Why Pursuing an MBA Degree Is a Good Option

March 27, 2021

If you have been pondering exactly what master’s degree you should pursue, an MBA degree is a very solid option. Not only does it make sense if you have already attained a bachelor’s degree in business administration, but it also stacks well on top of innumerable other bachelor’s degrees as well. Here are a few other reasons why pursuing an MBA makes sense.

Advanced Skills

When you enter into an MBA program, you are developing advanced skills to elevate you in the business world. Most applicants in any MBA program already have, on average, two years of actual professional experience. The skills that you develop are specifically designed so that any company you are working for has the best chance of success.

Specializations

Because of their wide global appeal, many schools have developed a variety of MBA programs from which to choose, each with its own speciality. These may include, but are not limited to, financial management, marketing, management, entrepreneurship, as well as a host of others.

Easy to Pay For

Graduate school is just as easy to pay for as undergraduate programs. You can pay for your entire tuition, as well as other expenses, with a private student loan. These types of loans are generally more flexible during the repayment phase because you can renegotiate terms if need be. They are also considered an excellent way to invest in yourself and up your market value.

Networking

When you enter an MBA program, you are giving yourself access to a variety of excellent networking opportunities. Whether these contacts include professionals, professors, or even simply fellow students, you will gain much more insight and knowledge of the inner workings of certain aspects of the business world than you would have if you had never entered into the program at all.

Better Salaries

While there are never guarantees about what you can make in any career, on average, those who earn their MBA can expect to enjoy access to lucrative positions. In fact, consulting positions, which are the main focus of many MBA programs, are some of the highest-paying jobs on the market.

Become an Entrepreneur

Many people mistakenly believe that becoming an entrepreneur is quite easy. You just come up with a great idea and the world embraces it and then you are instantly rich. However, there is so much more to it than that. You need to know not only how to cultivate your ideas, but exactly how to market them as well. You need to know how to develop a business plan and how to sell the idea to investors who will then spend their money helping your plans come to fruition.

Available Worldwide

MBAs are not the types of degrees that are only usable in certain parts of the world. In fact, they are widely endorsed and encouraged in every country on the globe. You can literally live anywhere in the world and make use of your degree. This is of great benefit to those who do not want to stick to one country their entire lives.

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The 6 Cryptocurrencies Worth Knowing About

March 26, 2021

It’s hard to be oblivious to cryptocurrency nowadays. It’s talked about too often to be something that flies under your radar.

However, while you may well be familiar with it, that doesn’t mean you know about all the different cryptocurrencies out there. After all, there are now over 4,000 in circulation.

While you don’t need to be intimately aware of each one, there are a fair few that you shouldn’t overlook. Knowing about them can prove hugely beneficial because these are the most profitable and successful online currencies available. If you’re going to start buying, mining, trading, etc., these are the six currencies you’ll probably want to focus your attention on.

Bitcoin (BTC)

When it comes to cryptocurrencies, none are as popular as Bitcoin. Created in 2009, it was the first of its kind, which likely explains why it’s the go-to for anyone dealing with these digital assets.

Currently considered an acceptable form of payment with over 15,000 businesses, Bitcoin is cryptocurrency’s best chance of breaking into the mainstream. It helps that it keeps soaring to new heights, with its value rising to over $60,000 (£43,500) in March. Obviously, these peaks aren’t always consistent, with the currency also recording some devastating lows over the last decade. However, it’s always bounced back and continued to soar ever higher.

With Bitcoin being the most popular of all cryptocurrencies, you might think it would be difficult to get hold of. After all, there are already over 18.5 million tokens out there, with the capped limit set at 21 million. Plus, given how high its price has risen in the past, it’s not the most affordable currency online.

However, through communities like Traders Of Crypto, you can actually find a lot of free Bitcoins. Their guide has all the information you need to start building up a portfolio without having to break the bank, which is great for any newbies out there. Although getting free cryptocurrency just from playing games or signing up for something might seem too good to be true, it’s a very real way to get you started with Bitcoin.

Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum is another relatively well-known cryptocurrency, but unlike Bitcoin, its purpose is a little different. Rather than being designed to use as a digital currency, it’s more focused on decentralising applications. Essentially, it wants to give power back to app creators by cutting out the middleman in the way that blockchain technology does so well.

Obviously, Ethereum does still work as a currency and can be used by people to make purchases. However, it stands out from the likes of Bitcoin by being programmable, meaning it serves far greater purposes than the standard cryptocurrency. Plus, the fact that it’s targeted at absolutely everyone, regardless of background, gives it an appeal that not all its competitors can provide.

Since its inception in 2015, its value has nearly risen as high as $1900 (£1,380), with the price increasing significantly towards the end of 2020. While that doesn’t quite make it equal with Bitcoin, not by a long shot, it’s still one of the more valuable cryptocurrencies available.

Litecoin (LTC)

Introduced as an alternative to Bitcoin, Litecoin has been steadily making its mark over the last decade. Since 2011, it’s established itself on almost every crypto exchange, with this currency available to use for pretty much all the same purposes.

In some ways, Litecoin and Bitcoin are the same. After all, the developer used Bitcoin’s core code to create Litecoin. That’s why they share similar properties, such as both utilising blockchain technology to ensure decentralisation.

However, Litecoin was developed as an alternative to Bitcoin, so there are differences between the two. That includes a faster block approval time, with the newer currency four times faster than its predecessor. This allows for more mining of Litecoin to be done, with the 21 million cap on Bitcoin quadrupled to 84 million for this other cryptocurrency.

While more Litecoin might be available to mine, though, its value is nowhere near the same. Its current peak stands just shy of $240 (£175), which it hit back in February. Whether it will exceed that price anytime soon is hard to say, especially given it suffered some devastating lows over the last few years.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

Those new to cryptocurrency might not realise that Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash are two different currencies. However, that is absolutely the case, with the latter only coming about in 2017.

Bitcoin Cash was established following a dispute over the original currency. Developers and miners couldn’t reach a consensus, so the currency was split to try and please everyone. While Bitcoin remained the same, Bitcoin Cash was developed to enact the changes that couldn’t be agreed upon. This mainly entailed scaling up the size of blocks from 1 megabyte to 8 megabytes so that transactions would be quicker.

Unlike the currency it was built off of, Bitcoin Cash has yet to amass a five-figure value. Although it got off to a strong start, peaking with a value of around $2,350 (£1,700), it suffered a significant decline and has only recently started recovering. Evidently, its association with Bitcoin made it a hot commodity back in 2017, but it couldn’t sustain interest for very long.

Cardano (ADA)

Cardano is considered by some to be “Ethereum but better”, which is perhaps no surprise given that both cryptocurrencies share a founder. Charles Hoskinson was one of the people responsible for creating Ethereum, but when he disapproved of the direction things were going in there, he started a new project.

Backed by extensive experimentation and research, Cardano has the potential to impact cryptocurrencies quite significantly. It’s still relatively new to the scene, with the blockchain platform only launched in 2017, so it’s not likely to start making waves quite yet. However, it’s already beaten Ethereum to the proof-of-stake consensus model and may well destroy its competitor in due time.

Right now, the cryptocurrency is on a relatively upward trajectory, having continually climbed over the last year without too many dips. Its value might not seem like much at the moment, given that it spent months below the $1 (73p) mark before rising above it in February. However, the rate at which it’s increased has definitely made Cardano one to watch, with the surge in popularity raising a lot of questions.

Stellar (XLM)

Whereas many popular cryptocurrencies are aimed at individuals, Stellar is more purpose-built for enterprises. It primarily exists to allow financial institutions to make significant transactions without wasting a lot of time, effort, and money. It also allows for transactions across borders, largely to help those in developing economies where access to banks and investment opportunities is more restricted.

Saying this, though, Stellar is still an open blockchain, so access to the cryptocurrency is available to everyone. However, with a value that struggles to exceed more than $1, it’s not something that a lot of people are necessarily taking an interest in yet.

Given that there are literally thousands of cryptocurrencies out there, it’s impossible to give you the lowdown on every single one of them. However, this guide has hopefully introduced you – if you weren’t familiar with them already – to some of the most important digital currencies available. If you’re going to put your money into cryptocurrency, these are the options that you’ll most likely want to consider.

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How to Spring Clean Your Finances

March 26, 2021

Spring is traditionally a time for rebirth as nature comes alive and we prepare ourselves for warmer weather. Part of this is the big spring clean, which means cleaning, decluttering and reorganising your home from top to bottom. But have you ever considered taking a similar approach with your finances?

Almost 13 million UK households have little or no savings – while many more will admit to being ‘bad with money’. If that sounds at all like you, now’s the perfect time to make positive changes for your financial future.

Read how to spring clean your finances below.

Dust off your budget

You may have created budgets in the past with the intention of sticking to them – but sometimes our situations change. A plan that made sense a year ago might no longer be fit for purpose. Now’s your chance to reassess and create a budget that’s more realistic.

Start by listing your current income and outgoings and categorise your spending into things like bills, food and fun. This way you’ll have a clear picture of your spending power – as well as any bad habits.

Throw out bad spending habits

As hinted above, creating a budget usually shines a light on areas that you can cut back on. The coffee that you buy before work everyday might seem less justifiable as a monthly cost for example, while unused subscriptions are another common flaw.

Review things like fitness and magazine commitments to see what you actually get value from. You could save lots of money by switching energy and insurance providers too.

Simplify your money

Do you find managing money frustrating? Maybe you keep it in several separate accounts that are difficult to access, or you have a hard time remembering to pay bills. Taking a little time to simplify everything will save you lots of effort in the long run.

Set up automatic payments for essential bills and organise mobile banking if you haven’t already. You might find things easier if you can see your money on your phone.

Plan your financial goals

Just like you might plant seeds in your garden for the year ahead, planning your short and long-term financial goals will help you reap rewards in future.

An immediate priority might be to borrow money for a new car, for example, while longer-term targets could be anything from a new home to a wedding or education fees. Having a clear vision in mind will also give you more motivation to save.

Are you planning to get your money in order in line with the change of seasons?

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Why Online Gambling Could Be The Next Big Investment Opportunity

March 26, 2021

If you were to look at the global online gambling market today without any previous knowledge of the industry, you would more than likely be surprised to learn that the first-ever real money online casinos was only launched back in 1996 and the first online sportsbook didn’t appear online until the early 2000s. So why would learning this likely surprise you? Well, it may prove to be a shock based on just how well the industry is doing today.

The online gambling market is growing year on year and is anticipated to be worth more than 92.9 billion dollars by the year 2023. There are a number of factors that have led to the online gambling market’s incredible growth over the last twenty five years, which has led to more and more investors sitting up and taking notice. This article has been put together in order to highlight some of the reasons why the popularity of online gambling is only going to increase as well as to outline why we think it could be the next big investment opportunity for potential investors.

Follow Or Lead, Or Either

As an investor, there is one question that should be at the core of all of your decisions making: is it worth my while? Luckily, when it comes to the world of online gambling and, online casinos in particular, the exploding popularity of the market means two things.

Firstly, it means that there are plenty of established online casinos that are looking for new investors to either help them to continue to grow or to turn things around. Secondly, as a booming industry, there is more than enough room for investors to start their own online casino from the ground up and/or join forces with like minded people in order to do so. So when it comes to online gambling from the perspective of an investor, you can follow or lead!

As the market grows, potential investors will be happy to hear that there is also an effort being made to educate adults on how to bet responsibly. An example of this comes in the form of howtobet.com, often referred to as ‘the betting wikipedia‘, which emphasizes the importance of responsible gambling, suggesting legal and reputable sports books and casinos and, offering expert advice on how to engage with the pastime.

The Legalisation of Online Sports Betting

We can present this very simply. If we look at the figures from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, we can see that the online sports wagering handle in New Jersey for January 2021 was $886.65 million compared to $471.14 million for the same month in 2020. This is a growth trend that can be seen in many other states across America, including Pennsylvania. As more and more states legalise online sports betting, it is highly likely that the numbers will be replicated there.

The Future of Online Gambling Is Now

If this isn’t enough to catch your attention, the exponential growth of technology, gamification and even the introduction of virtual reality are all set to revolutionise the online gambling industry once again, which is set to keep current players sticking around as well as attracting new ones.

So whether you are looking at the here and now or for a long-term investment, the online gambling industry could be your next big investment opportunity.

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ThreeD Capital (CNSX: IDK) Takes Stake in AI in Mining – Acquires Securities of Windfall Geotek

March 26, 2021

Across many industries, artificial intelligence (AI) and disruptive technologies are becoming commonplace.

This is especially true in the mining industry, where there is growing interest in integrating AI into mining facilities. These technologies aim to improve efficiency and productivity. Though relatively new, the possibilities for AI in mining are numerous.

That’s where ThreeD Capital comes in.

In February 2021, ThreeD acquired ownership and control of Windfall Geotek Inc., a company that focuses on revitalizing global mining through the application of advanced disruptive technologies, such as AI.

ThreeD Capital now owns an aggregate of 8.9 million common shares and 1 million common-share purchase warrants of the company.

“This investment in Windfall Geotek Inc. shows our commitment to developing disruptive technologies,” said ThreeD Founder, Chairman and CEO, Sheldon Inwentash, who has more than 30 years of experience investing in disruptive technologies, including AI technology in the mining industry.

Combining traditional miners with intelligent sensors will make mining safer, smarter and more efficient. AI collects data, allowing miners to process it much faster than in the past. AI technology can also help reduce the environmental impact of mining while increasing revenue.

Robots and drones can get to spaces impossible for humans to reach. Easier access would also mean an increase in production and the ability to keep up with the never-ending demand for certain metals. Worker safety has always been a concern in the mining industry. With AI it is possible to reduce accidents by testing out potentially dangerous situations with a robot.

With advancements in AI and disruptive technologies, it’s more important than ever to have companies willing to invest, Sheldon Inwentash said.

“We think the technologies at Windfall have immense potential, and we look forward to working with them,” he said.

ThreeD Capital is a publicly-traded, Canadian-based venture capital firm focused on opportunistic investments in companies in the junior resources and disruptive technologies sectors. ThreeD’s investment strategy is to invest in multiple private and public companies across a variety of sectors globally. The company seeks to invest in early stage companies, allowing it to become the lead investor.

As of February 26, ThreeD’s Subject Shares represented about 10 percent of all issued and outstanding common shares of Windfall.

The Subject Units were acquired through a series of transactions. About 1 million Subject Shares and 1,000,000 Subject Warrants were acquired in a private placement, not through the facilities of any stock exchange for aggregate consideration payable of $60,000.

The remaining Subject Shares were acquired in the open market through the facilities of the Canadian Securities Exchange for aggregate consideration payable of $1.9 million, or about $0.25 per Subject Share.

Before the recent transactions, ThreeD did not hold any securities of Windfall.

The holdings of securities of Windfall by ThreeD are managed for investment purposes, and ThreeD could increase or decrease their investments in Windfall at any time, or continue to maintain their current investment position, depending on market conditions or any other relevant factor.

“I’m looking forward to working more with Windfall, and seeing where this investment takes us,” said Inwentash.

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4 Ways You Can Use Online Tools to Expand Your Business

March 25, 2021

Moving aspects of your company online have likely been a gradual shift that’s been in-sync with the advancements of internet technology. As the internet has allowed itself to be utilized in an increasing number of ways, your business has naturally found an increasing number of uses for it. In many ways, this has likely been a great convenience to you thanks to the large, easily accessible audiences found on internet platforms, allowing you to increase your online presence and brand awareness.

However, the landscape of the internet is one of frequent change, where there are multiple avenues of success to explore. You might be very much familiar with this landscape after having a few years to get to grips with it, or you might be a relative newcomer, deciding now is the best time to make use of the wide array of tools at your disposal. In any event, it helps to know just what you’re working with and what options you have available to you in order to make your business flourish as much as it can.

The Impact of Social Media Marketing

When discussing the wide range of audiences available on the internet, the most applicable area to draw your attention to is that of social media. You’re likely aware of the increasingly massive presence social media has in people’s everyday lives, both personally and professionally. It’s become an integral part of the modern world – which means it’s the perfect place to start marketing. The widespread usage of various social media platforms means there is a huge number of users for you to reach with your campaigns.

There are multiple different platforms available, each coming with a different audience. Therefore, you can investigate which audience your marketing will be geared towards and utilize the appropriate platform, or you can try to engage new customers by reaching out to those you might not have been able to market towards before. This also means that you can try your hand at different types of marketing, with certain platforms such as YouTube providing an opportunity for you to get creative and expand into video advertising if you haven’t already. While on Twitter you can gain an audience by posting engaging content. The content can include relatable tweets as well as short informative content that’ll attract a new audience. As Twitter is used by people of almost all ages and genders it can be a great place to reach a wider audience that has not been reached yet. Of course, the content posted has to be well written and business-appropriate. Depending on the time of the day the posts can gain different amounts of engagement. One thing that needs to be taken into account is the timing, which can be analyzed through analytical tools. There are many social media analytical tools, such as Sprout Social, that can give you the analytical answers you need to grow your brand. Once you figure out all the statistics you need to right tools to post on your Twitter account intelligently. This is where social media scheduling tools come in hand. One of the most affordable and easy-to-use tools is Hypefury. It can schedule and automate tweets and retweets to get extra engagement and growth on your business account. With a Gumroad integration, you can sell more by promoting your offers below your popular tweets, even before they become popular. These features and many more are why you need to invest in the right social media tools.

Renovate Your Website to Welcome New Audiences

While social media marketing will allow you to reach new audiences and strengthen your ties with existing customers, all of them will eventually find their way to your website in order to enlist your services. Having a website for your business isn’t a new concept; however, it might be the case where you had your website put up a while ago and haven’t given it much in the way of improvements since. This could end up damaging your reputation as visitors to your website might see the information as outdated and unreliable if they feel that way about the design.

Keeping your website up-to-date and following modern design trends can tell your audiences that you adapt to change, you’re on the ball, and that you’re reliable. This can also help the navigation; clearing up all your pages and streamlining your services to make your website more easily traversable can do a lot to make it more user-friendly. Additionally, linking your social media accounts to your website can present your online persona as a consistent one, regardless of how your potential customers decide to try and get in contact with you.

Looking at the Data to Improve Your Service

Feedback is always appreciated, and it’s also crucial to improvement. After all, you can’t be expected to know how to improve if you don’t know the problems in the first place. This also applies to conducting business online, regardless of whether that’s through social media, your website, or other channels. Conducting data science and analysis is crucial to understanding which aspects of your business need improving and which aren’t working, allowing you to streamline your service into the best it can possibly be, click here to see why.

Having this information available will allow you to evolve into a version of your company where all efforts are put to their best possible use, with focus redirected towards all aspects that work instead of time being wasted on endeavors that you learn to be less effective.

While these benefits to your business sound appealing, they are a result of the core benefit of data science – the ability to fully understand your consumers and what they want out of you as a business. This understanding will improve your customer-company relations, leading you to make these beneficial decisions more naturally as the needs and interests of the client become more deeply rooted in the services you provide.

Allowing a Smoother Workflow for Your Employees

Throughout recent times, the coronavirus pandemic has had a severe impact on several workplaces. As a result, working from home has become much more normal in several circumstances, which has brought with it a slew of changes to how employees conduct their work. While the degree to which your business has been affected by this may vary, it’s hard to ignore the discussion surrounding how working from home brings certain changes to the job. While not all of these changes are sustainable and have only been born of necessity, others have allowed for great quality of life improvements that also mean a smoother and more efficient workflow.

First of all, being able to conduct meetings virtually as not to disrupt the flow of an employee’s day-to-day activities is a change that could see a lot of versatility once the pandemic is less severe. Meetings that would previously require a physical presence and a large chunk of the day can now be distilled and merged with the rest of the standard working day.

Another change, while not strictly being one that was a result of the pandemic, is that of introducing a file-sharing system to your business. This allows for great ease of collaboration and communication between your staff, with documents being easily available to access and edit without it being a matter of chasing up employees to email it around.

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4 Most Useful Merch Ideas

March 24, 2021

Logo merchandise and promo products should form a key part of any successful marketing strategy. Handing out branded merchandise allows you to show appreciation to your customers, clients, or employees. It also provides free advertisements for your company by promoting your brand to a wider audience and building exposure around your products. Choose the right merchandise for your business can be difficult, especially when there are so many great options available. Here are four of the most useful merch ideas to promote your brand and products:

1. Promotional water bottles

Everyone needs to drink water which makes reusable water bottles one of the most practical merchandise products. Another great benefit of reusable water bottles is that they are eco-friendly. They eliminate the need to purchase disposal bottles and minimize plastic pollution. Handing out reusable water bottles with your company logo will promote your brand and help the environment by cutting plastic waste. Consumers are becoming more and more eco-conscious, and many people now want to support green brands. Choosing eco-friendly merchandise will show your support for sustainability and improve your green credentials. This will provide more positive marketing and exposure for your brand.

2. Custom clothing & accessories

Custom clothing and accessories are popular promo merchandise that can be used to increase brand exposure and promote your products. Custom clothing is practical and should get a lot of use, particularly if you choose versatile clothing and apparel. You can have your company logo printed on an impressive range of clothing items, including t-shirts, hoodies, socks, hats, and jackets. Take a look at anthembranding.com for a collection of promotional merchandise that can be used to promote your company, including custom socks!

3. Branded shopping totes

Branded shopping totes are another excellent merchandise idea. Plastic is causing serious environmental pollution, and statistics show that around 6.4 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the ocean every year. There is currently a big push to reduce plastic waste by limiting the use of disposable items such as plastic water bottles and shopping bags. Reusable shopping totes are extremely popular as consumers want to become more sustainable when they shop. 4inbandana offers a wide range of reusable branded tote bags in various styles, sizes, and colors, allowing you to select an eye-catching design that perfectly complements your brand and appeals to your valued customers, clients, and employees. Embrace sustainability and make a positive impact while promoting your business with these eco-friendly tote bags from 4inbandana.

4. Customized travel mugs

Customized travel mugs are another popular merchandise product, especially with eco-conscious brands and consumers. Travel mugs are useful because they allow the user to enjoy hot drinks like tea and coffee on the go. They are also environmentally-friendly because they eliminate the need for disposable coffee cups. Your customers or clients will have a visual reminder of your brand and products every time they make a hot drink. They will also provide your business with free advertising whenever they carry your branded travel mug out in public.

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3 Chinese Marketing Trends to Adopt in 2021

March 24, 2021

China has the largest e-commerce shopping experience and one of the most advanced market in regards to the technologies used for marketing purposes. Highly connected to social networks, the most well-known among foreign brands being WeChat and Weibo, customers are now using fast-growing “micro” integrated platform, like Xiaohongshu (RED).

The Chinese market has started to change due to its geographic and cultural differences and the younger generations, the Gen-Z (born in 1995-2000) and the post-’90s (born in 1990-1994), plays an important role to shape the “niche” communities.

Question is, what are the main marketing trends to succeed in China in 2021?

Leverage WeChat like a boss

As the most popular App for daily communication, either personal or business, adopted by most of the local companies, even foreign companies willing to start selling in China, WeChat has reached over 1.2 billion monthly users and remains the most important social network in China. Not having a WeChat strategy in 2021 is suicide.

While users are active on WeChat every day, to chat with friends, read articles, brows posts, watch videos via the latest built-in video “channel”, the app is also a unique place to shop, thanks to the WeChat Stores and other WeChat Mini-Programs, that brands can develop to sell directly on the app.

Brands can easily set up a WeChat Store or a Mini-Program to promote their brands and sell their products at a relatively lower cost. In the other hand, WeChat Official Account, where you can create long or short articles (texts, graphics, videos, links), is a perfect match to leverage a store. It allows you to set up the menu to connect with your website or WeChat store and share the contents with your product links within its ecosystem in a few seconds.

Furthermore, user behaviors analysis and CRM are easily accessed to target potential consumers and predict the consumer trend.

In China, you can go anywhere and do anything with a phone with e-payment and WeChat Pay is incredibly convenient since Chinese consumers don’t need to carry a wallet with cash or card with then wherever they go. Indeed, WeChat Pay adopted the Chinese traditional culture – Hongbao (Red Pocket) – to technology. People can receive a Hongbao or transfer from their WeChat friends from a thousand miles away in seconds.

WeChat is a superpower ecosystem and defining a WeChat advertising campaign with an agency is probably your best bet to succeed in China.

KOL and Private Poll is the future of influencer marketing

KOLs, widely known as Key Opinion Leaders, are whom consumers relying on, to have trustworthy reviews, comments, attitudes towards a topic, a product or a brand and KOL Marketing has reached its peak in China.

It’s common to see a lot of active KOLs on different platforms with almost the same content they use this technique to get more exposures, each network being unique, it is more difficult for them to provide a unique content that their loyal followers like.

In that case, it becomes essential to narrow down the market and brands start to look more into micro-influencers and KOCs, to engage with potential customers.

For example, Douyin has all age ranges of audiences and KOLs with all types of expertise, whereas audiences on Bilibili are much younger and they are a big fan of animation, and Xiaohongshu is all about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.

Nowadays, people can easily find anything from the Internet for free and also have their thoughts and judgements. They are looking for something specific, unique, and more valuable content and voices, and that’s one of the reasons that “micro” (niche) is gaining popularity among young audiences.

Livestreaming will be one of the major sales channels

A livestream usually happens on a social media platform with a KOL or more promoting a product and/or communicating with their followers.

Livestreaming is penetrating in all aspect of life in China. Given the fact, livestreaming showed more possibilities during the outbreak of COVID-19:

Livestreams makes it possible and easier for education.
Celebrities and singers brought the stage onto livestreaming.
Livestreams is taking e-commerce to the highway.

With the massive deployment of 5G, livestreaming e-commerce is going to stand out of the “traditional” e-commerce. Although consumers are worried about its reliability and authenticity when it has become a normality, 5G capabilities will give more flexibilities for content creation and demonstration.

With the ultra-fast speed of 5G, VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) will be applied to more showcase product details and characteristics. It somehow will shorten the awareness-interest-decision process and improve users’ shopping experience.

However, before picking the platforms, it’s always essential to know their audiences. In China, top players like Taobao, Douyin, and Kaishou are more well-known, but more and more “micro” platforms have become mainstream among their “niche” communities.

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Litecoin/Bitcoin. Historical correlation chart and price analysis

March 24, 2021

Today, cryptocurrencies are represented by a large assortment of digital currencies, which have both differences and similarities.

Now digital money is being invested not only by far-sighted investors, but also simply by people who can follow every day how Bitcoin has renewed its maximum again. You can learn more about what cryptocurrency is and what rules it uses here.

At the same time, do not forget that investing is a rather complicated science, and it is important to collect a portfolio for yourself in such a way that, in the event of emergencies or force majeure in the markets, you do not lose at one moment everything accumulated by overwork.

One of the factors that affect the stability of the investment portfolio is correlation. Let’s take a closer look at how and to what extent cryptocurrencies correlate with each other.

Correlation: what is it for?

Correlation of digital currencies is essential in the process of building an investment portfolio. The concept of “correlation” means the relationship between the movement of the value of completely different trading assets.

Correlation is measured using a coefficient, and assets can move in the same way or in the opposite direction.

One of the important rules for creating an investment portfolio is the selection of trading assets, the direct relationship between which will be minimal.

There are mathematical approaches to identify correlation:

ü detailed calculations,
ü large formulas;
ü ready-made solutions that were made in the form of special indicators.

Cryptocurrencies and their correlation

Digital currencies have repeatedly shown movement in tandem at specific time intervals. One such example is altcoins, whose quotes began to rise after the SEC’s decision last spring to reject an application for the placement of Bitcoin shares on the exchange. There were other cases when Bitcoin losses caused the growth of altcoin quotes.

The most objective way to study the price relationship between Bitcoin and other digital currencies is the analysis of existing statistics. A good example of such an analysis is the BTC / LTC pair, the prices of which often show a stable relationship in a ltc to btc chart.

The cryptocurrency market is rapidly gaining momentum, and some of the assets involved in the formation of this market may well demonstrate progress, while occupying narrow niches, which over time will contribute to a change in trends in their pricing. If such currencies are able to stand out over time and attract the attention of traders, then their relationship with Bitcoin may gradually weaken.

BTC/LTC

The cost of these two cryptocurrencies is determined by:

exchanges;
the popularity of use in calculations by the real sector of the world economy or the investment sector.

The outstripping growth rates of bitcoin over the growth rates of litecoin will lead to a decrease in the growth of the bitcoin and litecoin rates, and vice versa, the more active dynamics of the litecoin price over bitcoin will contribute to the growth of the daycoin and bitcoin rates.

At the moment, the price of bitcoin is 48,017.0 and litecoin is 179,514.

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Advances in Accounting Benchmarking

March 24, 2021

By Paul Brunda, Vice President and Benchmarking Practice Leader, Trianz

Assess the maturity of your accounting operations and take steps towards digitalization.

The past few years have seen substantial industry-wide movement toward digitalization in accounting. Accounting personnel are experiencing higher workloads than ever before, resulting in digital transformation initiatives to help offload low-level administrative tasks and increase throughput.

Digital transformation is also enabling new data analytics and visualized reporting functionality. Accountants will still be generating reports on business financial performance, but new technologies are expanding the depth and breadth of accounting reporting capabilities.

In an increasingly competitive digital market, benchmarking your enterprise accounting performance and comparing to industry competitors is an excellent way to identify shortcomings in your strategy. Benchmarking will help you perform targeted upgrades on inefficient processes and technologies, while simultaneously revealing where you excel, helping to minimize investment waste.

Let us explore some benefits of benchmarking in accounting.

Why Should You Benchmark Accounting?

A PWC report for 2019 to 2020 found that enterprises spend a median of 0.85% of their revenue on finance. This means that—as an example—a company making $1 billion in revenue per annum could be spending $8.5 million on the finance functions alone.

By comparison, top-quartile leaders in accounting efficiency were spending only 0.55% of their annual revenue on finance, or $5.5 million per $1 billion in revenue. With that theoretical $3 million in savings, a business could invest in other areas and drive significant growth—but that money is already spent due to inefficiencies in accounting practices.

This is where benchmarking in accounting becomes essential. Every staff member, workflow, and software package will incur costs. Controlling these costs and understanding competitor expenditure will keep your business on the right track financially.

Methodologies for Benchmarking in Accounting

Trianz—a leading US-based digital transformation consulting firm—has created a holistic and innovative methodology for benchmarking enterprise accounting operations. The methodology is named the Digital Enterprise Evolution Model™ or DEEM for short. Trianz leverages data points from its sister research company Trasers, with 5,000+ individual companies across 20 industries having been surveyed and assessed across five levels of maturity.

By leveraging a robust benchmarking framework like DEEM™, enterprises can quickly determine their accounting functional maturity level and take steps to transform their operations.

FAreas to Benchmark Your Accounting Operations

When benchmarking your accounting operation, you should focus on several key areas:

Workforce Salaries and KPIs

Employees in the finance and accounting department command a considerable annual salary. With a bachelor’s degree in finance, self-reported annual salaries from employees average $71,611[1] in the US.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) should be able to create a key performance indicator (KPI) framework for monitoring accounting performance and ensuring that employees are delivering maximum value. This could include Accounts Receivable Turnover, Finance Error Reporting, and LOB Efficiency Measures—measured against industry averages to facilitate benchmarking of your accounting operations.

Furthermore, significant skill shortages in accounting are keeping wages higher, further increasing the importance of maximizing workforce efficiency and productivity.

Rate of Digitalization

Digital transformation drives efficiency across all areas of business, including accounting. A recent study by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) found that one-third of accounting teams spend more than 50% of their time on low-level, repetitive, low value administrative tasks. A further 56% of respondents said they require automation just to keep up with increasing workloads.

To achieve the KPIs discussed, digitalization in accounting can have a significant impact. An 84-page report by research firm Autonomous forecasts that by 2030, AI could save more than $1 trillion in costs—with at least $240 billion coming from finance data processing, compliance, and collections system digitalization. As the accounting industry trends towards AI technology and robotic process automation (RPA), benchmarking in this area will become a top priority.

Accounting Analytics and Visualized Reporting

Data leads to insights, and insights lead to better decision-making across business areas. This is a crucial benefit touted in a 2020 report by the Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA)—along with better risk management, real-time performance insights, and proactive and predictive capabilities[2].

Benchmarking the maturity of your accounting analytics and reporting capabilities will, therefore, become increasingly important in improving efficiency. To do this, internally assess how data-driven your accounting processes are and compare to industry competitors.

If these processes are lacking, there may be a business case for adopting visualization accounting platforms like Tableau, Microsoft PowerBI, SAP, or Zoho. Learn more about digital benchmarking for finance and accounting on Trianz.com.

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About the Author

Paul Brunda is an operations technology leader and a change agent. With nearly 30 years of experience working with big names on Wall Street to healthcare and insurance, Paul has unique insights into the areas of cloud, security, platform, and compliance systems. He advises clients to benefit from growing digitalization by conducting digital benchmarking and leveraging the cloud. His key specialization includes engineering issues, operational security, and compliance controls.

In his role as Benchmarking Practice Leader at Trianz, Paul is responsible for helping clients succeed in their digital transformations through the measurement of their competitive positioning on the digital continuum, as inputs into strategic prioritization and allocation of resources. Trianz benchmarking is powered by the Trasers database – with over 1.5 million datapoints collected from 5,000+ companies – to deliver a holistic assessment of digital maturity across business model, business processes and technology portfolios in absolute and competitive terms. Paul transitioned to Trianz from Trasers, where he helped drive the firm’s flagship benchmarking service, leveraging his extensive operational background and knowledge of diverse corporate environments.

References

[1] Correct as of Jan 14^th 2020
[2] https://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/ACCA_Global/professional-insights/aifaa/CliveWebb.PI-ANALYTICS-FINANCE-ACCOUNTANCY.pdf – Executive Summary: 1.4 The biggest opportunities