’s Ministry of Defense is, for only the second time, being led by a woman — Inada Tomomi (Koike Yuriko was defense minister from July to August 2007).

The appointment of the these women to leadership positions suggests a shift in the role and status of women in Japanese politics, and in society more generally. And some have wondered if the surge means that a woman prime minister could be around the corner. But this is no revolution.

National shame

There’s an increasing sense of embarrassment among Japanese political leaders about the nation’s position in global rankings of female political and economic empowerment.

Women heads of state have emerged in several G8 countries and also in neighbouring countries, such as South Korea and Taiwan. Japan, by contrast, has the lowest proportion of women in its national legislative assembly among OECD countries; only 9.3% of Lower House seats are occupied by women.

The nation also has the second largest gender pay gap, after South Korea. Women comprise less than 2% of the nation’s mayors, less than 10% of company heads and only 18% of court judges.

For a country that’s so advanced in other human development indices, such as health and life expectancy, these statistics paint a troubling picture of enduring gender inequality.

The fact that Koike, Renho and Inada have reached positions of political leadership is a positive sign of change. It is also symbolically significant for Japanese women and representative democracy. But do they herald the beginning of a feminist political utopia in Japan? A glimpse of their backgrounds and motivations may give us a hint.

The governor

Tokyo’s first female governor Koike Yuriko’s political background is in national politics. Before throwing her hat in the ring for the office of Tokyo governor, she was a member of the long-ruling government party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and had a seat in the national legislative assembly.

Tokyo’s first female governor, Koike Yuriko. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

She was influential in the preparation of policies to better utilise women’s labour largely as a strategy of improving the economy, so her commitment to “women’s empowerment” is unquestionable. She is interested in encouraging women to participate more in the workforce and take an active part in the capitalist economy.

Tokyoites can expect to see reform of working conditions at the metropolitan government. More specifically, they can expect an improvement in working hours and increased employment of women.

Koike has also expressed a commitment to the many issues surrounding daycare for children that have an adverse effect on working families, and especially on women. Specifically, she has spoken of her commitment to solving the problem of the long waiting lists for daycare in the city and to implementing measures to prevent accidents at daycare centres.

Tokyo women have great expectations of Koike but she is not necessarily an advocate of women’s rights for their sake. She’s certainly keen to see more women contribute to the economy and to help ensure employers can “utilise” women more effectively.

But there’s silence regarding ideas about alleviating poverty among women, or implementing expanded support to victims of sexual violence. Only time will tell whether Koike’s historic appointment as the first woman to govern Tokyo will have any effect on tackling the nation’s deeply embedded gender inequality.

The defence minister

Japan’s new defence minister, Inada Tomomi, is a close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Both Abe and Inada are members of Japan’s powerful nationalist lobby group, Japan Conference, a vocal denier of the validity and legitimacy of “comfort women’s” claims to compensation.

Japan’s new defence minister, Inada Tomomi. Thomas Peter/ Reuters

Abe has faced criticism from both outside and inside Japan for his decision to appoint Inada (who was elected to the House of Representatives in September 2005) to the post of defence minister.

Abe’s decision might reflect a possible desire to appease the female voting public. Japanese women are generally opposed to national involvement in war and therefore the Abe administration’s moves to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution. They were particularly opposed to the decision this year to send Self Defence Forces to South Sudan.

When women reach politically powerful positions, especially if they are in the early stage of their careers, they run the risk of not being taken as seriously as their male counterparts, and of being open to attack. This has been noted in other countries as well, and women in Japan are no strangers to harassment and abuse at the hands of their male colleagues.

But Inada seems to be protected by her friend Abe to the point of being coached by him from the sidelines, so to speak, during fierce questioning from the opposition.

The party leader

Renho, the new leader of the Democratic Party, follows in the footsteps of the political path-breaker of Doi Takako, who led the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) when it was the main political opposition from 1986 to 1991, and again from 1996 to 2003.

Leader of the opposition Democratic Part Renho Murate. Toru Hanai/ Reuters

Renho has capitalised on being a woman in her political campaigns by referring to her experience as a mother of twins. Her powerful oratory skills and direct humour endear her to the public.

Her main challenge is arguably to unify her party and transform it into one that’s regarded by voters as a viable alternative to the Liberal Democratic Party. Renho’s decision to appoint former prime minister Noda Yoshihiko as her party’s secretary general, second only in power to her, perhaps indicates her desire to pay it safe.

Many in the party were highly critical of the appointment because they partially blame him for the party’s loss of its brief hold on government in the 2012 general election.

The road ahead

So, can Japanese women expect improvement in their lives with Koike, Inada and Renho in charge?

When it comes to parity in the workplace, they can certainly expect reforms, and it’s important to have women in visible leadership positions. But it’s also important to acknowledge that Japanese women are ambivalent towards these three leaders.

Neither Koike, Inada or Renho represent the majority of women – or the majority of Japanese people more generally – when it comes to pacifism and nuclear energy. These are two of the most politically significant issues in Japan today.

The majority support the pacifist constitution, which was promulgated in 1947, and are opposed to nuclear energy — a topic that has become increasingly important since the triple disaster at Fukushima on March 11 2011.

Until women who are more in tune with the majority of Japan’s voting public are elected to power, we shouldn’t expect too many significant changes.

The article was first published in The Conversation.

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About the Authors

Emma Dalton is Lecturer in Japanese, La Trobe University

Mari Miura is Professor of Politics, Sophia University

Vancouver Law Regulations You Should Be Aware Before Hiring a Mortgage Broker Company

July 21, 2019

Are you looking to purchase a home in Vancouver? Well, there are many homes for sale in this prime Canadian location. From flats to houses—there are numerous properties you can purchase in Vancouver. However, before purchasing your home in Vancouver through a mortgage company, it’s advisable to understand the rules that govern this industry. Understanding the rules will help you handle the whole process in an amicable and smooth way. Plus, understanding the laws will ensure that you don’t fall prey to scammers. So, before purchasing your home through a mortgage broker, familiarize yourself with the following facts.

Who’s a Mortgage Broker?

Mortgage brokers are professional companies who act as freelance agents. The work of a professional mortgage broker is to connect property buyers and lenders. They gain through earning a commission from financial lenders.

Why Own a Home

Owning a home is a dream for many. Becoming a homeowner comes with lots of advantages. They include:

• Source of saving
• Payment equity
• Value appreciation. Houses, unlike other forms of properties, increases in value. So, purchasing a home is one of the best investments you can take.
• Great return on investment
• You can use the equity of your home to secure loans
• Owning a home is the first step when it comes to climbing the property ladder.

Common Mortgage Legal Terms

A mortgage is registered in a legally binding document. A mortgage must contain the principal amount. This amount represents the actual amount you borrow towards purchasing your new home. You will be charged interest against this amount. Common factors that influence the interest rate include your credit history as well as the terms and conditions of the lender. Payment comprises the principal amount and interest. The mortgage law has clear guidelines when it comes to the amortization period—the time it takes to repay the entire law. It is also important to note that a lower amortization period means paying less monthly installments. However, you will end up paying more. Amortization periods must be within 15-30 years.

Your Vancouver mortgage broker will issue you with a payment schedule. You will have to make your payment based on the payment schedule. Common payment schedules include monthly, twice monthly, bi-weekly (you will make the payment every other week), and weekly. It’s also important to note that making prompt, frequent payments can lower costs commonly associated with interest rates. Important; be sure to through all the process of mortgaging. From pre-approvals, mortgage insurance, making a down payment, writing an offer, arranging for inspection, checking the house’s locks—following the right process will make things simple and straightforward.

The Bottom-Line

Don’t just purchase a home through a mortgage broker before understanding the laws and regulations in Vancouver. Understanding the laws and regulations will ensure that the process is as smooth as possible. Plus, this strategy will eliminate things like being scammed, overcharged, etc. So, before buying your home in Vancouver, understand the above laws and regulations.

The World is Dedollarizing

July 20, 2019

By Peter Koenig

What if tomorrow nobody but the Unites States would use the US-dollar? Every country, or society would use their own currency for internal and international trade, their own economy-based, non-fiat currency. It could be traditional currencies or new government controlled crypto-currencies, but a country’s own sovereign money. No longer the US-dollar. No longer the dollar’s foster child, the Euro. No longer international monetary transactions controlled by US banks and – by the US-dollar controlled international transfer system, SWIFT, the system that allows and facilitates US financial and economic sanctions of all kinds – confiscation of foreign funds, stopping trades between countries, blackmailing ‘unwilling’ nations into submission. What would happen? – Well, the short answer is that we would certainly be a step close to world peace, away from US (financial) hegemony, towards nation states’ sovereignty, towards a world geopolitical structure of more equality.

We are not there yet. But graffities are all over the walls signaling that we are moving quite rapidly in that direction. And Trump knows it and his handlers know it – which is why the onslaught of financial crime – sanctions – trade wars – foreign assets and reserves confiscations, or outright theft – all in the name of “Make America Great Again”, is accelerating exponentially and with impunity. What is surprising is that the Anglo-Saxon hegemons do not seem to understand that all the threats, sanctions, trade barriers, are provoking the contrary to what should contribute to American Greatness. Economic sanctions, in whatever form, are effective only as long as the world uses the US dollar for trading and as reserve currency.

Once the world gets sick and tired of the grotesque dictate of Washington and the sanction schemes for those who do no longer want to go along with the oppressive rules of the US, they will be eager to jump on another boat, or boats – abandoning the dollar and valuing their own currencies. Meaning trading with each other in their own currencies – and that outside of the US banking system which so far even controls trading in local currencies, as long as funds have to be transferred from one nation to another via SWIFT.

The world is increasingly aware of this real threat, an economy built on a house of cards – and countries want to get out of the trap, out of the fangs of the US-dollar.

Many countries have also realized that the dollar is increasingly serving to manipulate the value of their economy. The US-dollar, a fiat currency, by its sheer money mass, may bend national economies up or down, depending in which direction the country is favored by the hegemon. Let’s put the absurdity of this phenomenon in perspective.
Today, the dollar is based not even on hot air and is worth less than the paper it is printed on. The US GDP is US$ 21.1 trillion in 2019 (World Bank estimate), with current debt of 22.0 trillion, or about 105% of GDP. The world GDP is projected for 2019 at US$ 88.1 trillion (World Bank). According to Forbes, about US$ 210 trillion are “unfunded liabilities” (net present value of future projected but unfunded obligations (75 years), mainly social security, Medicaid and accumulated interest on debt), a figure about 10 times the US GDP, or two and a half times the world’s economic output.

This figure keeps growing, as interest on debt is compounded, forming part of what would be called in business terms ‘debt service’ (interest and debt amortization), but is never ‘paid back’. In addition, there are about one to two quadrillion dollars (nobody knows the exact amount) of so-called derivatives floating around the globe. A derivative is a financial instrument which creates its value from the speculative difference of underlying assets, most commonly derived from such inter-banking and stock exchange oddities, like ‘futures’, ‘options’, ‘forwards’ and ‘swaps’.

This monstrous debt is partly owned in the form of treasury bonds as foreign exchange reserves by countries around the world. The bulk of it is owed by the US to itself – with no plans to ever “pay it back” – but rather create more money, more debt, with which to pay for the non-stop wars, weapon manufacturing and lie-propaganda to keep the populace quiet and in lockstep.

This amounts to a humongous worldwide dollar-based pyramid system. Imagine, this debt comes crashing down, for example because one or several big (Wall Street) banks are on the brink of bankruptcy, so, they claim their outstanding derivatives, paper gold (another banking absurdity) and other debt from smaller banks. It would generate a chain reaction that might bring down the whole dollar-dependent world economy. It would create an exponential “Lehman Brothers 2008” on global scale.

The world is increasingly aware of this real threat, an economy built on a house of cards – and countries want to get out of the trap, out of the fangs of the US-dollar. It’s not easy with all the dollar-denominated reserves and assets invested abroad, all over the globe. A solution may be gradually divesting them (US-dollar liquidity and investments) and moving into non-dollar dependent currencies, like the Chinese Yuan and the Russian Ruble, or a basket of eastern currencies that are delinked from the dollar and its international payment scheme, the SWIFT system. Beware of the Euro, it’s the foster child of the US-dollar!

There are increasingly blockchain technology alternatives available. China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela are already experimenting with government-controlled cryptocurrencies to build new payment and transfer systems outside the US-dollar domain to circumvent sanctions. India may or may not join this club – whenever the Modi Government decides which way to bend – east or west. The logic would suggest that India orients herself to the east, as India is a significant part of the huge Eurasian economic market and landmass.

Libra is or would be a privately-owned cryptocurrency – and – coming from Facebook – could be destined to replace the dollar by the same people who are now abusing the world with the US-dollar.

India is already an active member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – an association of countries that are developing peaceful strategies for trade, monetary security and defense, comprising China, Russia, India, Pakistan, most Central Asian countries and with Iran waiting in the wings to become a full-fledged member. As such, SCO accounts for about half of the world population and a third of the world’s economic output. The east has no need for the west to survive. No wonder that western media hardly mention the SCO which means that the western average public at large has no clue what the SCO stands for, and who are its members.

Government-controlled and regulated blockchain technology may become key to counter US coercive financial power and to resist sanctions. Any country is welcome to join this new alliance of countries and new but fast-growing approach to alternative trading – and to finding back to national political and financial sovereignty.

In the same vein of dedollarization are Indian “barter banks”. They are, for example, trading Indian tea for Iranian oil. Such arrangements for goods to be exchanged against Iranian petrol are carried out through Indian “barter banks”, where currencies, i.e. Iranian rials and Indian rupees, are handled by the same bank. Exchange of goods is based on a list of highest monetary volume Indian trade items, against Iranian hydrocarbon products, for example, Iran’s large import of Indian tea. No monetary transaction takes place outside of India, therefore, US sanctions may be circumvented, since no US bank or US Treasury interference can stop the bilateral trade activities.

At this point, it might be appropriate to mention Facebook’s attempt to introduce a globe-spanning cryptocurrency, the Lira. Little is known on how exactly it will (or may) function, except that it would cater to billions of facebook members around the world. According to Facebook, there are 2.38 billion active members. Imagine, if only two thirds – about 1.6 billion – opened a Libra account with Facebook, the floodgate of libras around the world would be open. Libra is or would be a privately-owned cryptocurrency – and – coming from Facebook – could be destined to replace the dollar by the same people who are now abusing the world with the US-dollar. It may be projected as the antidote to government-controlled cryptocurrencies, thus, circumventing the impact of dedollarization. Beware of the Libra!

Despite US and EU sanctions, German investments in Russia are breaking a 10-year record in 2019, by German business pouring more than €1.7 billion into the Russian economy in the first three months of 2019. According to the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce, the volume of German companies’ investments in Russia is up by 33% – by € 400 million – since last year, when total investments reached € 3.2 billion, the largest since 2008. Despite sanctions which amounted to about € 1 billion combined for 140 German companies surveyed and registered with the Chamber of Commerce, and despite western anti-Russia pressure, Russia-German trade has increased by 8.4 percent and reached nearly € 62 billion in 2018.

In addition, notwithstanding US protests and threats with sanctions, Moscow and Berlin continue their Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project which is expected to be finished before the end of 2019. Not only is the proximity of Russian gas a natural and logical supply source for Germany and Europe, it will also bring Europe independence form the bullying sales methods of the United States. And payments will not be made in US dollars. In the long-run, the benefits of German-Russian business and economic relations will far outweigh the illegal US sanctions. Once this awareness has sunk in, there is nothing to stop Russian-German business associations to flourish, and to attract other EU-Russian business relations – all outside of the dollar-dominated banking and transfer system.

If Turkey exits NATO, the entire European NATO alliance will be shaken and questioned.

President Trump’s trade war with China will eventually also have a dedollarization effect, as China will seek – and already has acquired – other trading partners, mostly Asian, Asian-Pacific and European – with whom China will deal in other than dollar-denominated contracts and outside the SWIFT transfer system, for example using the Chinese International Payment System (CIPS) which, by the way, is open for international trade by any country across the globe.

This will not only circumvent punishing tariffs on China’s exports (and make US customers of Chinese goods furious, as their Chinese merchandise is no longer available at affordable prices, or no longer available at all), but this strategy will also enhance the Chinese Yuan on international markets and boost the Yuan even further as a reliable reserve currency – ever outranking the US-dollar. In fact, in the last 20 years, dollar-denominated assets in international reserve coffers have declined from more than 90% to below 60% and will rapidly decline further as Washington’s coercive financial policies prevail. Dollar reserves are rapidly replaced by reserves in Yuan and gold, and that even in such staunch supporters of the west as is Australia.

Washington also has launched a counter-productive financial war against Turkey, because Turkey is associating and creating friendly relations with Russia, Iran and China – and, foremost, because Turkey, a NATO stronghold, is purchasing the Russian S-400 cutting-edge air defense system – a new military alliance which the US cannot accept. As a result, the US is sabotaging the Turkish currency, the Lira which has lost 40% since January 2018.

Turkey will certainly do whatever it can to get out from under the boot of the US-dollar stranglehold and currency sanctions – and further ally itself with the East. This amounts to a double loss for the US. Turkey will most likely abandon all trading in US dollars and align her currency with, for example, the Chinese Yuan and the Russian ruble, and, to the detriment of the Atlantic alliance, Turkey may very likely exit NATO. Abandoning NATO will be a major disaster for the US, as Turkey is both strategically, as well as in terms of NATO military power one of the strongest – if not the strongest – nation of the 29 NATO members, outside of the US.

If Turkey exits NATO, the entire European NATO alliance will be shaken and questioned. Other countries, long wary of NATO and of storing NATO’s nuclear weapons on their soils, especially Italy and Germany, may also consider exiting NATO. In both Germany and Italy, a majority of the people is against NATO and especially against the Pentagon waging wars form their NATO bases in their territories in Germany in Italy.

To stem against this trend, the former German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, from the conservative German CDU party, is being groomed to become Jean-Claude Juncker’s successor as President of the European Commission. Mr. Juncker served since 2014. Ms. Von der Leyen was voted in tonight, 17 July, with a narrow margin of 9 votes. She is a staunch supporter of NATO. Her role is to keep NATO as an integral part of the EU. In fact, as it stands today, NATO is running the EU. This may change, once people stand up against NATO, against the US vassal, the EU Administration in Brussels, and claim their democratic rights as citizens of their nation states.

Europeans sense that these Pentagon initiated and ongoing wars and conflicts, supported by Washington’s European puppet allies, may escalate into a nuclear war, their countries’ NATO bases will be the first ones to be targeted, sinking Europe for the 3^rd time in 100 year into a world war. However, this one may be all-destructive nuclear – and nobody knows or is able to predict the damage and destruction of such a catastrophe, nor the time of recovery of Mother Earth from an atomic calamity.

So, let’s hope Turkey exits NATO. It would be giant step towards peace and a healthy answer to Washington’s blackmail and sabotage against Turkey’s currency. The US currency sanctions are, in the long run, a blessing. It gives Turkey a good argument to abandon the US dollar and gradually shift towards association with eastern moneys, mainly the Chinese Yuan, thereby putting another nail in the US-dollar’s coffin.

However, the hardest blow for Washington will be when Turkey exits NATO. Such a move will come sooner or later, notwithstanding Ms. Von der Leyen’s battle cries for NATO. The breaking up of NATO will annihilate the western power structure in Europe and throughout the world, where the US still maintains more than 800 military bases. On the other hand, the disbanding of NATO will increase the world’s security, especially in Europe – for all the consequences such an exit will bear. Exiting NATO and economically exiting the US-dollar orbit is a further step towards dedollarization, and a blow to US financial and military hegemony.

Finally, investments of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also called the New Silk Road, will be mostly made in Yuan and local currencies of the countries involved and incorporated in one or more of the several BRI land and maritime routes that eventually will span the globe. Some US-dollar investments may serve the People’s Bank of China, China’s Central Bank, as a dollar-divesting tool of China’s huge dollar reserves which currently stands at close to two trillion dollars.

The BRI promises to become the next economic revolution, a non-dollar economic development scheme, over the coming decades, maybe century, connecting peoples and countries – cultures, research and teaching without, however, forcing uniformity, but promoting cultural diversity and human equality – and all of it outside the dollar dynasty, breaking the nefarious dollar hegemony.

About the Author

First published by the New Eastern Outlook – NEO

Will online poker growth ever slow down?

July 18, 2019

Since it first arrived on the scene, online poker has been something of a polarizing sport. There were traditionalists who scorned the online version of the game, and then there were the realists who knew that the internet was the future of everything. There’s no need to point out who was right with that one. In the years since, online poker has enjoyed an incredible boom, but does it show any signs of easing up soon?

When the Boom Began

The year was 2003, and a new face was at the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. His name was rather aptly Chris Moneymaker, and he was about to change the face of online poker forever. You see, Chris was a new breed. He qualified through an online satellite and had learned his trade at his PC, grinding his way through the small hours of the morning. No one took him seriously until he revealed his winning hand and went home with a cool $2.5 million in prize money.

The boom started almost immediately with part-time poker players realizing that they, too, could make it big by playing online. Not only that but established pros finally figured out that online poker rooms weren’t the domain of wannabe pros but practice grounds for the stars of the future. Online platforms began to spring up overnight seemingly, and the boom was well and truly underway. If you are looking for a trusted platform to gamble on, be sure to check out some real money poker rooms like pokerstars.

The Global Rise

It took little time for online poker to become one of the most popular games on the internet. Casual players saw it as an opportunity to learn and possibly make some cash in their free time while seasoned players thought of it as a platform for practice. Global revenue went stratospheric, and players rejoiced in this convenient and cheap way to play the game they loved.

Poker continues to grow globally. Photo Credit: 888poker screenshot

However, it wasn’t long before the matter of legislation got in the way of their fun. Governments around the world were yet unprepared for the boom, and many had to force through legislation to grant licenses to online poker providers. But some countries such as the U.S. decided on a different route, and within a few short years, certain shores prohibited online poker.

That didn’t stop the rise of the game, though, and global revenue figures continued to rise, regardless of the geographical limitations imposed by some governments. However, the fact that players needed a laptop or PC to play did somewhat curtail industry growth. But that was about to change.

Mobile Gaming Rules the Roost

By 2016, online poker has plateaued somewhat, but the rise of mobile gaming opened the game to an entirely new audience. Mobile gaming allowed even the most casual of casual players to download an app and have a go at the game. Players who were already in love with the game could also now play it on the bus or the train. It was the shot in the arm that the industry needed at the time.

Mobile gaming has increased steadily in recent years.

The U.S. Makes a U-Turn

But perhaps the most significant event in online poker’s recent history is the apparent U-turn by the U.S. government. Or to be more precise individual state governments. In 2011, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released its formal legal opinion of the now-famous Interstate Wire Act of 1961.

Originally, the act was to stop mobsters from moving money illegally between states, with many believing that it also covered online activity. But the DOJ said that they believed it did not cover activities that were not related to a sporting event. Nevada and New Jersey took note and soon online poker was again on the table.

Online poker giant 888poker became one of the leaders of the industry in the U.S., paving the way in the state of New Jersey, specifically. Their success in New Jersey encouraged other states and poker providers to consider entering the market. As a result, we now have several states pushing through legislation to bring their poker industry online.

New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware are the three leading states for online poker, with Pennsylvania and West Virginia set to come online soon. There are also quite a few states waiting in the wings to see how things work out for those five. Should things go well, and they probably will, it’s realistic to expect a minimum of 40 states to legalize online poker soon. Imagine what that will do for global online poker revenue figures.

China Takes a Stand

However, the world’s most populous country who, of course, rarely agree with their American friends hasn’t mirrored the U.S. approach. Last year, on a day now known as Black Friday, the Chinese Government decided not to recognize poker as a sport. It was a huge blow to the nation’s blossoming online poker industry, with many heavyweights of the game losing their investment in the local game.

Many felt that the Chinese ban would have a detrimental effect on the global industry, especially in Asia, but there has been little negative impact. Yes, the local game has been completely crippled, but the global game has soldiered on regardless. If anything, global figures have increased since the ban.

So, will online poker growth ever slow down? For the immediate future, we find it incredibly hard to believe that anything barring a complete shutdown of the internet could stop the giant that is online poker. And though there will, no doubt, come a time when the industry plateaus, as it did before the rise of mobile gaming, that won’t happen for quite some time.

Feature image: Online poker is a serious money maker for all involved. (Photo Credit: Pixabay / CC0 1.0)

How To Improve Your Business Finances

July 16, 2019

Every entrepreneur wants to run a profitable business. Your finances play a fundamental role in the success of your business, so learning to manage them more efficiently is an effective way to grow your business and increase revenue. With this in mind, here are some key ways to improve your business finances.

Keep on top of your finances

The first step to improving your financial position is by staying on top of your business finances. It is vital that you keep a clear record of your accounting and legal paperwork, including your taxes. Make sure you know the requirements for tax rebates, as your business may be eligible for certain reductions and tax refunds. It is also important to have a cash flow budget in place that you stick with. Having a cash flow budget will help you manage your business more efficiently and will ensure that you have enough money to cover business essentials. It will also help you create financial forecasts and set goals for growth and revenue within your business.

Attract and retain quality staff

Having a highly-skilled, loyal workforce will, of course, have a significant impact on productivity and overall profit within your business. This will help improve your financial position and allow your business to expand and grow. It is therefore important to invest in recruitment efforts and focus on attracting the best quality staff. Consider hiring applicants who have completed additional qualifications like a Master of Business Administration (MBA). These graduates have been equipped with the critical skills needed to be successful in business. Check out online.suffolk.edu for more information on how your business can benefit from hiring MBA graduates. Offering attractive employee packages and additional benefits is one of the most effective ways to attract and retain high-quality staff.

Identify ways to cut expenses

As a business owner, you should review business expenses and key financial information regularly. Identifying ways to cut monthly expenses will give you more flexibility when dealing with financial matters and will help increase revenue in your business. Even small changes could make a big difference to your business finances. Here are some simple ways to cut costs and save money in your business:

Invest in fuel cards to keep track of outgoings and easily track fuel expenses

• If you need to replace old office equipment or furniture, consider buying refurbished items instead of brand new ones.

• Try to purchase office supplies in bulk to help you negotiate deals and save money.

• Switch to difference insurers, banks, or suppliers to get better deals.

Improve customer service

The service that customers receive will have a huge effect on your finances and the overall success of your business. This is because customers who are unsatisfied with your service are unlikely to purchase things from your company in the future. Whereas, happy customers will often return to your business and recommend your company to others. This, in turn, will help increase sales and revenue, thus putting your company is a better financial position. It is, therefore, in your interests to invest in ways to improve the customer experience and ensure that you provide every customer with the highest level of service possible.

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Why playing CASINOSECRET casino is better than other forms of online betting

July 15, 2019

There are many reasons why playing on an online is better that just gambling in store as it offers accessible and anonymous entertainment with the masses without the many psychological tricks in a physical casino to make you spend more than you really need; as per the design layout of a casino. By gambling online you have the ultimate choice in what you do. You can see how much you have spent, how long and even set limits on what you could spend. You could also leave whenever you want and game whenever you desire; all from the comfort of your own home never needing to leave bed and accessible from anywhere that has an internet or mobile connection. This seems great for the ordinary player or any other in fact whom, wish to dodge the traps of a physical casino and just want to play a few games. Online gambling seems far superior then traditional gambling but what makes CASINOSECRET online casino far superior than any other method of online gambling?

Well there are many but the main reasons are that the company is a registered company and therefore must adhere to all legal practices in the nations they operate in (in non-boring talk this means that they are trustworthy and won’t steal from you). This would already be a good step in CASINOSECRET’s name as many online gambling sites are that are shady, thirst and unethically profit driven. However, this is an online casino that you can trust as it must adhere and is bound to good gambling practises.

The main reasons are that the company is a registered company and therefore must adhere to all legal practices in the nations.

Furthermore, this site encompasses all those who wish to be entertained and therefore language isn’t a barrier (once again unlike a traditional casino). The site offers many language options with the main language of the site being Japanese but it being easily translatable to any other language in just mere seconds a great plus to anyone whom don’t know the native tongue spoken in the country they are trying to play in. Furthermore, due to the many languages that are available it allows for you to play against many players internationally which is a huge benefit as you’re playing against another human relying on skill rather than just luck. On top of that by playing internationally you get to meet new people and expand your culture and possibly make lifelong new friends.

Another benefit of CASINOSECRET is that it offers quirky and cool local Japanese games which, brings something new to the table; breathing new excitement to your new depth to your entertainment. This also allows you to learn about something new which is always welcome an exciting. Furthermore, by learning about the new dazzling and extravagant Japanese games you could also learn about the Japanese gambling culture which, you can share with all your friends at work and quickly become the most interesting person. In addition to that by learning the game you could also play with Native people whom already know the game allowing for bonding to occur during games. Who knows what might happen? Maybe you’ll end up one day visiting japan to play with the same new friends? Nobody knows until you go and do it; so go and explore the wonderful website Casinosecret today.

Feature image source: https://blog.gaijinpot.com/7-places-in-tokyo-for-gamers/