The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Las dificultades para crear una propuesta alternativa
Una oposición ciega e irresponsable
Por Marcos Aguinis | LA NACION
EL país está que arde. Sin embargo, el sector que debería proveer alternativas sensatas pierde su tiempo jugando a las bolitas. No le ha sido suficiente la paliza recibida en las últimas elecciones, como resultado de su empecinamiento en presentarse dividida. No escucha la indignación ciudadana, que critica su rol de pigmeos. Igual que el oficialismo, la oposición vive en una burbuja. La diferencia consiste en que el oficialismo abarca un gran arco que va desde la extrema izquierda hasta la extrema derecha (Hebe de Bonafini y D'Elía, para ilustrar con nombres) y aspira a mantenerse en el poder a cualquier costo. La oposición, en cambio, no sabe construir su propio gran arco, ni cómo presentarse, ni por dónde marchar, ni cómo aumentar su influencia.
Es cierto que se destacan figuras dignas en el espectro opositor. Pero, con escasos nombres, sus respectivas agrupaciones no se deciden a asumir el estado crítico de la República. Por eso no se apuran en desarrollar mecanismos de articulación y definir programas de largo alcance. No construyen el edificio de una alternativa sólida, confiable, racional y patriótica, concentrada en los temas centrales, con vistas a un futuro sólido, sobre los cuales no existen diferencias de significación. Hasta ahora no han establecido comisiones mixtas de trabajo y proyecto, no han convocado a los cientos de especialistas capaces en todas las áreas que posee nuestro país. Se limitan a unas patéticas danzas de comité. A soñar con un protagonismo que les caerá por arte de magia. No advierten que pela la urgencia y esta urgencia necesita de un cuerpo opositor múltiple en sus orígenes, pero unicolor en su objetivo de salvar la República y la democracia. No alcanza con votar en forma dispersa en el Congreso, porque aumenta la insignificancia de cualquier alternativa. Los protagonistas de la oposición -repito: con excepciones- se limitan a maquillajes, negociaciones de corto vuelo, respuestas confusas a la agenda oficial, ambiciones personales, y conceptos nublados por su arcaísmo y miopía. En otras palabras, reproducen ad náuseam el modelo populista (oportunista) que mantiene encadenada en un pantano la extraordinaria potencialidad argentina. No se han dado cuenta de que China, por ejemplo, desde que se atrevió a dejar en la historia el fósil modelo colectivista de Mao, ¡aumentó 45 veces su PBI! Por lo tanto, urge liberarnos de las cadenas populistas que enriquecen a unos pocos y hunden en un pozo sin fondo a toda la nación.
La desgracia no sólo consiste en que la Argentina vuelve a enloquecer con las fracasadas "soluciones" del pasado, a pisar de nuevo las mismas trampas y cometer desaguisados de consecuencias graves. La desgracia es que se pisotean las instituciones de una forma parecida (por ahora no igual, aunque no tenemos garantías) a las dictaduras. La oposición no es escuchada porque se le adelgazaron las cuerdas vocales por haber perdido el tiempo y la oportunidad peleándose entre sí.
La misma oposición es responsable de haber instalado una profecía autocumplida. Su dispersión ha intensificado su desprestigio. Hasta se afirma que no tiene proyectos, lo cual no es verdad. Tiene proyectos, pero no trascienden ni enamoran. No llaman la atención, no se escuchan, no estimulan la esperanza, no son objeto de debates encendidos. Una propuesta por aquí y otra por allá, un gestión municipal o legislativa con algunos aciertos, leyes que a pocos movilizan no alcanzan para que explote un entusiasmo transformador.
Es evidente que el relato oficial tiene potencia y carece de límites. No le interesa cómo van las cosas en la realidad concreta; todo vale, también las contradicciones, también las mentiras, para imponer un relato hipnotizador. Aunque es absurdo, machaca sobre los rasgos paradisíacos de su "modelo". Estamos mejor que nunca -grita-, basta con ver lo que pasa en otras partes. Además, la culpa de nuestras "pequeñas" dificultades las tiene siempre otro. No es difícil encontrarlo. Y si no se lo encuentra, se lo inventa. El procedimiento es sencillo y tiene larga historia. También tiene historia la posibilidad de alienar el entendimiento de la mayoría con una buena maquinaria propagandística, por eso se anhela poner un cierre relámpago a toda expresión disidente (Goebbels, gran maestro). A los viejos enemigos se los recicla y añaden otros. No olvidemos -aunque los argentinos somos amnésicos- que Néstor Kirchner, a poco de iniciar su gobierno, martilló la táctica de esparcir el miedo con ataques en rápida sucesión a los bancos, la Iglesia, las Fuerzas Armadas, el liberalismo, las corporaciones multinacionales, el campo, la prensa, los débiles opositores, viejos aliados convertidos en "padrinos", empresarios con nombre propio, etcétera. Resultó eficiente para el aumento de su poder unipersonal, porque el vértigo de enemigos no daba tiempo para reponerse de la sorpresa. Y esto fue seguido por el vértigo de los escándalos, ya que el de hoy difumina al de ayer.
El envilecimiento se derrama como una lluvia de pus. Desde arriba se esparce el ejemplo de cómo se puede usar el poder para enriquecimientos ilícitos. Ya estamos acostumbrados a que los delitos sean impunes cuando los comete alguien vinculado al gobierno central o es socio de alguien atado a ese poder. Se tejió y dilató una red que no podrían sostener ni los cíclopes de la mitología. La corrupción no irrita más: su cotidianeidad ubicua la ha convertido en un hecho natural; ni siquiera se dice "roban pero hacen", sino "roban, ¡qué le vamos a hacer!". La sucesión de garrotazos que muelen las espaldas de la Justicia tampoco estremece. El abrazo a los Tribunales en la Capital Federal para darles fuerza a los magistrados dignos -que aún existen- no tuvo ni las repercusiones de un piquete.
Perdió vigencia el mérito, la constancia, la decencia. Son virtudes arcaicas e ineficaces. Ahora lo que importa es la viveza. Sí, ha resucitado la viveza que se había infiltrado en el ADN nacional. Pero no se trata de una viveza que antes se limitaba a travesuras, el humor picante o beneficios de poca monta. No. Se trata de una viveza que destruye la República y compromete el destino del país. La oposición tiene el deber de reinstalar la ética y avanzar hacia la tolerancia cero en materia de delitos. Hace falta poner antibióticos a la infección moral que corroe los pilares de la nación. Los sufragios designan a quienes deben servir, no para que se sirvan.
Señores representantes de la oposición: observen que quienes integran el vasto sector intermedio o indeciso -ni fanático del oficialismo ni fanático de su colapso- están dejando de creer en el "relato" con el que se les quiere taponar el discernimiento. No los mueve el odio. Ocurre que la realidad abre los párpados y obliga a ver. Muchos se dan cuenta de que las reglas de juego han dejado de ser predecibles y esto desanima cualquier proyecto productivo. Un día se promete una cosa y al día siguiente se realiza otra. También perturba que el poder nacional haya quedado reducido a una sola persona. Por genial que sea esa persona, es una persona, no más que eso. ¿O hemos retrocedido al Estado de Luis XIV? ¿O a la URSS de Stalin?
Por más que los argentinos del sector intermedio sean bombardeados con publicidad sobre los beneficios del "modelo", muchos ya admiten consternados que impera una corrupción monstruosa, superior a la de cualquier gobierno del pasado, incluso de las dictaduras. Les irrita que numerosos personajes estén contentos porque integran la legión de funcionarios pagados para gritar, aplaudir y arrodillarse. Comparan nuestro país con otras economías emergentes, incluso las vecinas. Basta con mirar a Brasil, Perú, Uruguay, Costa Rica, incluso Paraguay. Y asusta el desatino de quienes conducen al nuestro.
Vuelvo a insistir en el ejemplo venezolano, sobre el que escribí hace poco. Ese pueblo sufre un autoritarismo más largo que el de los Kirchner. Un autoritarismo con más arbitrariedades y cronificación inflacionaria que el argentino. Es un pueblo que comienza a reconocer cómo se han desperdigado sus recursos y cómo lo han aliado con el narcotráfico y regímenes tenebrosos (Siria, Irán, Corea del Norte). Por eso la oposición venezolana se iluminó y comprendió el error de mantenerse dividida. Tuvo la inteligencia que aún le falta a la nuestra. Asume que debe salvar la República y la democracia por sobre todas las cosas. Los matices ideológicos quedan para más adelante. Cincuenta comisiones estudiaron las diversas áreas de una buena gestión gubernamental. Convocaron a cuatrocientos expertos. No gastaron sus horas en rencillas internas ni en condenar a unos por estar a la izquierda y a otros por estar a la derecha. Tampoco quisieron imponer desde el comienzo a las denominaciones o figuras que emblematizarían el conjunto. Luego de consensuar un programa común, reparador, racional y factible, este sólido arco llamó a elecciones abiertas y eligió a sus representantes. Ahora forman una oposición vigorosa y confiable, no un triste carnaval de pigmeos.
© La Nacion.
Fuente: www.lanacion.com.ar
In this blog, teachers, students and all those who have some kind of interest in the English language will find useful, interesting, curious and funny things to be used in their classes or for their personal enjoyment.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
TED Talks-Michael McDaniel: Cheap, effective shelter for disaster relief
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
TED Talks-Melissa Garren: The sea we´ve hardly seen
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
TED Talks-Nathan Wolfe: What´s left to explore?
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
TED Talks-Hans Rosling: Religions and babies
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
TED Talks-JR: One year of turning the world inside out
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Friday, May 25, 2012
¡¡¡FELIZ 25 DE MAYO!!!
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Para que empecemos a crear esa nación que soñaron nuestros héroes del 25 de Mayo de 1810.CM
Para que empecemos a crear esa nación que soñaron nuestros héroes del 25 de Mayo de 1810.CM
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Brain Scans Take a Look Inside the Growing Brain
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Brain Scans Take a Look Inside the Growing Brain
What brain changes transform children from creatures of impulse into fully functioning adults? In a 2001 study that used fMRI imaging, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh identified the key brain changes that signal mental maturity.
How and where the brain changes
Once a child hits adolescence, the brain, having mastered basic cognitive abilities, no longer grows in size. The adolescent years are a flurry of complex reorganization as the brain decides what’s needed, what’s unnecessary, and how to achieve maximal efficiency.
Adolescent brains undergo synaptic pruning, in which useful neural connections are nourished while lesser connections wither away. Nipping unnecessary synapses in the bud actually leads to deactivation in many regions as the growing brain sheds excess neural activity like baby fat. At the same time, the brain begins to activate regions such as the prefrontal cortex that handle abstract cognitive abilities. Of these abilities, impulse control is key in attaining adult-level mental maturity.
fMRIs reveal where impulse control happens
Researchers used fMRI brain scans to compare brain activation in 254 subjects as they performed an antisaccade task. These subjects were divided into children (ages 8-13), adolescents (14-17), and adults (18-30). Adults performed the best and children the worst, but more interesting is how their differences manifested.
The antisaccade task measures impulse control by tracking subjects’ saccades, or eye movements. As subjects stare at a blank screen, a light flashes briefly. The goal is to look in the opposite direction from the light. This simple premise is a complex task—and, for untrained brains, an effortful one. It requires superior impulse control to both keep task goals in mind and resist the instinct to look.
Children, who made many errors, largely activated the brain's supramarginal gyrus. This may indicate that children relied more on visual cues to compensate for other immature brain processes.
Adolescents, in contrast, activated the prefrontal cortex more than other groups. Activity in this area, which manages working memory and executive control, evinces brains beginning to maintain higher-level plans and goals.
Adult brains showed the widest pattern of brain activity, lighting up over 5 different brain regions. This is strong evidence that the ability to voluntarily start and stop behavior—to plan rather than merely react—is a mature product of the synaptic pruning and organization that happens in adolescence. The adult brain is an efficient engine, quickly processing varied information to form a cohesive strategy.
Luckily, research has found that you can optimize these crucial adult abilities well past adolescence. By shaping new neural patterns, various Lumosity exercises have been shown to improve working memory and executive control. Why not try out Color Match, our own game of impulse control, or the advanced working memory game Memory Lane? Unlock Lumosity today to get all 35+ games!
Source: www.lumosity.com
Brain Scans Take a Look Inside the Growing Brain
What brain changes transform children from creatures of impulse into fully functioning adults? In a 2001 study that used fMRI imaging, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh identified the key brain changes that signal mental maturity.
How and where the brain changes
Once a child hits adolescence, the brain, having mastered basic cognitive abilities, no longer grows in size. The adolescent years are a flurry of complex reorganization as the brain decides what’s needed, what’s unnecessary, and how to achieve maximal efficiency.
Adolescent brains undergo synaptic pruning, in which useful neural connections are nourished while lesser connections wither away. Nipping unnecessary synapses in the bud actually leads to deactivation in many regions as the growing brain sheds excess neural activity like baby fat. At the same time, the brain begins to activate regions such as the prefrontal cortex that handle abstract cognitive abilities. Of these abilities, impulse control is key in attaining adult-level mental maturity.
fMRIs reveal where impulse control happens
Researchers used fMRI brain scans to compare brain activation in 254 subjects as they performed an antisaccade task. These subjects were divided into children (ages 8-13), adolescents (14-17), and adults (18-30). Adults performed the best and children the worst, but more interesting is how their differences manifested.
The antisaccade task measures impulse control by tracking subjects’ saccades, or eye movements. As subjects stare at a blank screen, a light flashes briefly. The goal is to look in the opposite direction from the light. This simple premise is a complex task—and, for untrained brains, an effortful one. It requires superior impulse control to both keep task goals in mind and resist the instinct to look.
Children, who made many errors, largely activated the brain's supramarginal gyrus. This may indicate that children relied more on visual cues to compensate for other immature brain processes.
Adolescents, in contrast, activated the prefrontal cortex more than other groups. Activity in this area, which manages working memory and executive control, evinces brains beginning to maintain higher-level plans and goals.
Adult brains showed the widest pattern of brain activity, lighting up over 5 different brain regions. This is strong evidence that the ability to voluntarily start and stop behavior—to plan rather than merely react—is a mature product of the synaptic pruning and organization that happens in adolescence. The adult brain is an efficient engine, quickly processing varied information to form a cohesive strategy.
Luckily, research has found that you can optimize these crucial adult abilities well past adolescence. By shaping new neural patterns, various Lumosity exercises have been shown to improve working memory and executive control. Why not try out Color Match, our own game of impulse control, or the advanced working memory game Memory Lane? Unlock Lumosity today to get all 35+ games!
Source: www.lumosity.com
Calle 13-Dale la vuelta al mundo-Video clip
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Monday, May 21, 2012
500.000 caras para pedir justicia por las víctimas de Once
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
500.000 caras para pedir justicia por las víctimas de Once
A tres meses de la tragedia, familiares organizan una campaña por Facebook
Un pedido de justicia colectivo por las víctimas de la tragedia de Once.
Foto: www.facebook.com/TRAGEDIAONCE
A horas de cumplirse tres meses de la tragedia de Once, donde 51 personas perdieron la vida y otras 700 resultaron heridas, familiares de las víctimas organizan una campaña con la finalidad de plasmar en fotografías el apoyo de la sociedad y manifestar un pedido de justicia masivo y conjunto.
Se trata de la campaña "500.000 caras por Justicia", que ya se difunde por diferentes redes sociales, como Facebook y Twitter. La idea es que medio millón de personas se saquen una fotografía individual con un cartel que pide justicia por las víctimas y la envíen por mail a carasporjusticia@gmail.com.
Mañana, a las 19 en el memorial de los corazones de la estación de Once, tendrá lugar la presentación oficial de la campaña, según informó Paolo Menghini, papá de Lucas Menghini Rey.
"El sentido es plasmar el apoyo que recibimos desde muchos lugares y hacer visible no sólo la participación popular sino, además, que la necesidad de justicia es de todos, y no sólo de quienes viajaban en el tren ese día o de sus familiares", indica un comunicado enviado a los medios.
"Una vez conseguidas, las fotos formarán parte de una instalación en algún lugar a designar", agrega.
En diálogo con LA NACION, Paolo Menghini agregó que su intención es que "quede claro que la búsqueda de Justicia no es sólo de las familias de las víctimas. No tiene que ver sólo con nosotros. Todos los argentinos necesitamos encontrar a los responsables penales".
"Estamos constantemente en contacto con muchísima gente que nos apoya, del país y del exterior. No siempre la gente puede ir a nuestros actos, pero nos apoyan desde todos lados, por más que no tomen el Sarmiento", explicó Paolo.
Fuente: www.lanacion.com.ar
500.000 caras para pedir justicia por las víctimas de Once
A tres meses de la tragedia, familiares organizan una campaña por Facebook
Un pedido de justicia colectivo por las víctimas de la tragedia de Once.
Foto: www.facebook.com/TRAGEDIAONCE
A horas de cumplirse tres meses de la tragedia de Once, donde 51 personas perdieron la vida y otras 700 resultaron heridas, familiares de las víctimas organizan una campaña con la finalidad de plasmar en fotografías el apoyo de la sociedad y manifestar un pedido de justicia masivo y conjunto.
Se trata de la campaña "500.000 caras por Justicia", que ya se difunde por diferentes redes sociales, como Facebook y Twitter. La idea es que medio millón de personas se saquen una fotografía individual con un cartel que pide justicia por las víctimas y la envíen por mail a carasporjusticia@gmail.com.
Mañana, a las 19 en el memorial de los corazones de la estación de Once, tendrá lugar la presentación oficial de la campaña, según informó Paolo Menghini, papá de Lucas Menghini Rey.
"El sentido es plasmar el apoyo que recibimos desde muchos lugares y hacer visible no sólo la participación popular sino, además, que la necesidad de justicia es de todos, y no sólo de quienes viajaban en el tren ese día o de sus familiares", indica un comunicado enviado a los medios.
"Una vez conseguidas, las fotos formarán parte de una instalación en algún lugar a designar", agrega.
En diálogo con LA NACION, Paolo Menghini agregó que su intención es que "quede claro que la búsqueda de Justicia no es sólo de las familias de las víctimas. No tiene que ver sólo con nosotros. Todos los argentinos necesitamos encontrar a los responsables penales".
"Estamos constantemente en contacto con muchísima gente que nos apoya, del país y del exterior. No siempre la gente puede ir a nuestros actos, pero nos apoyan desde todos lados, por más que no tomen el Sarmiento", explicó Paolo.
Fuente: www.lanacion.com.ar
5th Virtual Round Table Conference
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
5th Virtual Round Table Conference
April 30, 2012 By Tara Benwell
The Virtual Round Table is an annual web conference related to language learning with technologies. The conference is organized by a small group of English language teachers and is free for all attendees and speakers. The event, which takes place in Adobe Connect, attracts a global audience and provides quality professional development and invaluable networking.
Last year the conference was nominated for an ELTon. The ELTons are awards that recognize innovative resources related to English language teaching. Speakers use webcams, slide presentations, screen sharing, and chat to interact with the attendees. At the VRT (#vrtwebcon on twitter) you will find many similarities to a face-to-face conference, including pecha kuchas, symposiums, parallel sessions, and keynotes. When technology fails, as it often does in a traditional conferences and classrooms, speakers (English language teachers) are challenged to carry on. The moderators and organizers did an excellent job of making everyone feel at ease.
Teachers who are considering submitting a speaking proposal for an international conference such as TESOL or IATEFL may want to consider presenting at a web conference first.
Recordings
I attended live sessions throughout the weekend, but missed many due to parallel sessions and time zone conflicts. Thankfully I’ve been able to watch many of the recorded sessions. Viewers should note that the timing is not always perfect in these recordings. The slides may not match with the speaker’s voice, and at times, speakers may seem to speak over each other. While the recordings are not perfect, they are still a great way to find new tools, tips, and resources that you can use in the classroom.
Recommended Presentations
If you only have time for a few, here are some sessions from this year’s conference that I highly recommend.
Joe McVeigh: Improving Your Virtual Presentation Skills (Fantastic tips I’ll be using next time I present online.)
Joe McVeigh
@JoeMcVeigh
Improving your virtual presentation skills
As educators, we are supposed to be the experts on helping others learn. Yet a surprising number of the presentations we deliver or attend (both virtual and F2F) are not as effective as they might be in engaging the attention of the participants. In this interactive presentation, I’ll share insights into how we can share information more effectively. This talk is based on numerous observations of webinars and draws on the work of presentation expert Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen, and the work of brain scientist John Medina. We’ll look at four aspects of presenting: developing participant interaction, keeping the audience engaged, making more effective visuals, and a few technical production tips.
Bio
JOE McVEIGH is a specialist in English language teaching. He has taught at universities in the U.S. including Caltech,the University of Southern California, and Middlebury College. He has lived and worked in countries including the UK, China, India, Chile, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia. He has taught students from more than 50 countries. His co-authored books include the Q: Skills for Success series from OUP and Tips for Teaching Culture from Pearson. He also consults for organizations, trains teachers, speaks at conference, edits ELT books, and maintains a website at www.joemcveigh.org. He lives and works in Middlebury, Vermont, U.S.A.
Symposium: Building your PLN (Learn all about #ELT Chat – an ELTons nominee for 2012)
SYMPOSIUM - Build your Personal Learning Network PLN by using twitter hashtags
By stevenherder on April 21, 2012
Friday, 20 April 2012 - 8pm GMT| 5am Tokyo (Saturday) | 1pm LA
Recording: http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p4orj0ek971/ (1h20min)
SYMPOSIUM
Build your Personal Learning Network PLN by using twitter hashtags
Moderator - Berni Wall
Shelly Terrell - @shellterrell / #edchat founder / 21387 followers
Shelly Sanchez Terrell is a teacher trainer, author, and international speaker. She is the host of American TESOL’s Free Friday Webinars and the Social Media Community Manager for The Consultants-E. She has co-founded and organized the acclaimed educational projects, Edchat, the Elton nominated ELTChat, The Reform Symposium E-Conference and the ELTON nominated Virtual Round Table language and technology conference. Her prolific presence in the educator community through social media has been recognized by several notable entities, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Visit her award winning blog, Teacher Reboot Camp, for resources for effective technology integration. Keep an eye out for her book, The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators published by Eye on Education. Find her on Twitter, @ShellTerrell. She has taught toddlers to adults English in various countries including the US, Germany, and Greece.
Marisa Constantinides - @Marisa_C / #eltchat / 4979 followers
Marisa Constantinides, Dip.RSA, M.A. App Ling, Teacher Educator, Materials Writer, CELT Athens
A teacher, teacher educator and materials writer, Marisa Constantinides is the head of CELT Athens, established in 1993, offering teacher education courses including Cambridge CELTA and DELTA courses face-2-face and online. She has a strong presence in Social Networks, moderates #ELTchat, a weekly discussion on Twitter (recently nominated for an ELTons award in Innovation in Teaching Resources) and maintains a number of blogs (TEFL Matters, Discourse Matters, ELTchat.com, Teaching & Learning Languages). She has published materials for young learners as well as for B2 and C2 level classes.
Tyson Seburn - @seburnt / #eapchat founder / 1351 followers
Tyson has 15 years of ELT experience as instructor, director and publishing manager. He is currently an instructor in a content-driven EAP program at University of Toronto and promoter of teacher and learner development through technology via 4C (http://fourc.ca).
Bruno Andrade - @brunoelt / #breltchat founder / 1090 followers
Bruno is a webhead, who has been in the field of ELT for 10 years. He's from Brazil, based in Rio de Janeiro. He's an active blogger (www.edutechbrazil.blogspot.com) and talks about technology and education related matters. He's the co-founder of #breltchat, a Twitter and Facebook gathering for English Teachers in Brazil that provides free professional development through discussions. He is an international speaker at ELT conferences and has recently been awarded a scholarship for the IATEFL conference in Glasgow, 2012. Currently, he is working at Cultura Inglesa Rio de Janeiro as a teacher and a technology consultant.
Valéria França - @vbenevolofranca / #eltchat / 1089 followers
Valéria Benévolo França, Dip RSA, PhD in Applied Linguistics, Head of Teacher Training & Development at Cultura Inglesa S.A.
Valéria’s been working in the field of ELT for over 20 years, having mostly taught in Brazil. Over the last 6 years she has focused specifically on teacher training and CPD. In 2004 she helped set up the first blended online teacher development course at her language institution, which has continued to be developed in view of the technological changes seen in VLEs and the onset of web 2.0 tools. She has also been actively engaged in incorporating technological change in the language classroom, ensuring teachers feel comfortable, technologically confident and happy about this
She is a firm believer in the power of Social Media for teacher development and is one of the co-founders of #BRELTchat.
Fiona Mauchline - @fionamau / #elt, #eltchat / 777 followers
Not available at time of publishing
Jennifer Verschoor: Jazz up your language classes with technology (Discover some great sites!)
Jazz up your language classes with technology
by Jennifer Verschoor
By Heike Philp on April 23, 2012
Recording: (29min): http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p8sku5yzpo4/
Jennifer Verschoor
@jenverschoor
Jazz up your language classes with technology
Join this webinar to learn how to create content-based lessons using technology to enhance students' language proficiency and cultural knowledge.You will walk away with a tool kit full of web tools, resources and more to transform the way you teach and the way your students learn language in the 21st century.
Bio
Jennifer Verschoor holds degrees as English University Professor, Bachelor in Educational Management and English Public Translator. Currently, she is studying for a Master´s degree in Virtual Environments. She is a proud Webhead and has been an on-line moderator for various TESOL sessions since 2007. She is a teacher trainer, President of ARCALL and course facilitator at ESSARP with specialization in She´s been the lucky winner of the BESIG scholarship to attend IATEFL in Glasgow in 2012.
EC’s Session: The Learning English Video Project (LEVP)
At this year’s conference, I introduced teachers to the “Learning English Video Project”. This is a unique 7-part series of documentary films about learning English in different countries around the world. The series is free to watch or download with or without subtitles, and comes with teaching and self-study materials. If you are unfamiliar with this project, you can watch the recording here. I have recently followed up with a Video Project Challenge. Please join in the fun!
Related LEVP Resources
Video Project
Interview with the Director
Making of the Project
Director’s Blog
LVEP on YouTube
Source: www.englishclub.com
5th Virtual Round Table Conference
April 30, 2012 By Tara Benwell
The Virtual Round Table is an annual web conference related to language learning with technologies. The conference is organized by a small group of English language teachers and is free for all attendees and speakers. The event, which takes place in Adobe Connect, attracts a global audience and provides quality professional development and invaluable networking.
Last year the conference was nominated for an ELTon. The ELTons are awards that recognize innovative resources related to English language teaching. Speakers use webcams, slide presentations, screen sharing, and chat to interact with the attendees. At the VRT (#vrtwebcon on twitter) you will find many similarities to a face-to-face conference, including pecha kuchas, symposiums, parallel sessions, and keynotes. When technology fails, as it often does in a traditional conferences and classrooms, speakers (English language teachers) are challenged to carry on. The moderators and organizers did an excellent job of making everyone feel at ease.
Teachers who are considering submitting a speaking proposal for an international conference such as TESOL or IATEFL may want to consider presenting at a web conference first.
Recordings
I attended live sessions throughout the weekend, but missed many due to parallel sessions and time zone conflicts. Thankfully I’ve been able to watch many of the recorded sessions. Viewers should note that the timing is not always perfect in these recordings. The slides may not match with the speaker’s voice, and at times, speakers may seem to speak over each other. While the recordings are not perfect, they are still a great way to find new tools, tips, and resources that you can use in the classroom.
Recommended Presentations
If you only have time for a few, here are some sessions from this year’s conference that I highly recommend.
Joe McVeigh: Improving Your Virtual Presentation Skills (Fantastic tips I’ll be using next time I present online.)
Joe McVeigh
@JoeMcVeigh
Improving your virtual presentation skills
As educators, we are supposed to be the experts on helping others learn. Yet a surprising number of the presentations we deliver or attend (both virtual and F2F) are not as effective as they might be in engaging the attention of the participants. In this interactive presentation, I’ll share insights into how we can share information more effectively. This talk is based on numerous observations of webinars and draws on the work of presentation expert Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen, and the work of brain scientist John Medina. We’ll look at four aspects of presenting: developing participant interaction, keeping the audience engaged, making more effective visuals, and a few technical production tips.
Bio
JOE McVEIGH is a specialist in English language teaching. He has taught at universities in the U.S. including Caltech,the University of Southern California, and Middlebury College. He has lived and worked in countries including the UK, China, India, Chile, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia. He has taught students from more than 50 countries. His co-authored books include the Q: Skills for Success series from OUP and Tips for Teaching Culture from Pearson. He also consults for organizations, trains teachers, speaks at conference, edits ELT books, and maintains a website at www.joemcveigh.org. He lives and works in Middlebury, Vermont, U.S.A.
Symposium: Building your PLN (Learn all about #ELT Chat – an ELTons nominee for 2012)
SYMPOSIUM - Build your Personal Learning Network PLN by using twitter hashtags
By stevenherder on April 21, 2012
Friday, 20 April 2012 - 8pm GMT| 5am Tokyo (Saturday) | 1pm LA
Recording: http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p4orj0ek971/ (1h20min)
SYMPOSIUM
Build your Personal Learning Network PLN by using twitter hashtags
Moderator - Berni Wall
Shelly Terrell - @shellterrell / #edchat founder / 21387 followers
Shelly Sanchez Terrell is a teacher trainer, author, and international speaker. She is the host of American TESOL’s Free Friday Webinars and the Social Media Community Manager for The Consultants-E. She has co-founded and organized the acclaimed educational projects, Edchat, the Elton nominated ELTChat, The Reform Symposium E-Conference and the ELTON nominated Virtual Round Table language and technology conference. Her prolific presence in the educator community through social media has been recognized by several notable entities, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Visit her award winning blog, Teacher Reboot Camp, for resources for effective technology integration. Keep an eye out for her book, The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators published by Eye on Education. Find her on Twitter, @ShellTerrell. She has taught toddlers to adults English in various countries including the US, Germany, and Greece.
Marisa Constantinides - @Marisa_C / #eltchat / 4979 followers
Marisa Constantinides, Dip.RSA, M.A. App Ling, Teacher Educator, Materials Writer, CELT Athens
A teacher, teacher educator and materials writer, Marisa Constantinides is the head of CELT Athens, established in 1993, offering teacher education courses including Cambridge CELTA and DELTA courses face-2-face and online. She has a strong presence in Social Networks, moderates #ELTchat, a weekly discussion on Twitter (recently nominated for an ELTons award in Innovation in Teaching Resources) and maintains a number of blogs (TEFL Matters, Discourse Matters, ELTchat.com, Teaching & Learning Languages). She has published materials for young learners as well as for B2 and C2 level classes.
Tyson Seburn - @seburnt / #eapchat founder / 1351 followers
Tyson has 15 years of ELT experience as instructor, director and publishing manager. He is currently an instructor in a content-driven EAP program at University of Toronto and promoter of teacher and learner development through technology via 4C (http://fourc.ca).
Bruno Andrade - @brunoelt / #breltchat founder / 1090 followers
Bruno is a webhead, who has been in the field of ELT for 10 years. He's from Brazil, based in Rio de Janeiro. He's an active blogger (www.edutechbrazil.blogspot.com) and talks about technology and education related matters. He's the co-founder of #breltchat, a Twitter and Facebook gathering for English Teachers in Brazil that provides free professional development through discussions. He is an international speaker at ELT conferences and has recently been awarded a scholarship for the IATEFL conference in Glasgow, 2012. Currently, he is working at Cultura Inglesa Rio de Janeiro as a teacher and a technology consultant.
Valéria França - @vbenevolofranca / #eltchat / 1089 followers
Valéria Benévolo França, Dip RSA, PhD in Applied Linguistics, Head of Teacher Training & Development at Cultura Inglesa S.A.
Valéria’s been working in the field of ELT for over 20 years, having mostly taught in Brazil. Over the last 6 years she has focused specifically on teacher training and CPD. In 2004 she helped set up the first blended online teacher development course at her language institution, which has continued to be developed in view of the technological changes seen in VLEs and the onset of web 2.0 tools. She has also been actively engaged in incorporating technological change in the language classroom, ensuring teachers feel comfortable, technologically confident and happy about this
She is a firm believer in the power of Social Media for teacher development and is one of the co-founders of #BRELTchat.
Fiona Mauchline - @fionamau / #elt, #eltchat / 777 followers
Not available at time of publishing
Jennifer Verschoor: Jazz up your language classes with technology (Discover some great sites!)
Jazz up your language classes with technology
by Jennifer Verschoor
By Heike Philp on April 23, 2012
Recording: (29min): http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p8sku5yzpo4/
Jennifer Verschoor
@jenverschoor
Jazz up your language classes with technology
Join this webinar to learn how to create content-based lessons using technology to enhance students' language proficiency and cultural knowledge.You will walk away with a tool kit full of web tools, resources and more to transform the way you teach and the way your students learn language in the 21st century.
Bio
Jennifer Verschoor holds degrees as English University Professor, Bachelor in Educational Management and English Public Translator. Currently, she is studying for a Master´s degree in Virtual Environments. She is a proud Webhead and has been an on-line moderator for various TESOL sessions since 2007. She is a teacher trainer, President of ARCALL and course facilitator at ESSARP with specialization in She´s been the lucky winner of the BESIG scholarship to attend IATEFL in Glasgow in 2012.
EC’s Session: The Learning English Video Project (LEVP)
At this year’s conference, I introduced teachers to the “Learning English Video Project”. This is a unique 7-part series of documentary films about learning English in different countries around the world. The series is free to watch or download with or without subtitles, and comes with teaching and self-study materials. If you are unfamiliar with this project, you can watch the recording here. I have recently followed up with a Video Project Challenge. Please join in the fun!
Related LEVP Resources
Video Project
Interview with the Director
Making of the Project
Director’s Blog
LVEP on YouTube
Source: www.englishclub.com
La nueva vida de la joven afgana mutilada
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Cómo es la nueva vida de la joven afgana mutilada que conmocionó al mundo
Tras ser tapa de la revista Time, vive en EE.UU., donde obtuvo asilo político; en 2010 le cortaron la nariz y las orejas por intentar huir de la casa donde la maltrataban
Bibi Aisha no sabía leer ni escribir. Pero en 2010 conmocionó al mundo entero cuando su imagen ocupó la tapa de la revista Time, con su rostro mutilado por el régimen talibán. Hoy, a casi dos años, esta joven afgana lucha en Estados Unidos para rehacer su vida, intentado dejar atrás los fantasmas del pasado.
Tras obtener asilo político en Estados Unidos, en diciembre último se instaló en la ciudad de Frederick, en el estado de Maryland, en la casa de Mati Arsla y Jami Rasouli-Arsala, parientes de uno de los directivos de la ONG que la rescató en Afganistán y logró que se instalara en el país norteamericano.
Sin embargo, antes de radicarse allí, permaneció durante meses en el centro de rehabilitación encabezado por Esther Hyneman, adoptada como "abuela" por la propia Aisha. La señora, a cargo de la custodia, relató que la joven "cuando llegó era una ruina emocional". Y destacó que al abandonar el lugar "era un ser humano diferente".
La tapa de Time que desató el debate mundial. Foto: Archivo Cuando Aisha tenía 12 años, su padre la prometió en matrimonio a un combatiente talibán para pagar una deuda. Y así fue que la joven fue entregada a su familia, que abusó de ella y la obligó a dormir en el establo con los animales.
El retrato que despertó la atención de todo el mundo muestra a Aisha sin nariz. También le fueron mutiladas las orejas. Los talibanes se las cortaron por decreto después de que la joven intentara escapar de la casa.
Con esa nota, publicada a fines de julio de 2010, la revista reavivó el debate sobre el fundamentalismo y en qué escenario podrían quedar los derechos de las mujeres afganas ante un potencial acuerdo entre Estados Unidos y los talibanes en una búsqueda rápida de paz en Afganistán.
Durante los trascendentales años desde que llegó a Estados Unidos, Aisha contó con una prótesis de nariz que le fue proporcionada por un centro sin fines de lucro en California. Sin embargo, el doctor Peter Grossman, que preside aquella organización, dijo que espera una "solución permanente", que sería la reconstrucción definitiva de la nariz y las orejas con huesos, tejidos y cartílagos de otras partes de su cuerpo.
Por su parte, la esposa del médico, que también trabaja en el equipo, precisó que "Aisha recuerda la esclavitud cada vez que se mira al espejo", aunque aseguró que "todavía hay veces que puede sonreir".
A los pocos meses de vivir en Estados Unidos, el rostro de Aisha volvió a lucir normalmente gracias a una prótesis nasal que le permitió recuperar la sonrisa en su rostro después de tanto sufrimiento. Y en la actualidad, se prepara para enfrentar un prolongado tratamiento que incluirá la cirugía para reconstruir definitivamente la nariz que le fue cortada en Afganistán.
Para ello, un equipo de médicos y psicólogos especializados la atienden a diario en Estados Unidos, no sólo por la cuestión de salud y la futura operación, sino para tratar el estrés post-traumático causado por la situación que debió atravesar en su país de origen.
Fuente: www.lanacion.com.ar
Cómo es la nueva vida de la joven afgana mutilada que conmocionó al mundo
Tras ser tapa de la revista Time, vive en EE.UU., donde obtuvo asilo político; en 2010 le cortaron la nariz y las orejas por intentar huir de la casa donde la maltrataban
Bibi Aisha no sabía leer ni escribir. Pero en 2010 conmocionó al mundo entero cuando su imagen ocupó la tapa de la revista Time, con su rostro mutilado por el régimen talibán. Hoy, a casi dos años, esta joven afgana lucha en Estados Unidos para rehacer su vida, intentado dejar atrás los fantasmas del pasado.
Tras obtener asilo político en Estados Unidos, en diciembre último se instaló en la ciudad de Frederick, en el estado de Maryland, en la casa de Mati Arsla y Jami Rasouli-Arsala, parientes de uno de los directivos de la ONG que la rescató en Afganistán y logró que se instalara en el país norteamericano.
Sin embargo, antes de radicarse allí, permaneció durante meses en el centro de rehabilitación encabezado por Esther Hyneman, adoptada como "abuela" por la propia Aisha. La señora, a cargo de la custodia, relató que la joven "cuando llegó era una ruina emocional". Y destacó que al abandonar el lugar "era un ser humano diferente".
La tapa de Time que desató el debate mundial. Foto: Archivo Cuando Aisha tenía 12 años, su padre la prometió en matrimonio a un combatiente talibán para pagar una deuda. Y así fue que la joven fue entregada a su familia, que abusó de ella y la obligó a dormir en el establo con los animales.
El retrato que despertó la atención de todo el mundo muestra a Aisha sin nariz. También le fueron mutiladas las orejas. Los talibanes se las cortaron por decreto después de que la joven intentara escapar de la casa.
Con esa nota, publicada a fines de julio de 2010, la revista reavivó el debate sobre el fundamentalismo y en qué escenario podrían quedar los derechos de las mujeres afganas ante un potencial acuerdo entre Estados Unidos y los talibanes en una búsqueda rápida de paz en Afganistán.
Durante los trascendentales años desde que llegó a Estados Unidos, Aisha contó con una prótesis de nariz que le fue proporcionada por un centro sin fines de lucro en California. Sin embargo, el doctor Peter Grossman, que preside aquella organización, dijo que espera una "solución permanente", que sería la reconstrucción definitiva de la nariz y las orejas con huesos, tejidos y cartílagos de otras partes de su cuerpo.
Por su parte, la esposa del médico, que también trabaja en el equipo, precisó que "Aisha recuerda la esclavitud cada vez que se mira al espejo", aunque aseguró que "todavía hay veces que puede sonreir".
A los pocos meses de vivir en Estados Unidos, el rostro de Aisha volvió a lucir normalmente gracias a una prótesis nasal que le permitió recuperar la sonrisa en su rostro después de tanto sufrimiento. Y en la actualidad, se prepara para enfrentar un prolongado tratamiento que incluirá la cirugía para reconstruir definitivamente la nariz que le fue cortada en Afganistán.
Para ello, un equipo de médicos y psicólogos especializados la atienden a diario en Estados Unidos, no sólo por la cuestión de salud y la futura operación, sino para tratar el estrés post-traumático causado por la situación que debió atravesar en su país de origen.
Fuente: www.lanacion.com.ar
Sunday, May 20, 2012
MKTG-Measuring marketing’s worth
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Measuring marketing’s worth
You can’t spend wisely unless you understand marketing’s full impact. Here are five questions executives should ask to help maximize the bang for their bucks.
MAY 2012 • David Court, Jonathan Gordon, and Jesko Perrey
It’s 8 AM, and the chief marketing officer is wading through his inbox. A board member has e-mailed him about an opportunity to invest in an emerging digital platform. It looks cool, but it’s speculative and not cheap. Minutes later, the chief financial officer appears in the doorway: “The boss wants to sign a big sponsorship deal. Can we drop out of TV for a couple of months to pay for it?” The CMO has barely started to explain what happened the last time the company went dark on TV—an aggressive rival grabbed market share—when his assistant interrupts. The CEO is calling. “What’s going on with our brand image?” she asks. “The latest monitor report looks bad.” The CMO promises a full debriefing later in the day, but he’s not looking forward to the conversation. Brand scores are down, and the reasons are tough to manage: factors such as bad experiences with intermediary retailers and mediocre word of mouth.
The number and strength of such competing pressures has been growing. Seven years ago, when digital advertising was still in its infancy and long before social media had become a marketing force, we described in a McKinsey Quarterly article how many traditional mass-marketing advertising models were under attack and suggested some approaches to make marketing investments count in an increasingly complex environment.1 Since then, we have been fortunate enough to see more than 200 organizations tackle the difficult issue of how to improve marketing’s return on investment (ROI). Over that period, as new kinds of media have grown in importance and mobile communications have created new opportunities to reach consumers, the ROI challenge has become more intense.
In the face of growing complexity, relentless financial pressure, and a still-challenging economic environment, marketers are striving to exploit new-media vehicles and to measure their impact through new analytic approaches and tools. Most are making progress. Yet we are consistently struck by the power of asking five seemingly basic questions. These questions, detailed in this article, cut to the heart of the quest to drive returns on marketing spending. Coming to grips with them, and gaining alignment across the C-suite, is critical for making real progress rather than becoming bogged down by excessive firefighting and ultimately futile debates about the precision and certainty of measurement.
1. What exactly influences our consumers today?
The digital revolution and the explosion of social media have profoundly changed what influences consumers as they undertake their purchasing decision journey.2 When considering products, they read online reviews and compare prices. Once in stores, they search for deals with mobile devices and drive hard bargains. And after the purchase, they become reviewers themselves and demand ongoing relationships with products and brands. Although companies have access to terabytes of data about these behavioral changes, many still can’t answer the fundamental question: how exactly are our customers influenced?
One global consumer products company, for example, had for years relied heavily on traditional marketing, such as television and print ads. Concerned about the growth of new media, the company decided to research just what was influencing the choices of consumers—and found that only 30 percent of them cited traditional advertising. In fact, in-store interactions with consumers were more important in communicating the company’s message and driving potential buyers to consider its products. Yet salespeople, once critical to actually closing deals, had declined in importance because consumers regarded Internet reviews as more objective. In addition, these trends were not universal. While the influence of advertising had declined for existing products, the impact of TV remained strong for some new products, especially in emerging markets. Armed with insights such as these, the company was able to construct a marketing allocation model that factored in both the consumer importance and cost-effectiveness of different points of interaction. This enabled much sharper decisions about its marketing mix, both by geography and in relation to specific product situations.
Time and time again, we find that companies are aware of the growing importance of touch points such as earned media but don’t understand the true magnitude of their effects or how to influence them. The solution is usually to commission research that gets at the heart of understanding the consumer’s decision journey. Such foundational work must shine a light on the touch points and messages that actually influence consumer behavior. Marketers must be ready to use the findings to debunk accepted wisdom and legacy rules of thumb. In today’s fragmented media world, only by knowing how the way consumers interact with your company has evolved can you begin to make more cost-effective marketing investments that truly influence purchase decisions.3
2. How well informed (really) is our marketing judgment?
Marketing has always combined facts and judgment: after all, there’s no analytic approach that can single-handedly tell you when you have a great piece of creative work. A decade ago, when traditional advertising was all that mattered, most senior marketers justifiably had great confidence in their judgment on spending and messaging. Today, many privately confess to being less certain. That’s hardly surprising: marketers have been perfecting the TV playbook for decades, while some of the newest marketing platforms have been around for months or even weeks. But it can be tough to admit publicly that your judgment is incomplete or out-of-date. And given the money required, it’s hard both to make a rational investment case for additional marketing spending and—in the same breath—to admit that you are really making a passionate guess.
Marketers often hear that the answer to improving their judgment in this rapidly changing environment is data, and some companies have sophisticated analytical tools. Yet it’s difficult to integrate all of this information in a way that not only provides answers that you trust but can also inform smart marketing changes. We counsel a return to what creates great marketing judgment: start by formulating hypotheses about the impact of changes to your marketing mix and then seek analytical evidence.
One insurance company, for example, spent a year working on a complex demand model to try to understand the impact of its growing marketing spending in light of declining sales. Yet output from the model “felt wrong,” and the analytics were too complicated for business leaders to understand. It was only when the company articulated specific questions it was trying to answer, and designed targeted modeling exercises to prove or disprove them, that it was able to eliminate a lot of “noise” in the data and uncover a clear relationship between marketing spending and business results. That’s when the internal dialogue shifted from “should we be spending on marketing at all?” to “what’s the optimum marketing spending needed to hit our targets?”
We are excited by the possibilities that “big data” and advanced analytics create—no question. But data remain only as useful as the expertise you bring to bear, and good judgment will remain a hallmark of the best marketers.
3. How are we managing financial risk in our marketing plans?
Successful communication requires hitting the right audience with the right message at the right time: a small, moving target. With traditional media, marketers have mitigated the risk of failure through years of trial and error about what makes great advertising. That’s not the case with today’s new media. Influence can shift rapidly, and there is little accumulated experience about which messages work, when marketers should apply them, how they can be scaled, or even whom they influence. Looking to external agencies is little help; they’re in the same boat. At a basic level, the degree of ROI risk—getting the sales results you want from a given amount of marketing spending—has increased.
Yet while spending on new media is a risky bet, it’s a bet companies feel compelled to make. So the question becomes how much risk is too much—or, for that matter, too little. We’ve seen efforts that result in short-term sales dips: a retailer moving too quickly away from circulars and a consumer-goods player reducing TV spending too fast. We’ve also seen companies feel the heat from investors for rapidly ramping up spending on digital channels without cutting it elsewhere.
The global consumer products company we mentioned earlier offers an alternative approach. While its customer research suggested that significant changes were required in the way it allocated marketing spending, executives didn’t want to choose an excessively risky path. They therefore set risk parameters that enabled some changes in the marketing mix but limited the total shift in any given year. There was a maximum percentage for spending on unproven vehicles, for example, as well as limits on annual spending reductions in some channels or increases in others. This simple allocation model ensured a gradual move to emerging media, mitigating risk while providing breathing room for piloting, testing, and learning.
That approach also can help with scenario planning: one media provider developed a straightforward decision support tool for precisely that purpose. Geared to brand managers, not postdoctoral researchers, the tool used simple response curves that allowed the marketer to simulate different scenarios of marketing spending. The tool was embedded in an easily used PowerPoint slide and proved invaluable for settling on marketing approaches that hit the sweet spot for a number of variables, from cost to effectiveness to risk.
Such decision tools do more than provide marketers with valuable information. They stimulate dialogue about real trade-offs and help to manage expectations across business units and functions whose cooperation is often critical when companies change the broader commercial mix. Managing risk is critical, and marketers shouldn’t be shy about putting this issue squarely on the table. With thoughtful scenario planning and cross-functional participation, such discussions can be extremely rich and rewarding.
4. How are we coping with added complexity in the marketing organization?
As the external marketing environment becomes more complex, so must the internal environment. Marketers historically had only a handful of communication vehicles; now they have dozens of them, and the number is growing rapidly. This proliferation has led to the emergence of both external and internal specialists, with accumulated experience not only in media channels (such as social media) but even in individual vehicles (such as Facebook). The exponential growth in marketing complexity seems unending and needs to be managed.
We’ve found three things that are always true in managing complexity within the marketing organization. First, you’ll require a number of specialists. You just will. You can’t get the skills and knowledge you need in just one person, and you’re not likely to get everything you need internally. Second, you’ll need somebody who both integrates marketing efforts across channels and communications vehicles and focuses on the bottom line. In packaged-goods companies, this was—and may still be—the role of brand managers, but the basic requirement is that it must be done by someone. Finally, you’ll need absolute clarity in processes, roles, and responsibilities not only within the marketing organization but also throughout your company (across functions and business units) and externally (with agencies and external vendors). The trust-based relationship between companies and agencies isn’t at risk, but everyone will have to accept that roles are changing. (For more on organizational moves companies should make in a world of more pervasive marketing, see “Five ‘no regrets’ moves for superior customer engagement,” forthcoming on mckinseyquarterly.com.)
Addressing complexity in a comprehensive way requires a dedicated effort. Senior executives at one North American consumer-packaged-goods company, for example, tried to sketch out their own “future of marketing” with an eye to how they would need to work differently over the coming five years, given the company’s growth priorities. No one pretended to have a crystal ball, but examining the implications of several generally accepted trends in consumer behavior and media consumption habits made some bold forecasting possible. The company then debated the future of brand managers and specialist centers of excellence and what that future implied for resources required centrally and in business units. Finally, it asked what should be stopped or dramatically deprioritized. By undertaking this exercise, the consumer-packaged-goods company saw how it could keep its marketing headcount and budget relatively flat, while massively shifting senior leadership’s role, the culture of marketing, and the capabilities of specialist and generalist resources.
5. What metrics should we track given our (imperfect) options?
In an ideal world, the financial returns and the ability of all forms of communication to influence consumers would be precisely calculated, and deciding the marketing mix would be simple. In reality, there are multiple, and usually imperfect, ways to measure most established forms of marketing. Nothing approaches a definitive metric for social media and other emerging communication channels, and no single metric can evaluate the effectiveness of all spending. Yet you must have a way to track progress and hold marketers accountable. That’s nonnegotiable. How do you do it?
Even in the absence of a single way of measuring ROI for different channels, marketers should move toward an apples-to-apples way of comparing returns across a range of media. One international logistics company, for example, faced this necessity after committing more than $200 million to rebrand itself following a series of acquisitions. Senior executives wanted proof that the effort was working—and in a form they could readily understand, not marketing jargon.
So the company adopted a simple three-step approach: measuring the impact of advertising on consumer recall, on the public’s perceptions of the business, and on sales leads and revenue. With these data in hand—and proof that the rebranding effort was ultimately improving performance—members of the C-suite had the assurance they needed to reaffirm the investment and to commit themselves to more complex measurements, such as marketing-mix modeling. Because the metrics were developed internally, members of the company’s board were similarly reassured.
Likewise, one consumer-packaged-goods company uses econometric analysis and frequent brand tracking to assemble a scorecard of returns in the short term (average and marginal marketing ROIs within 12 months) and the longer term (progress on brand equity and brand loyalty for periods of more than 12 months). The company is tantalizingly close to its ultimate goal of truly being able to make decisions about short- versus long-term trade-offs and to deliver complete answers to “show me the money” requests.
Metrics are rarely perfect. Yet the volume of data available today should make it possible to find metrics and analytic opportunities that take advantage of your unique insights, are understood and trusted by your top team, provide proof of progress, and lay a foundation for more sophisticated approaches to tracking marketing ROI in the future.
The marketing environment continues to change rapidly and often feels like a moving target that’s impossible to hit. It’s genuinely difficult to overemphasize the magnitude of the change or the challenge. Yet time and time again, we find that marketers who have good answers to the five basic questions are better equipped to do battle for the effectiveness of marketing and to win the war for growth.
About the Authors
David Court is a director in McKinsey’s Dallas office, Jonathan Gordon is a principal in the New York office, and Jesko Perrey is a director in the Düsseldorf office.
Notes
1 See David Court, Jonathan Gordon, and Jesko Perrey, “Boosting returns on marketing investment,” mckinseyquarterly.com, May 2005.
2 See David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder, and Ole Jørgen Vetvik, “The consumer decision journey,” mckinseyquarterly.com, June 2009.
3 See Roxane Divol, David Edelman, and Hugo Sarrazin, “Demystifying social media,” mckinseyquarterly.com, April 2012.
Source: www.mckinseyquarterly.com
Measuring marketing’s worth
You can’t spend wisely unless you understand marketing’s full impact. Here are five questions executives should ask to help maximize the bang for their bucks.
MAY 2012 • David Court, Jonathan Gordon, and Jesko Perrey
It’s 8 AM, and the chief marketing officer is wading through his inbox. A board member has e-mailed him about an opportunity to invest in an emerging digital platform. It looks cool, but it’s speculative and not cheap. Minutes later, the chief financial officer appears in the doorway: “The boss wants to sign a big sponsorship deal. Can we drop out of TV for a couple of months to pay for it?” The CMO has barely started to explain what happened the last time the company went dark on TV—an aggressive rival grabbed market share—when his assistant interrupts. The CEO is calling. “What’s going on with our brand image?” she asks. “The latest monitor report looks bad.” The CMO promises a full debriefing later in the day, but he’s not looking forward to the conversation. Brand scores are down, and the reasons are tough to manage: factors such as bad experiences with intermediary retailers and mediocre word of mouth.
The number and strength of such competing pressures has been growing. Seven years ago, when digital advertising was still in its infancy and long before social media had become a marketing force, we described in a McKinsey Quarterly article how many traditional mass-marketing advertising models were under attack and suggested some approaches to make marketing investments count in an increasingly complex environment.1 Since then, we have been fortunate enough to see more than 200 organizations tackle the difficult issue of how to improve marketing’s return on investment (ROI). Over that period, as new kinds of media have grown in importance and mobile communications have created new opportunities to reach consumers, the ROI challenge has become more intense.
In the face of growing complexity, relentless financial pressure, and a still-challenging economic environment, marketers are striving to exploit new-media vehicles and to measure their impact through new analytic approaches and tools. Most are making progress. Yet we are consistently struck by the power of asking five seemingly basic questions. These questions, detailed in this article, cut to the heart of the quest to drive returns on marketing spending. Coming to grips with them, and gaining alignment across the C-suite, is critical for making real progress rather than becoming bogged down by excessive firefighting and ultimately futile debates about the precision and certainty of measurement.
1. What exactly influences our consumers today?
The digital revolution and the explosion of social media have profoundly changed what influences consumers as they undertake their purchasing decision journey.2 When considering products, they read online reviews and compare prices. Once in stores, they search for deals with mobile devices and drive hard bargains. And after the purchase, they become reviewers themselves and demand ongoing relationships with products and brands. Although companies have access to terabytes of data about these behavioral changes, many still can’t answer the fundamental question: how exactly are our customers influenced?
One global consumer products company, for example, had for years relied heavily on traditional marketing, such as television and print ads. Concerned about the growth of new media, the company decided to research just what was influencing the choices of consumers—and found that only 30 percent of them cited traditional advertising. In fact, in-store interactions with consumers were more important in communicating the company’s message and driving potential buyers to consider its products. Yet salespeople, once critical to actually closing deals, had declined in importance because consumers regarded Internet reviews as more objective. In addition, these trends were not universal. While the influence of advertising had declined for existing products, the impact of TV remained strong for some new products, especially in emerging markets. Armed with insights such as these, the company was able to construct a marketing allocation model that factored in both the consumer importance and cost-effectiveness of different points of interaction. This enabled much sharper decisions about its marketing mix, both by geography and in relation to specific product situations.
Time and time again, we find that companies are aware of the growing importance of touch points such as earned media but don’t understand the true magnitude of their effects or how to influence them. The solution is usually to commission research that gets at the heart of understanding the consumer’s decision journey. Such foundational work must shine a light on the touch points and messages that actually influence consumer behavior. Marketers must be ready to use the findings to debunk accepted wisdom and legacy rules of thumb. In today’s fragmented media world, only by knowing how the way consumers interact with your company has evolved can you begin to make more cost-effective marketing investments that truly influence purchase decisions.3
2. How well informed (really) is our marketing judgment?
Marketing has always combined facts and judgment: after all, there’s no analytic approach that can single-handedly tell you when you have a great piece of creative work. A decade ago, when traditional advertising was all that mattered, most senior marketers justifiably had great confidence in their judgment on spending and messaging. Today, many privately confess to being less certain. That’s hardly surprising: marketers have been perfecting the TV playbook for decades, while some of the newest marketing platforms have been around for months or even weeks. But it can be tough to admit publicly that your judgment is incomplete or out-of-date. And given the money required, it’s hard both to make a rational investment case for additional marketing spending and—in the same breath—to admit that you are really making a passionate guess.
Marketers often hear that the answer to improving their judgment in this rapidly changing environment is data, and some companies have sophisticated analytical tools. Yet it’s difficult to integrate all of this information in a way that not only provides answers that you trust but can also inform smart marketing changes. We counsel a return to what creates great marketing judgment: start by formulating hypotheses about the impact of changes to your marketing mix and then seek analytical evidence.
One insurance company, for example, spent a year working on a complex demand model to try to understand the impact of its growing marketing spending in light of declining sales. Yet output from the model “felt wrong,” and the analytics were too complicated for business leaders to understand. It was only when the company articulated specific questions it was trying to answer, and designed targeted modeling exercises to prove or disprove them, that it was able to eliminate a lot of “noise” in the data and uncover a clear relationship between marketing spending and business results. That’s when the internal dialogue shifted from “should we be spending on marketing at all?” to “what’s the optimum marketing spending needed to hit our targets?”
We are excited by the possibilities that “big data” and advanced analytics create—no question. But data remain only as useful as the expertise you bring to bear, and good judgment will remain a hallmark of the best marketers.
3. How are we managing financial risk in our marketing plans?
Successful communication requires hitting the right audience with the right message at the right time: a small, moving target. With traditional media, marketers have mitigated the risk of failure through years of trial and error about what makes great advertising. That’s not the case with today’s new media. Influence can shift rapidly, and there is little accumulated experience about which messages work, when marketers should apply them, how they can be scaled, or even whom they influence. Looking to external agencies is little help; they’re in the same boat. At a basic level, the degree of ROI risk—getting the sales results you want from a given amount of marketing spending—has increased.
Yet while spending on new media is a risky bet, it’s a bet companies feel compelled to make. So the question becomes how much risk is too much—or, for that matter, too little. We’ve seen efforts that result in short-term sales dips: a retailer moving too quickly away from circulars and a consumer-goods player reducing TV spending too fast. We’ve also seen companies feel the heat from investors for rapidly ramping up spending on digital channels without cutting it elsewhere.
The global consumer products company we mentioned earlier offers an alternative approach. While its customer research suggested that significant changes were required in the way it allocated marketing spending, executives didn’t want to choose an excessively risky path. They therefore set risk parameters that enabled some changes in the marketing mix but limited the total shift in any given year. There was a maximum percentage for spending on unproven vehicles, for example, as well as limits on annual spending reductions in some channels or increases in others. This simple allocation model ensured a gradual move to emerging media, mitigating risk while providing breathing room for piloting, testing, and learning.
That approach also can help with scenario planning: one media provider developed a straightforward decision support tool for precisely that purpose. Geared to brand managers, not postdoctoral researchers, the tool used simple response curves that allowed the marketer to simulate different scenarios of marketing spending. The tool was embedded in an easily used PowerPoint slide and proved invaluable for settling on marketing approaches that hit the sweet spot for a number of variables, from cost to effectiveness to risk.
Such decision tools do more than provide marketers with valuable information. They stimulate dialogue about real trade-offs and help to manage expectations across business units and functions whose cooperation is often critical when companies change the broader commercial mix. Managing risk is critical, and marketers shouldn’t be shy about putting this issue squarely on the table. With thoughtful scenario planning and cross-functional participation, such discussions can be extremely rich and rewarding.
4. How are we coping with added complexity in the marketing organization?
As the external marketing environment becomes more complex, so must the internal environment. Marketers historically had only a handful of communication vehicles; now they have dozens of them, and the number is growing rapidly. This proliferation has led to the emergence of both external and internal specialists, with accumulated experience not only in media channels (such as social media) but even in individual vehicles (such as Facebook). The exponential growth in marketing complexity seems unending and needs to be managed.
We’ve found three things that are always true in managing complexity within the marketing organization. First, you’ll require a number of specialists. You just will. You can’t get the skills and knowledge you need in just one person, and you’re not likely to get everything you need internally. Second, you’ll need somebody who both integrates marketing efforts across channels and communications vehicles and focuses on the bottom line. In packaged-goods companies, this was—and may still be—the role of brand managers, but the basic requirement is that it must be done by someone. Finally, you’ll need absolute clarity in processes, roles, and responsibilities not only within the marketing organization but also throughout your company (across functions and business units) and externally (with agencies and external vendors). The trust-based relationship between companies and agencies isn’t at risk, but everyone will have to accept that roles are changing. (For more on organizational moves companies should make in a world of more pervasive marketing, see “Five ‘no regrets’ moves for superior customer engagement,” forthcoming on mckinseyquarterly.com.)
Addressing complexity in a comprehensive way requires a dedicated effort. Senior executives at one North American consumer-packaged-goods company, for example, tried to sketch out their own “future of marketing” with an eye to how they would need to work differently over the coming five years, given the company’s growth priorities. No one pretended to have a crystal ball, but examining the implications of several generally accepted trends in consumer behavior and media consumption habits made some bold forecasting possible. The company then debated the future of brand managers and specialist centers of excellence and what that future implied for resources required centrally and in business units. Finally, it asked what should be stopped or dramatically deprioritized. By undertaking this exercise, the consumer-packaged-goods company saw how it could keep its marketing headcount and budget relatively flat, while massively shifting senior leadership’s role, the culture of marketing, and the capabilities of specialist and generalist resources.
5. What metrics should we track given our (imperfect) options?
In an ideal world, the financial returns and the ability of all forms of communication to influence consumers would be precisely calculated, and deciding the marketing mix would be simple. In reality, there are multiple, and usually imperfect, ways to measure most established forms of marketing. Nothing approaches a definitive metric for social media and other emerging communication channels, and no single metric can evaluate the effectiveness of all spending. Yet you must have a way to track progress and hold marketers accountable. That’s nonnegotiable. How do you do it?
Even in the absence of a single way of measuring ROI for different channels, marketers should move toward an apples-to-apples way of comparing returns across a range of media. One international logistics company, for example, faced this necessity after committing more than $200 million to rebrand itself following a series of acquisitions. Senior executives wanted proof that the effort was working—and in a form they could readily understand, not marketing jargon.
So the company adopted a simple three-step approach: measuring the impact of advertising on consumer recall, on the public’s perceptions of the business, and on sales leads and revenue. With these data in hand—and proof that the rebranding effort was ultimately improving performance—members of the C-suite had the assurance they needed to reaffirm the investment and to commit themselves to more complex measurements, such as marketing-mix modeling. Because the metrics were developed internally, members of the company’s board were similarly reassured.
Likewise, one consumer-packaged-goods company uses econometric analysis and frequent brand tracking to assemble a scorecard of returns in the short term (average and marginal marketing ROIs within 12 months) and the longer term (progress on brand equity and brand loyalty for periods of more than 12 months). The company is tantalizingly close to its ultimate goal of truly being able to make decisions about short- versus long-term trade-offs and to deliver complete answers to “show me the money” requests.
Metrics are rarely perfect. Yet the volume of data available today should make it possible to find metrics and analytic opportunities that take advantage of your unique insights, are understood and trusted by your top team, provide proof of progress, and lay a foundation for more sophisticated approaches to tracking marketing ROI in the future.
The marketing environment continues to change rapidly and often feels like a moving target that’s impossible to hit. It’s genuinely difficult to overemphasize the magnitude of the change or the challenge. Yet time and time again, we find that marketers who have good answers to the five basic questions are better equipped to do battle for the effectiveness of marketing and to win the war for growth.
About the Authors
David Court is a director in McKinsey’s Dallas office, Jonathan Gordon is a principal in the New York office, and Jesko Perrey is a director in the Düsseldorf office.
Notes
1 See David Court, Jonathan Gordon, and Jesko Perrey, “Boosting returns on marketing investment,” mckinseyquarterly.com, May 2005.
2 See David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder, and Ole Jørgen Vetvik, “The consumer decision journey,” mckinseyquarterly.com, June 2009.
3 See Roxane Divol, David Edelman, and Hugo Sarrazin, “Demystifying social media,” mckinseyquarterly.com, April 2012.
Source: www.mckinseyquarterly.com
MKTG-Stephen Roach on the consumer opportunity in China
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Source: www.mckinseyquarterly.com
Source: www.mckinseyquarterly.com
TED Talks-Carl Schoonover: How to look inside the brain
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
TED Talks-Mechai Viravaidya:How Mr Condom made Thailand a better place
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Transcript:
Welcome to Thailand.Now, when I was a young man -- 40 years ago,the country was very, very poorwith lots and lots and lots of people living in poverty.We decided to do something about it,but we didn't begin with a welfare programor a poverty reduction program.But we began with a family-planning program,following a very successfulmaternal child health activity,sets of activities.So basically, no one would accept family planningif their children didn't survive.So the first step: get to the children, get to the mothers,and then follow up with family planning.Not just child mortality alone, you need also family planning.Now let me take you backas to why we needed to do it.
In my country, that was the case in 1974.Seven children per family --tremendous growth at 3.3 percent.There was just no future.We needed to reduce the population growth rate.So we said, "Let's do it."The women said, "We agree. We'll use pills,but we need a doctor to prescribe the pills,"and we had very, very few doctors.We didn't take no as an answer;we took no as a question.We went to the nurses and the midwives, who were also women,and did a fantastic jobat explaining how to use the pill.That was wonderful, but it covered only 20 percent of the country.
What do we do for the other 80 percent --leave them alone and say, "Well, they're not medical personnel."No, we decided to do a bit more.So we went to the ordinary people that you saw.Actually, below that yellow sign --I wish they hadn't wiped that,because there was "Coca-Cola" there.We were so much bigger than Coca-Cola in those days.And no difference,the people they chose were the people we chose.They were well-known in the community,they knew that customers were always right,and they were terrific, and they practiced their family planning themselves.So they could supply pills and condomsthroughout the country, in every village of the country.So there we are. We went to the peoplewho were seen as the cause of the problemto be the solution.Wherever there were people --and you can see boats with the women, selling things --here's the floating marketselling bananas and crabsand also contraceptives --wherever you find people,you'll find contraceptives in Thailand.
And then we decided, why not get to religionbecause in the Philippines,the Catholic Church was pretty strong,and Thai people were Buddhist.We went to them and they said, "Look, could you help us?"I'm there -- the one in blue, not the yellow --holding a bowl of holy waterfor the monk to sprinkle holy wateron pills and condomsfor the sanctity of the family.And this picture was sent throughout the country.So some of the monks in the villages were doing the same thing themselves.And the women were saying, "No wonder we have no side-effects.It's been blessed."That was their perception.
And then we went to teachers.You need everybody to be involvedin trying to provide whatever it isthat make humanity a better place.So we went to the teachers.Over a quarter of a million were taught about family planningwith a new alphabet -- A, B for birth, C for condom,I for IUD, V for vasectomy.And then we had a snakes and ladders game, where you throw dice.If you land on anything pro-family planning, you move ahead.Like, "Mother takes the pill every night.Very good, mother. Move ahead.Uncle buys a condom. Very good, uncle. Move ahead.Uncle gets drunk, doesn't use condom. Come back, start again."(Laughter)Again, education, class entertainment.And the kids were doing it in school too.We had relay races with condoms,we had children's condom-blowing championship.And before long,the condom was know as the girl's best friend.In Thailand, for poor people, diamonds don't make it --so the condom is the girl's best friend.
We introduced our first microcredit program in 1975,and the women who organized it said,"We only want to lendto women who practice family planning.If you're pregnant, take care of your pregnancy.If you're not pregnant, you can take a loan out from us."And that was run by them.And after 35/36 years,it's still going on.It's a part of the Village Development Bank;it's not a real bank, but it's a fund -- microcredit.And we didn't need a big organization to run it --it was run by the villagers themselves.And you probably hardly see a Thai man there,it's always women, women, women, women.And then we thought we'd help America,because America's been helping everyone,whether they want help or not.(Laughter)And this is on the Fourth of July.We decided to provide vasectomy to all men,but in particular, American men to the front of the queue,right up to the Ambassador's residenceduring his [unclear].And the hotel gave us the ballroom for it --very appropriate room.(Laughter)And since it was near lunch time,they said, "All right, we'll give you some lunch.Of course, it must be American cola.You get two brands, Coke and Pepsi.And then the food is either hamburger or hotdog."And I thought a hotdog will be more symbolic.(Laughter)And here is this, then, young man called Willy Bohmwho worked for the USAID.Obviously, he's had his vasectomybecause his hotdog is half eaten, and he was very happy.It made a lot of news in America, and it angered some people also.I said, "Don't worry. Come over and I'll do the whole lot of you."
(Laughter)
And what happened?In all this thing,from seven children to 1.5 children,population growth rate of 3.3 to 0.5.You could call it the Coca-Cola approach if you like --it was exactly the same thing.I'm not sure whether Coca-Cola followed us, or we followed Coca-Cola,but we're good friends.And so that's the case of everyone joining in.We didn't have a strong government. We didn't have lots of doctors.But it's everybody's jobwho can change attitude and behavior.
Then AIDS came along and hit Thailand,and we had to stop doing a lot of good thingsto fight AIDS.But unfortunately, the government was in denial, denial, denial.So our work wasn't affected.So I thought, "Well, if you can't go to the government, go to the military."So I went to the militaryand asked to borrow 300 radio stations.They have more than the government,and they've got more guns than the government.So I asked them, could they help usin our fight against HIV.And after I gave them statistics,they said, "Yes. Okay. You can use all the radio stations, television stations."And that's when we went onto the airwaves.And then we got a new prime minister soon after that.And he said, "Mechai, could you come and join?"He asked me in because he liked my wife a lot.So I said, "Okay."He became the chairman of the National AIDS Committeeand increased the budget fifty-fold.
Every ministry, even judges, had to be involved in AIDS education --everyone -- and we said the public, institutions,religious institutions, schools --everyone was involved.And here, every media personhad to be trained for HIV.And we gave every station half a minute extrafor advertising to earn more money.So they were happy with that.And then AIDS education in all schools,starting from university.And these are high school kids teaching high school kids.And the best teachers were the girls, not the boys,and they were terrific.And these girls who go around teaching about safe sex and HIVwere known as Mother Theresa.And then we went down one more step.These are primary school kids -- third, fourth grade --going to every household in the village,every household in the whole of Thailand,giving AIDS information and a condomto every household,given by these young kids.And no parents objected, because we were trying to save lives,and this was a lifesaver.And we said, "Everyone needs to be involved."
So you have the companies also realizingthat sick staff don't work, and dead customers don't buy.So they all trained.And then we have this Captain Condom,with his Harvard MBA,going to schools and night spots.And they loved him. You need a symbol of something.In every country, every program, you need a symbol,and this is probably the best thing he's ever done with his MBA.(Laughter)And then we gave condoms out everywhere on the streets --everywhere, everywhere.In taxis, you get condoms.And also, in traffic,the policemen give you condoms -- our "cops and rubbers" programs.(Laughter)So, can you imagine New York policemen giving out condoms?Of course I can. And they'd enjoy it immensely;I see them standing around right now, everywhere.Imagine if they had condoms,giving out to all sorts of people.And then, new change,we had hair bands, clothingand the condom for your mobile phoneduring the rainy season.
(Laughter)
And these were the condoms that we introduced.One says, "Weapon of mass protection."We found --you know -- somebody here was searching for the weapon of mass destruction,but we have found the weapon of mass protection: the condom.And then it says here, with the American flag,"Don't leave home without it."But I have some to give out afterward.But let me warn you, these are Thai-sized,so be very careful.(Laughter)And so you can seethat condoms can do so many things.Look at this --I gave this to Al Gore and to Bill Senior also.Stop global warming; use condoms.And then this is the picture I mentioned to you --the weapon of mass protection.And let the next Olympics save some lives.Why just run around?(Laughter)And then finally, in Thailand we're Buddhist, we don't have a God,so instead, we say, "In rubber we trust."(Laughter)So you can see that we added everything to our endeavorto make life better for the people.We had condoms in all the refrigerators in the hotels and the schools,because alcohol impairs judgment.
And then what happened?After all this time, everybody joined in.According to the U.N.,new cases of HIVdeclined by 90 percent,and according to the World Bank,7.7 million lives were saved.Otherwise there wouldn't be many Thais walking around today.So it just showed you, you could do something about it.90 percent of the funding came from Thailand.There was political commitment, some financial commitment,and everybody joined in the fight.So just don't leave it to the specialists and doctors and nurses.We all need to help.
And then we decided to help people out of poverty,now that we got AIDS somewhat out of the way --this time, not with government alone,but in cooperation with the business community.Because poor people are business peoplewho lack business skills and access to credit.Those are the things to be provided by the business community.We're trying to turn them into barefoot entrepreneurs,little business people.The only way out of poverty is through business enterprise.So, that was done.The money goes from the company into the villagevia tree-planting.It's not a free gift.They plant the trees, and the money goes into their microcredit fund,which we call the Village Development Bank.Everybody joins in,and they feel they own the bank,because they have brought the money in.
And before you can borrow the money, you need to be trained.And we believe if you want to help the poor,those who are living in poverty,access to credit must be a human right.Access to credit must be a human right.Otherwise they'll never get out of poverty.And then before getting a loan, you must be trained.Here's what we call a "barefoot MBA,"teaching people how to do businessso that, when they borrow money, they'll succeed with the business.These are some of the businesses:mushrooms, crabs, vegetables,trees, fruits,and this is very interesting -- Nike ice cream and Nike biscuits;this is a village sponsored by Nike.They said, "They should stop making shoes and clothes.Make these better, because we can afford them."And then we have silk, Thai silk.Now we're making Scottish tartans, as you can see on the left,to sell to all people of Scottish ancestors.So anyone sitting in and watching TV,get in touch with me.And then this is our answer to Starbucks in Thailand --"Coffee and Condoms."See, Starbucks you awake, we keep you awake and alive.That's the difference.Can you imagine, at every Starbucks that you can also get condoms?You can order your condoms with your with your cappuccino.
And then now, finally in education,we want to change the school as being underutilizedinto a place where it's a lifelong learning center for everyone.We call this our School-Based Integrated Rural Development.And it's a center, a focal pointfor economic and social development.Re-do the school,make it serve the community needs.And here is a bamboo building --all of them are bamboo.This is a geodesic dome made of bamboo.And I'm sure Buckminster Fuller would be very, very proudto see a bamboo geodesic dome.And we use vegetables around the school ground,so they raise their own vegetables.
And then, finally, I firmly believe,if we want the MDGs to work --the Millennium Development Goals --we need to add family planning to it.Of course, child mortality first and then family planning --everyone needs family planning service --it's underutilized.So we have now found the weapon of mass protection.And we also ask the next Olympicsto be involved in saving lives.And then, finally, that is our network.And these are our Thai tulips.
(Laughter)
Thank you very much indeed.
(Applause)
Transcript:
Welcome to Thailand.Now, when I was a young man -- 40 years ago,the country was very, very poorwith lots and lots and lots of people living in poverty.We decided to do something about it,but we didn't begin with a welfare programor a poverty reduction program.But we began with a family-planning program,following a very successfulmaternal child health activity,sets of activities.So basically, no one would accept family planningif their children didn't survive.So the first step: get to the children, get to the mothers,and then follow up with family planning.Not just child mortality alone, you need also family planning.Now let me take you backas to why we needed to do it.
In my country, that was the case in 1974.Seven children per family --tremendous growth at 3.3 percent.There was just no future.We needed to reduce the population growth rate.So we said, "Let's do it."The women said, "We agree. We'll use pills,but we need a doctor to prescribe the pills,"and we had very, very few doctors.We didn't take no as an answer;we took no as a question.We went to the nurses and the midwives, who were also women,and did a fantastic jobat explaining how to use the pill.That was wonderful, but it covered only 20 percent of the country.
What do we do for the other 80 percent --leave them alone and say, "Well, they're not medical personnel."No, we decided to do a bit more.So we went to the ordinary people that you saw.Actually, below that yellow sign --I wish they hadn't wiped that,because there was "Coca-Cola" there.We were so much bigger than Coca-Cola in those days.And no difference,the people they chose were the people we chose.They were well-known in the community,they knew that customers were always right,and they were terrific, and they practiced their family planning themselves.So they could supply pills and condomsthroughout the country, in every village of the country.So there we are. We went to the peoplewho were seen as the cause of the problemto be the solution.Wherever there were people --and you can see boats with the women, selling things --here's the floating marketselling bananas and crabsand also contraceptives --wherever you find people,you'll find contraceptives in Thailand.
And then we decided, why not get to religionbecause in the Philippines,the Catholic Church was pretty strong,and Thai people were Buddhist.We went to them and they said, "Look, could you help us?"I'm there -- the one in blue, not the yellow --holding a bowl of holy waterfor the monk to sprinkle holy wateron pills and condomsfor the sanctity of the family.And this picture was sent throughout the country.So some of the monks in the villages were doing the same thing themselves.And the women were saying, "No wonder we have no side-effects.It's been blessed."That was their perception.
And then we went to teachers.You need everybody to be involvedin trying to provide whatever it isthat make humanity a better place.So we went to the teachers.Over a quarter of a million were taught about family planningwith a new alphabet -- A, B for birth, C for condom,I for IUD, V for vasectomy.And then we had a snakes and ladders game, where you throw dice.If you land on anything pro-family planning, you move ahead.Like, "Mother takes the pill every night.Very good, mother. Move ahead.Uncle buys a condom. Very good, uncle. Move ahead.Uncle gets drunk, doesn't use condom. Come back, start again."(Laughter)Again, education, class entertainment.And the kids were doing it in school too.We had relay races with condoms,we had children's condom-blowing championship.And before long,the condom was know as the girl's best friend.In Thailand, for poor people, diamonds don't make it --so the condom is the girl's best friend.
We introduced our first microcredit program in 1975,and the women who organized it said,"We only want to lendto women who practice family planning.If you're pregnant, take care of your pregnancy.If you're not pregnant, you can take a loan out from us."And that was run by them.And after 35/36 years,it's still going on.It's a part of the Village Development Bank;it's not a real bank, but it's a fund -- microcredit.And we didn't need a big organization to run it --it was run by the villagers themselves.And you probably hardly see a Thai man there,it's always women, women, women, women.And then we thought we'd help America,because America's been helping everyone,whether they want help or not.(Laughter)And this is on the Fourth of July.We decided to provide vasectomy to all men,but in particular, American men to the front of the queue,right up to the Ambassador's residenceduring his [unclear].And the hotel gave us the ballroom for it --very appropriate room.(Laughter)And since it was near lunch time,they said, "All right, we'll give you some lunch.Of course, it must be American cola.You get two brands, Coke and Pepsi.And then the food is either hamburger or hotdog."And I thought a hotdog will be more symbolic.(Laughter)And here is this, then, young man called Willy Bohmwho worked for the USAID.Obviously, he's had his vasectomybecause his hotdog is half eaten, and he was very happy.It made a lot of news in America, and it angered some people also.I said, "Don't worry. Come over and I'll do the whole lot of you."
(Laughter)
And what happened?In all this thing,from seven children to 1.5 children,population growth rate of 3.3 to 0.5.You could call it the Coca-Cola approach if you like --it was exactly the same thing.I'm not sure whether Coca-Cola followed us, or we followed Coca-Cola,but we're good friends.And so that's the case of everyone joining in.We didn't have a strong government. We didn't have lots of doctors.But it's everybody's jobwho can change attitude and behavior.
Then AIDS came along and hit Thailand,and we had to stop doing a lot of good thingsto fight AIDS.But unfortunately, the government was in denial, denial, denial.So our work wasn't affected.So I thought, "Well, if you can't go to the government, go to the military."So I went to the militaryand asked to borrow 300 radio stations.They have more than the government,and they've got more guns than the government.So I asked them, could they help usin our fight against HIV.And after I gave them statistics,they said, "Yes. Okay. You can use all the radio stations, television stations."And that's when we went onto the airwaves.And then we got a new prime minister soon after that.And he said, "Mechai, could you come and join?"He asked me in because he liked my wife a lot.So I said, "Okay."He became the chairman of the National AIDS Committeeand increased the budget fifty-fold.
Every ministry, even judges, had to be involved in AIDS education --everyone -- and we said the public, institutions,religious institutions, schools --everyone was involved.And here, every media personhad to be trained for HIV.And we gave every station half a minute extrafor advertising to earn more money.So they were happy with that.And then AIDS education in all schools,starting from university.And these are high school kids teaching high school kids.And the best teachers were the girls, not the boys,and they were terrific.And these girls who go around teaching about safe sex and HIVwere known as Mother Theresa.And then we went down one more step.These are primary school kids -- third, fourth grade --going to every household in the village,every household in the whole of Thailand,giving AIDS information and a condomto every household,given by these young kids.And no parents objected, because we were trying to save lives,and this was a lifesaver.And we said, "Everyone needs to be involved."
So you have the companies also realizingthat sick staff don't work, and dead customers don't buy.So they all trained.And then we have this Captain Condom,with his Harvard MBA,going to schools and night spots.And they loved him. You need a symbol of something.In every country, every program, you need a symbol,and this is probably the best thing he's ever done with his MBA.(Laughter)And then we gave condoms out everywhere on the streets --everywhere, everywhere.In taxis, you get condoms.And also, in traffic,the policemen give you condoms -- our "cops and rubbers" programs.(Laughter)So, can you imagine New York policemen giving out condoms?Of course I can. And they'd enjoy it immensely;I see them standing around right now, everywhere.Imagine if they had condoms,giving out to all sorts of people.And then, new change,we had hair bands, clothingand the condom for your mobile phoneduring the rainy season.
(Laughter)
And these were the condoms that we introduced.One says, "Weapon of mass protection."We found --you know -- somebody here was searching for the weapon of mass destruction,but we have found the weapon of mass protection: the condom.And then it says here, with the American flag,"Don't leave home without it."But I have some to give out afterward.But let me warn you, these are Thai-sized,so be very careful.(Laughter)And so you can seethat condoms can do so many things.Look at this --I gave this to Al Gore and to Bill Senior also.Stop global warming; use condoms.And then this is the picture I mentioned to you --the weapon of mass protection.And let the next Olympics save some lives.Why just run around?(Laughter)And then finally, in Thailand we're Buddhist, we don't have a God,so instead, we say, "In rubber we trust."(Laughter)So you can see that we added everything to our endeavorto make life better for the people.We had condoms in all the refrigerators in the hotels and the schools,because alcohol impairs judgment.
And then what happened?After all this time, everybody joined in.According to the U.N.,new cases of HIVdeclined by 90 percent,and according to the World Bank,7.7 million lives were saved.Otherwise there wouldn't be many Thais walking around today.So it just showed you, you could do something about it.90 percent of the funding came from Thailand.There was political commitment, some financial commitment,and everybody joined in the fight.So just don't leave it to the specialists and doctors and nurses.We all need to help.
And then we decided to help people out of poverty,now that we got AIDS somewhat out of the way --this time, not with government alone,but in cooperation with the business community.Because poor people are business peoplewho lack business skills and access to credit.Those are the things to be provided by the business community.We're trying to turn them into barefoot entrepreneurs,little business people.The only way out of poverty is through business enterprise.So, that was done.The money goes from the company into the villagevia tree-planting.It's not a free gift.They plant the trees, and the money goes into their microcredit fund,which we call the Village Development Bank.Everybody joins in,and they feel they own the bank,because they have brought the money in.
And before you can borrow the money, you need to be trained.And we believe if you want to help the poor,those who are living in poverty,access to credit must be a human right.Access to credit must be a human right.Otherwise they'll never get out of poverty.And then before getting a loan, you must be trained.Here's what we call a "barefoot MBA,"teaching people how to do businessso that, when they borrow money, they'll succeed with the business.These are some of the businesses:mushrooms, crabs, vegetables,trees, fruits,and this is very interesting -- Nike ice cream and Nike biscuits;this is a village sponsored by Nike.They said, "They should stop making shoes and clothes.Make these better, because we can afford them."And then we have silk, Thai silk.Now we're making Scottish tartans, as you can see on the left,to sell to all people of Scottish ancestors.So anyone sitting in and watching TV,get in touch with me.And then this is our answer to Starbucks in Thailand --"Coffee and Condoms."See, Starbucks you awake, we keep you awake and alive.That's the difference.Can you imagine, at every Starbucks that you can also get condoms?You can order your condoms with your with your cappuccino.
And then now, finally in education,we want to change the school as being underutilizedinto a place where it's a lifelong learning center for everyone.We call this our School-Based Integrated Rural Development.And it's a center, a focal pointfor economic and social development.Re-do the school,make it serve the community needs.And here is a bamboo building --all of them are bamboo.This is a geodesic dome made of bamboo.And I'm sure Buckminster Fuller would be very, very proudto see a bamboo geodesic dome.And we use vegetables around the school ground,so they raise their own vegetables.
And then, finally, I firmly believe,if we want the MDGs to work --the Millennium Development Goals --we need to add family planning to it.Of course, child mortality first and then family planning --everyone needs family planning service --it's underutilized.So we have now found the weapon of mass protection.And we also ask the next Olympicsto be involved in saving lives.And then, finally, that is our network.And these are our Thai tulips.
(Laughter)
Thank you very much indeed.
(Applause)
TED Talks-Melinda Gates: Let´s put birth control back on the agenda
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Sleeping Beauty-Movie
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Source: www.agendaweb.org
Source: www.agendaweb.org
The Job-Movie
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Source: www.agendaweb.org
Source: www.agendaweb.org
Using Harry Potter in the Adult ESL Classroom
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Using Harry Potter in the Adult ESL Classroom
TESOL Matters Vol. 10 No. 1 (February/March 2000)
From the column of the TESOL ESOL in Adult Education Interest Section
by Jesse Nash
By now, most teachers have heard about J. K. Rowling's (1997, 1998, 1999) youthful hero Harry Potter and his popularity with young readers. Intrigued by all the fuss, I stopped at my favorite bookstore on the way to a beginning ESL class I teach at a local children's home. I purchased all three volumes and headed to work. I was a little early, so I sat down in the small dining room that serves as my classroom and began to read the first volume, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997). I soon saw why it was so popular. In a few minutes, I was won over, but when the students began to arrive, I set the book aside.
There are 12 students in the class, and their first language is Spanish. The youngest is 23. The eldest is in his 40s. Most of them are in their early 30s. All but three of them are married with children at home. They work in the laundry, kitchen, and housekeeping departments of the children's home. They had very little formal education in Mexico, but they are enthusiastic about learning English.
When they entered, they came over to me, greeted me, shook my hand, and looked at the Harry Potter book I had been reading. To my surprise, several students immediately recognized the book, and they all had heard of Harry Potter. Their children or the children of family and friends were either reading the books, or the books were being read to the children in school by their teachers. "My daughter," one young mother gushed. "She loves Harry Potter." Then, "Please, maestro, read to us."
At first, I was hesitant, but as I stared into their excited faces, I saw a very real learning opportunity. I opened Harry Potter and began to read. My students, of course, didn't know all of the words they were hearing. When they heard a word they didn't know, I paused to write it down, and then we discussed the word until they knew what it meant. Then I proceeded with the story.
That day, I read for about 30 minutes. Like their children and the children of their families and friends, they were entirely intrigued by the story. Although they didn't know all of the words, and although the names of the characters were strange and hard to pronounce, these students had a look of rapt wonder on their faces. I suspect that Rowling's sense of humor, her pacing of the story, and the way she presents complex human relationships are partly responsible for the interest her stories generated in my students.
Over the next few weeks, I read from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for 10-15 minutes during each class. My students' willingness to listen to a well-crafted story gave us the opportunity to work on their aural comprehension. At the end of each reading, they were assessed orally on what had happened in the story. Then they were given written homework assignments.
It wasn't difficult connecting the novel to skills work. The Harry Potter stories afford the opportunity to practice vocabulary related to the home, family, work, the neighborhood, the community, friendships, food, and, perhaps most important, human emotions. Retelling the story orally and in written form is a good way for students to practice using verbs and tenses.
I now tie the Harry Potter stories directly into my daily lesson plans. For example, the opening chapter presents a scene in which Harry's uncle is leaving his house. The uncle notices a cat on the corner of the street. It appears to the uncle that the cat is reading the street sign. The uncle shakes his head and looks again. Now the cat is reading a map. When the uncle returns at the end of the day, the cat is sitting on a nearby wall. As I expected, my students found this scene funny and intriguing. I tried to use their interest in the scene to work on their word recognition and spelling skills. After the reading, I gave them a picture I had drawn of the scene with all the major characters involved, the street, the map, the wall, the cat, and the road sign. Then I asked the students to label each item in the picture. Ordinarily, they would have viewed such an activity as a chore, but now the activity was tied to a story, in which they were making an emotional investment. They attacked my crude drawing with an eagerness that both surprised me and made me wish I had thought of using Harry Potter earlier. And, of course, working on the drawing was a good way to reinforce what the students had heard, and they repeated those words again orally when we discussed the drawing. To top things off, as homework, I gave the students five questions about the reading to answer with complete sentences.
Their supervisor informed me later that the students had talked about the reading and their homework all that afternoon and the next day. I had always suspected that learning English would be easier if teachers could find a way to make the experience enjoyable. Harry Potter has helped make learning English an enjoyable enterprise for my students. But I was certain something very good was going on when the students began to use the time after the Harry Potter reading to talk about their own fears, worries, and hopes. Teaching them English is going to be much easier, I'm convinced, if they wish to talk about themselves and their most intimate thoughts in English. Thus I heartily recommend the Harry Potter books to any ESL instructor, especially those teaching adults in the workplace.
References
Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone. New York: Scholastic Press.
Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets. New York: Scholastic Press.
Rowling, J. K. (1999). Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic Press.
Jesse W. Nash is a General Education Development (GED) specialist and an instructor in the adult basic education/GED/ESL and the workplace literacy programs at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Source: www.tesol.org
Using Harry Potter in the Adult ESL Classroom
TESOL Matters Vol. 10 No. 1 (February/March 2000)
From the column of the TESOL ESOL in Adult Education Interest Section
by Jesse Nash
By now, most teachers have heard about J. K. Rowling's (1997, 1998, 1999) youthful hero Harry Potter and his popularity with young readers. Intrigued by all the fuss, I stopped at my favorite bookstore on the way to a beginning ESL class I teach at a local children's home. I purchased all three volumes and headed to work. I was a little early, so I sat down in the small dining room that serves as my classroom and began to read the first volume, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997). I soon saw why it was so popular. In a few minutes, I was won over, but when the students began to arrive, I set the book aside.
There are 12 students in the class, and their first language is Spanish. The youngest is 23. The eldest is in his 40s. Most of them are in their early 30s. All but three of them are married with children at home. They work in the laundry, kitchen, and housekeeping departments of the children's home. They had very little formal education in Mexico, but they are enthusiastic about learning English.
When they entered, they came over to me, greeted me, shook my hand, and looked at the Harry Potter book I had been reading. To my surprise, several students immediately recognized the book, and they all had heard of Harry Potter. Their children or the children of family and friends were either reading the books, or the books were being read to the children in school by their teachers. "My daughter," one young mother gushed. "She loves Harry Potter." Then, "Please, maestro, read to us."
At first, I was hesitant, but as I stared into their excited faces, I saw a very real learning opportunity. I opened Harry Potter and began to read. My students, of course, didn't know all of the words they were hearing. When they heard a word they didn't know, I paused to write it down, and then we discussed the word until they knew what it meant. Then I proceeded with the story.
That day, I read for about 30 minutes. Like their children and the children of their families and friends, they were entirely intrigued by the story. Although they didn't know all of the words, and although the names of the characters were strange and hard to pronounce, these students had a look of rapt wonder on their faces. I suspect that Rowling's sense of humor, her pacing of the story, and the way she presents complex human relationships are partly responsible for the interest her stories generated in my students.
Over the next few weeks, I read from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for 10-15 minutes during each class. My students' willingness to listen to a well-crafted story gave us the opportunity to work on their aural comprehension. At the end of each reading, they were assessed orally on what had happened in the story. Then they were given written homework assignments.
It wasn't difficult connecting the novel to skills work. The Harry Potter stories afford the opportunity to practice vocabulary related to the home, family, work, the neighborhood, the community, friendships, food, and, perhaps most important, human emotions. Retelling the story orally and in written form is a good way for students to practice using verbs and tenses.
I now tie the Harry Potter stories directly into my daily lesson plans. For example, the opening chapter presents a scene in which Harry's uncle is leaving his house. The uncle notices a cat on the corner of the street. It appears to the uncle that the cat is reading the street sign. The uncle shakes his head and looks again. Now the cat is reading a map. When the uncle returns at the end of the day, the cat is sitting on a nearby wall. As I expected, my students found this scene funny and intriguing. I tried to use their interest in the scene to work on their word recognition and spelling skills. After the reading, I gave them a picture I had drawn of the scene with all the major characters involved, the street, the map, the wall, the cat, and the road sign. Then I asked the students to label each item in the picture. Ordinarily, they would have viewed such an activity as a chore, but now the activity was tied to a story, in which they were making an emotional investment. They attacked my crude drawing with an eagerness that both surprised me and made me wish I had thought of using Harry Potter earlier. And, of course, working on the drawing was a good way to reinforce what the students had heard, and they repeated those words again orally when we discussed the drawing. To top things off, as homework, I gave the students five questions about the reading to answer with complete sentences.
Their supervisor informed me later that the students had talked about the reading and their homework all that afternoon and the next day. I had always suspected that learning English would be easier if teachers could find a way to make the experience enjoyable. Harry Potter has helped make learning English an enjoyable enterprise for my students. But I was certain something very good was going on when the students began to use the time after the Harry Potter reading to talk about their own fears, worries, and hopes. Teaching them English is going to be much easier, I'm convinced, if they wish to talk about themselves and their most intimate thoughts in English. Thus I heartily recommend the Harry Potter books to any ESL instructor, especially those teaching adults in the workplace.
References
Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone. New York: Scholastic Press.
Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets. New York: Scholastic Press.
Rowling, J. K. (1999). Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic Press.
Jesse W. Nash is a General Education Development (GED) specialist and an instructor in the adult basic education/GED/ESL and the workplace literacy programs at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Source: www.tesol.org
Domino's offers gluten-free pizza crust
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Domino's offers gluten-free pizza crust
By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
5/7/2012
Perhaps the single biggest if not most frustrating void for folks stuck on gluten-free diets is about to be finally filled: home-delivered pizza. Monday, Domino's, the world's largest delivery pizza chain, will announce plans to sell a pizza made with a gluten-free crust.
It comes as some of the biggest foodmakers and food sellers — including Frito-Lay, Subway, Anheuser-Busch and P.F. Chang's — are jumping into the $6.2 billion market for people unable to consume products made with wheat, barley and rye.
"We are the first national pizza delivery chain to offer this," boasts Domino's CMO Russell Weiner, who notes that while the crust is certified gluten-free, the pizza is still prepared in ovens with pizzas that aren't gluten-free, so folks who are extra-sensitive need to be aware. The gluten-free pizza costs about $3 more. Most gluten-free products typically do cost more to make.
Until recently, gluten-free was mostly listed on the back of the package, but now, with 6% to 8% of the U.S. population on some some kind of gluten-free diet, it's increasingly listed on the front, and even called out in bold type. "It's become a selling point," says Alice Bast, president at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, a group that raises awareness of Celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
Bast says, "The number one request we get from the gluten-free consumer is for gluten-free pizza — and beer."
Also going gluten-free:
•Casual dining. P.F. Chang's, an industry stand-out with 25 gluten-free dishes, just added seven more to its menu, including Gluten-Free Caramel Mango Chicken and Gluten-Free Asian Tomato Cucumber Salad. It also uses gluten-free soy sauce. The key is making these dishes taste as good as conventional dishes, says Dan Drummond, brand director.
•Chips. At Frito-Lay, the most common request on its consumer affairs line is for gluten-free offerings, spokeswoman Aurora Gonzalez says. Frito-Lay has recently begun labeling packaging on more than a dozen chips that are gluten-free with a special "GF" (gluten-free) icon or statement on the back of the bag.
•Subs. Subway has been testing gluten-free products, including bread and brownies, at some stores in four key markets since early 2011, says Tony Pace, chief marketing officer for the Subway brand. Those markets: Dallas/Fort Worth; Portland, Ore.; Tacoma, Wash.; and Duluth, Minn.
•Beer. Also Monday, Anheusher-Busch will roll out Michelob Ultra Light Cider, which is gluten-free. In 2006, it launched Redbridge, the first nationally available gluten-free beer.
Source: www.usatoday.com
Domino's offers gluten-free pizza crust
By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
5/7/2012
Perhaps the single biggest if not most frustrating void for folks stuck on gluten-free diets is about to be finally filled: home-delivered pizza. Monday, Domino's, the world's largest delivery pizza chain, will announce plans to sell a pizza made with a gluten-free crust.
It comes as some of the biggest foodmakers and food sellers — including Frito-Lay, Subway, Anheuser-Busch and P.F. Chang's — are jumping into the $6.2 billion market for people unable to consume products made with wheat, barley and rye.
"We are the first national pizza delivery chain to offer this," boasts Domino's CMO Russell Weiner, who notes that while the crust is certified gluten-free, the pizza is still prepared in ovens with pizzas that aren't gluten-free, so folks who are extra-sensitive need to be aware. The gluten-free pizza costs about $3 more. Most gluten-free products typically do cost more to make.
Until recently, gluten-free was mostly listed on the back of the package, but now, with 6% to 8% of the U.S. population on some some kind of gluten-free diet, it's increasingly listed on the front, and even called out in bold type. "It's become a selling point," says Alice Bast, president at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, a group that raises awareness of Celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
Bast says, "The number one request we get from the gluten-free consumer is for gluten-free pizza — and beer."
Also going gluten-free:
•Casual dining. P.F. Chang's, an industry stand-out with 25 gluten-free dishes, just added seven more to its menu, including Gluten-Free Caramel Mango Chicken and Gluten-Free Asian Tomato Cucumber Salad. It also uses gluten-free soy sauce. The key is making these dishes taste as good as conventional dishes, says Dan Drummond, brand director.
•Chips. At Frito-Lay, the most common request on its consumer affairs line is for gluten-free offerings, spokeswoman Aurora Gonzalez says. Frito-Lay has recently begun labeling packaging on more than a dozen chips that are gluten-free with a special "GF" (gluten-free) icon or statement on the back of the bag.
•Subs. Subway has been testing gluten-free products, including bread and brownies, at some stores in four key markets since early 2011, says Tony Pace, chief marketing officer for the Subway brand. Those markets: Dallas/Fort Worth; Portland, Ore.; Tacoma, Wash.; and Duluth, Minn.
•Beer. Also Monday, Anheusher-Busch will roll out Michelob Ultra Light Cider, which is gluten-free. In 2006, it launched Redbridge, the first nationally available gluten-free beer.
Source: www.usatoday.com
Should I buy Facebook?-Video + Text
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Should I buy Facebook?
Investors left out of the Facebook IPO are getting a second chance, but some might question if they even want it.
Richard Drew, AP
Sponsored LinksMania over shares of the No. 1 social-networking company quickly turned to skepticism Friday. Shares barely budged from their initial public offering price of $38 and closed at $38.23 on the first day of trading.
The lackluster opening means individual investors can buy Facebook stock at the same price shares were offered to privileged investors. Investors who piled in the first day lost as much as 15% in just a few hours.
Many analysts are suggesting that investors resist the urge to jump in.
"I would not touch this," says Josef Schuster of IPOX Schuster. "Facebook's (stock) trend is to the downside."
Even though investors can get a crack at owning Facebook at essentially the IPO price, they should take a pass because:
•Weak first day. The IPO's tepid debut breaks confidence in the stock, just as it needs it. Investors will now focus on the company's earnings growth, already showing signs of weakening, says Francis Gaskins of IPOdesktop.com.
The biggest IPO after Facebook, General Motors, ran into similar weakness in its debut and was never able to shake it off. GM rose 3.6% on its first day of trading in 2010, but since has fallen nearly 38% from its first-day close.
•Lofty valuation. Facebook is trading for more than 100 times its 2011 earnings. That's well above the Google's P-E of 18. Stocks with such high valuations and unproven business models such as Facebook tend to disappoint as they cannot keep up with expectations, says Robert Maltbie of Singular Research.
•Broad market struggles. Volatility in Facebook's stock will be exacerbated by the stock market's struggles as investors avoid added risk, Schuster says. Stocks are down 5% over the past 10 trading days on concerns about Europe and Asia.
•Individual investor dogpile. Mania-level interest in Facebook by individual investors shows just how hyped, and overvalued, the stock is, Gaskins says. Trading in Facebook accounted for 22% of volume at top broker TD Ameritrade, says the large brokerage's Steve Quirk.
Patient investors still interested in Facebook will get another chance to buy, at a lower price, Gaskins says. Investors should avoid the stock until it hits roughly $20, Gaskins says. Schuster says the stock deserves a closer look at $31 a share.
"Don't invest in Facebook right now," says Larry Chiagouris, professor of marketing at Pace University. "Let it seek its own level, which isn't where it is now."
Source: www.usatoday.com
Should I buy Facebook?
Investors left out of the Facebook IPO are getting a second chance, but some might question if they even want it.
Richard Drew, AP
Sponsored LinksMania over shares of the No. 1 social-networking company quickly turned to skepticism Friday. Shares barely budged from their initial public offering price of $38 and closed at $38.23 on the first day of trading.
The lackluster opening means individual investors can buy Facebook stock at the same price shares were offered to privileged investors. Investors who piled in the first day lost as much as 15% in just a few hours.
Many analysts are suggesting that investors resist the urge to jump in.
"I would not touch this," says Josef Schuster of IPOX Schuster. "Facebook's (stock) trend is to the downside."
Even though investors can get a crack at owning Facebook at essentially the IPO price, they should take a pass because:
•Weak first day. The IPO's tepid debut breaks confidence in the stock, just as it needs it. Investors will now focus on the company's earnings growth, already showing signs of weakening, says Francis Gaskins of IPOdesktop.com.
The biggest IPO after Facebook, General Motors, ran into similar weakness in its debut and was never able to shake it off. GM rose 3.6% on its first day of trading in 2010, but since has fallen nearly 38% from its first-day close.
•Lofty valuation. Facebook is trading for more than 100 times its 2011 earnings. That's well above the Google's P-E of 18. Stocks with such high valuations and unproven business models such as Facebook tend to disappoint as they cannot keep up with expectations, says Robert Maltbie of Singular Research.
•Broad market struggles. Volatility in Facebook's stock will be exacerbated by the stock market's struggles as investors avoid added risk, Schuster says. Stocks are down 5% over the past 10 trading days on concerns about Europe and Asia.
•Individual investor dogpile. Mania-level interest in Facebook by individual investors shows just how hyped, and overvalued, the stock is, Gaskins says. Trading in Facebook accounted for 22% of volume at top broker TD Ameritrade, says the large brokerage's Steve Quirk.
Patient investors still interested in Facebook will get another chance to buy, at a lower price, Gaskins says. Investors should avoid the stock until it hits roughly $20, Gaskins says. Schuster says the stock deserves a closer look at $31 a share.
"Don't invest in Facebook right now," says Larry Chiagouris, professor of marketing at Pace University. "Let it seek its own level, which isn't where it is now."
Source: www.usatoday.com
Friday, May 18, 2012
FIN-ECON-Facebook Disappoints After IPO Priced at Top of Range
The following information is used for educational purposes only.
Facebook Disappoints After IPO Priced at Top of Range
By Lee Spears and Sarah Frier on May 18, 2012
Facebook Inc. (FB) (FB) hovered near the initial public offering price in its trading debut, following a record IPO that made the social network more costly than almost every company in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. (SPX)
The shares rose 23 cents above the IPO price of $38 as of 4 p.m. in New York. Facebook sold 421.2 million shares to raise $16 billion yesterday, giving the company a $104.2 billion market value.
Underwriters bought Facebook’s stock (FB) to keep it from falling below the IPO price, people with knowledge of the matter said today. The offering valued the company at 107 times trailing 12-month earnings, more than every S&P 500 member except Amazon.com Inc. and Equity Residential. The performance disappointed some investors who expected a first-day pop.
“They squeezed the lemon dry here,” said Dan Veru, chief investment officer at Palisade Capital Management, who didn’t participate in the IPO. “They didn’t leave enough on the table. You want to price these things a little lower, so that the shares have better support in the aftermarket.”
The bankers supported the stock after Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. faced difficulties delivering trade execution messages following the IPO, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the transactions are private. Facebook spokesman Jonathan Thaw declined to comment.
100 Times Earnings
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said that it will review the incident to figure out its cause and any steps needed to address it.
The IPO price made Facebook, co-founded in 2004 by a then- teenage Mark Zuckerberg, the largest company to go public in the U.S. While Facebook has evolved from a Harvard University dorm- room project into a social network with more than 900 million users, revenue growth (FB) is poised to slow for a third straight year and advertising sales haven’t kept pace with user additions.
“This is what happens when you price something around 100 times earnings,” said Barry Ritholtz, chief executive officer at FusionIQ in New York. “If this closes poorly, there is nobody to blame but the company and the underwriters themselves.”
Facebook priced at the top end of its range of $34 to $38 a share, valuing it at about 26 times sales in the 12 months through March 31. As of yesterday, that was more than twice as much as AvalonBay Communities Inc. (AVB) (AVB), currently the most costly company by that measure in the S&P 500.
GM’s Offering
Facebook shares opened at $42.05 today and initially surged as high as $45 before paring gains.
At $16 billion, Facebook’s sale surpassed that of General Motors Co., making it the second-largest in U.S. history, excluding so-called over-allotments, which let underwriters buy more shares at a later date, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
GM raised $15.8 billion in November 2010, before expanding the sale to $18.1 billion when underwriters exercised the over- allotment option. Visa Inc. raised $17.9 billion in its 2008 IPO, the biggest in the U.S., and later expanded the sale to $19.7 billion. Facebook’s underwriters may buy an additional 63.2 million shares at the IPO price, which would enlarge the IPO to as much as $18.4 billion.
Facebook’s offering price gave it a market capitalization almost double the $60 billion United Parcel Service Inc., previously the biggest company to complete an IPO, was valued at when it went public in 1999, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Dealogic.
IPO Performance
Facebook stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol FB. The social network, led by 28-year-old CEO Zuckerberg, is the first company to complete a U.S. IPO in a week, after vacuum-pump maker Edwards Group Ltd. raised $100 million on May 10.
The 67 companies that completed U.S. IPOs this year before Facebook gained an average of 7.2 percent in public trading through yesterday, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Before today, six of the 10 best-performing newly listed U.S. stocks this year had been Internet or technology companies, led by Guidewire Software Inc., the provider of software to the insurance industry that gained 95 percent.
Facebook’s IPO coincided with intensifying U.S. market turmoil. About $1 trillion had been erased from American equity values this month after speculation Greece will leave the euro region reversed the biggest first-quarter rally since 1998, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
$176 Million
Facebook’s bankers, led by Morgan Stanley (MS) (MS), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) (JPM) and Goldman Sachs (GS) (GS) Group Inc., may split about $176 million for managing the IPO after accepting a lower-than-average fee for their work. Facebook hired more than 30 underwriters, which also included Bank of America Corp., Barclays Plc, Allen & Co., Citigroup Inc., Credit Suisse Group AG, and Deutsche Bank AG.
They’ll get about 1.1 percent of what Facebook raised, said two people with knowledge of the matter, who declined to be identified because the rate is private.
The IPO price gave Facebook a market value about half the size of Google Inc. (GOOG) (GOOG), which was worth more than $200 billion as of yesterday. The search-engine operator’s value has jumped almost ninefold in the eight years since it went public. To hand its public owners the same returns after pricing at the top of its offering range, Facebook would have to be worth about $920 billion by 2020. Apple Inc., the most valuable company in the world, had a market value of about $496 billion as of yesterday.
Eclipsing Google
Facebook’s offering eclipsed the 2004 IPO of Google, one of its chief competitors for online advertising. Google raised $1.9 billion in its initial share sale, including an over-allotment option. The shares sold at $85 apiece, giving Google a market value of about $23 billion, or about 10 times sales in the 12 months through June 30, 2004.
Facebook boosted the deal’s size amid a two-week series of meetings where Zuckerberg, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Chief Financial Officer David Ebersman pitched the sale to investors across the U.S.
“There’s hundreds of millions of people that want to emotionally buy this stock and most of them are going to have to buy it in the aftermarket,” Jon Merriman, chief executive officer at investment firm Merriman Holdings Inc. in San Francisco, said before the stock began trading. “I’d like to see it season over a couple of months.”
Investors’ Plans
Venture capital firm Accel Partners, based in Palo Alto, California, planned to offer 49 million shares in the initial sale, while Goldman Sachs aimed to sell 28.7 million, according to terms Facebook disclosed this week. Digital Sky Technologies planned to sell 45.7 million shares, and Tiger Global Management planned to sell 23.4 million shares.
Facebook executives and directors planned to sell 189.4 million shares. Including restricted stock units, options and common stock to be issued following the purchase of Instagram, the shares outstanding would total 2.74 billion.
Some institutional investors (FB) had balked at buying into Facebook over concern about the site’s growth prospects, people with knowledge of the matter said last week. The social network generated sales of $3.7 billion last year, which are poised to rise 64 percent to $6.1 billion in 2012, according to researcher EMarketer Inc. Last month, Facebook said first-quarter profit (FB) fell to $205 million as sales growth slowed and marketing costs more than doubled.
Mobile Prospects
Facebook is trying to adapt as more users access its site via mobile phones instead of the Web. That put pressure on company executives to articulate their mobile strategy as they marketed the stock to potential investors ahead of the IPO. Facebook has said it would add mobile advertising along with new ads to reach users when they log off the company’s website.
Facebook still faces hurdles in traditional Web advertising. General Motors (GM) (GM), the world’s biggest automaker by vehicles sold, said this week it was halting display ads on Facebook, while maintaining brand-promotion pages.
“It worries me about the pressures that will be on Facebook to create this new stream of revenue,” John Chachas, managing partner at Methuselah Capital Advisors LP, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “A lot of what you do on Facebook is hanging out. That does not lend itself to the monetization question.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Lee Spears in New York at lspears3@bloomberg.net; Sarah Frier in New York at sfrier1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jennifer Sondag at jsondag@bloomberg.net
Source: www.businessweek.com
Facebook Disappoints After IPO Priced at Top of Range
By Lee Spears and Sarah Frier on May 18, 2012
Facebook Inc. (FB) (FB) hovered near the initial public offering price in its trading debut, following a record IPO that made the social network more costly than almost every company in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. (SPX)
The shares rose 23 cents above the IPO price of $38 as of 4 p.m. in New York. Facebook sold 421.2 million shares to raise $16 billion yesterday, giving the company a $104.2 billion market value.
Underwriters bought Facebook’s stock (FB) to keep it from falling below the IPO price, people with knowledge of the matter said today. The offering valued the company at 107 times trailing 12-month earnings, more than every S&P 500 member except Amazon.com Inc. and Equity Residential. The performance disappointed some investors who expected a first-day pop.
“They squeezed the lemon dry here,” said Dan Veru, chief investment officer at Palisade Capital Management, who didn’t participate in the IPO. “They didn’t leave enough on the table. You want to price these things a little lower, so that the shares have better support in the aftermarket.”
The bankers supported the stock after Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. faced difficulties delivering trade execution messages following the IPO, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the transactions are private. Facebook spokesman Jonathan Thaw declined to comment.
100 Times Earnings
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said that it will review the incident to figure out its cause and any steps needed to address it.
The IPO price made Facebook, co-founded in 2004 by a then- teenage Mark Zuckerberg, the largest company to go public in the U.S. While Facebook has evolved from a Harvard University dorm- room project into a social network with more than 900 million users, revenue growth (FB) is poised to slow for a third straight year and advertising sales haven’t kept pace with user additions.
“This is what happens when you price something around 100 times earnings,” said Barry Ritholtz, chief executive officer at FusionIQ in New York. “If this closes poorly, there is nobody to blame but the company and the underwriters themselves.”
Facebook priced at the top end of its range of $34 to $38 a share, valuing it at about 26 times sales in the 12 months through March 31. As of yesterday, that was more than twice as much as AvalonBay Communities Inc. (AVB) (AVB), currently the most costly company by that measure in the S&P 500.
GM’s Offering
Facebook shares opened at $42.05 today and initially surged as high as $45 before paring gains.
At $16 billion, Facebook’s sale surpassed that of General Motors Co., making it the second-largest in U.S. history, excluding so-called over-allotments, which let underwriters buy more shares at a later date, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
GM raised $15.8 billion in November 2010, before expanding the sale to $18.1 billion when underwriters exercised the over- allotment option. Visa Inc. raised $17.9 billion in its 2008 IPO, the biggest in the U.S., and later expanded the sale to $19.7 billion. Facebook’s underwriters may buy an additional 63.2 million shares at the IPO price, which would enlarge the IPO to as much as $18.4 billion.
Facebook’s offering price gave it a market capitalization almost double the $60 billion United Parcel Service Inc., previously the biggest company to complete an IPO, was valued at when it went public in 1999, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Dealogic.
IPO Performance
Facebook stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol FB. The social network, led by 28-year-old CEO Zuckerberg, is the first company to complete a U.S. IPO in a week, after vacuum-pump maker Edwards Group Ltd. raised $100 million on May 10.
The 67 companies that completed U.S. IPOs this year before Facebook gained an average of 7.2 percent in public trading through yesterday, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Before today, six of the 10 best-performing newly listed U.S. stocks this year had been Internet or technology companies, led by Guidewire Software Inc., the provider of software to the insurance industry that gained 95 percent.
Facebook’s IPO coincided with intensifying U.S. market turmoil. About $1 trillion had been erased from American equity values this month after speculation Greece will leave the euro region reversed the biggest first-quarter rally since 1998, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
$176 Million
Facebook’s bankers, led by Morgan Stanley (MS) (MS), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) (JPM) and Goldman Sachs (GS) (GS) Group Inc., may split about $176 million for managing the IPO after accepting a lower-than-average fee for their work. Facebook hired more than 30 underwriters, which also included Bank of America Corp., Barclays Plc, Allen & Co., Citigroup Inc., Credit Suisse Group AG, and Deutsche Bank AG.
They’ll get about 1.1 percent of what Facebook raised, said two people with knowledge of the matter, who declined to be identified because the rate is private.
The IPO price gave Facebook a market value about half the size of Google Inc. (GOOG) (GOOG), which was worth more than $200 billion as of yesterday. The search-engine operator’s value has jumped almost ninefold in the eight years since it went public. To hand its public owners the same returns after pricing at the top of its offering range, Facebook would have to be worth about $920 billion by 2020. Apple Inc., the most valuable company in the world, had a market value of about $496 billion as of yesterday.
Eclipsing Google
Facebook’s offering eclipsed the 2004 IPO of Google, one of its chief competitors for online advertising. Google raised $1.9 billion in its initial share sale, including an over-allotment option. The shares sold at $85 apiece, giving Google a market value of about $23 billion, or about 10 times sales in the 12 months through June 30, 2004.
Facebook boosted the deal’s size amid a two-week series of meetings where Zuckerberg, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and Chief Financial Officer David Ebersman pitched the sale to investors across the U.S.
“There’s hundreds of millions of people that want to emotionally buy this stock and most of them are going to have to buy it in the aftermarket,” Jon Merriman, chief executive officer at investment firm Merriman Holdings Inc. in San Francisco, said before the stock began trading. “I’d like to see it season over a couple of months.”
Investors’ Plans
Venture capital firm Accel Partners, based in Palo Alto, California, planned to offer 49 million shares in the initial sale, while Goldman Sachs aimed to sell 28.7 million, according to terms Facebook disclosed this week. Digital Sky Technologies planned to sell 45.7 million shares, and Tiger Global Management planned to sell 23.4 million shares.
Facebook executives and directors planned to sell 189.4 million shares. Including restricted stock units, options and common stock to be issued following the purchase of Instagram, the shares outstanding would total 2.74 billion.
Some institutional investors (FB) had balked at buying into Facebook over concern about the site’s growth prospects, people with knowledge of the matter said last week. The social network generated sales of $3.7 billion last year, which are poised to rise 64 percent to $6.1 billion in 2012, according to researcher EMarketer Inc. Last month, Facebook said first-quarter profit (FB) fell to $205 million as sales growth slowed and marketing costs more than doubled.
Mobile Prospects
Facebook is trying to adapt as more users access its site via mobile phones instead of the Web. That put pressure on company executives to articulate their mobile strategy as they marketed the stock to potential investors ahead of the IPO. Facebook has said it would add mobile advertising along with new ads to reach users when they log off the company’s website.
Facebook still faces hurdles in traditional Web advertising. General Motors (GM) (GM), the world’s biggest automaker by vehicles sold, said this week it was halting display ads on Facebook, while maintaining brand-promotion pages.
“It worries me about the pressures that will be on Facebook to create this new stream of revenue,” John Chachas, managing partner at Methuselah Capital Advisors LP, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “A lot of what you do on Facebook is hanging out. That does not lend itself to the monetization question.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Lee Spears in New York at lspears3@bloomberg.net; Sarah Frier in New York at sfrier1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jennifer Sondag at jsondag@bloomberg.net
Source: www.businessweek.com
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