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Terms and Conditions
Terms and Conditions
§ 1 General
All Einstürzende Neubauten Merchandise GbR (hereinafter referred to as ENM GbR) deliveries to consumers are governed by these Terms and Conditions. Supplements, amendments, or collateral agreements require the written form.
§ 2 Offer and Agreement Conclusion
ENM notifies the customer of the order receipt via an electronic receipt confirmation. This does not yet constitute the conclusion of an agreement. An agreement is concluded by order confirmation or performance of the order. In the event an item is not immediately available ENM GbR will notify the customer, and in accordance with the customers choice a partial delivery will be shipped as the items become available or the entire delivery will be shipped once all ordered items become available. In the event an item does not become available within a maximum delivery period of four weeks, ENM GbR will notify the customer promptly. In this event the customer has the right to withdraw from the agreement. The purchase price will be reimbursed immediately if already paid.
§ 3 Payment Terms
ENM GbR accepts the following payment terms:
Tranfers to the following account
Recipient: Einstürzende Neubauten Merchandise GbR
BIC-/SWIFT Code: BELADEBE
Bank: Berliner Sparkasse
The customers name and the Order ID indicated in the Order Confirmation are to be specified in the memo portion of the bank transfer, otherwise the payment cannot be assigned to the respective order number. The item will be shipped as soon as the total specified in the order confirmation (product amount and shipping costs) is credited to the ENM GbR account. The shipment will be delivered by the postal service. In the event the order is not credited within a 10 day period the order will be cancelled.
Per PayPal.
Please do not send cash under any circumstances, because ENM GbR is not liable for any loss! Order forms received with checks or cash will not be processed and will be returned.
§ 4 Delivery Terms
Delivery terms commence on the order confirmation date by ENM GbR. ENM GbR is only liable for delays in performance or the impossibility of performance in the event of intent or gross negligence. The consumer bears the shipping costs.
The shipping costs for Germany are as follows:
shippment weight up to 500 g: EUR 5,00 incl. VAT
shippment weight over 500 g: EUR 7,50 incl. VAT
International shipping costs are as follows:
Europe shipping costs:
shippment weight up to 500 g: EUR 10,00 incl. VAT
shippment weight over 500 g: EUR 15,00 incl. VAT
World (all Non-EU countries)/ shipping costs:
shippment weight up to 500 g: EUR 20,00
shippment weight over 500 g: EUR 35,00
(For every shipment we add 250 grams of packing material.)
The customer is notified of the shipping costs prior to the shipping of the items.
§ 5 Cancellation Instruction
Consumers may cancel their order in text form (for example by letter, e-mail) within 2 weeks without stating any reasons or - in the event the item has been transferred prior to the beginning of the period - through the return of the item. The period begins upon the receipt of this instruction in text form, however, not before the receipt of the product by the recipient. The timely mailing of the cancellation or shipping of the products is sufficient to comply with the cancellation period.
The cancellation or the product return is to be addressed to:
Einstürzende Neubauten Merchandise GbR
Beusselstr. 88
DE-10553 Berlin
Email: email@example.com
The cancellation right does not apply in the event of sealed and/or shrink wrapped audio, video and data media to the extent the delivered media has been unsealed and/or opened by the customer.
Consequences of Cancellation:
In the event of an effective cancellation, each party is obligated to return received contractual considerations and any derived profits (for example interest) from such considerations, if appropriate. In the event the customer cannot return the received products in whole or in part or in deteriorated condition he/she is obligated to compensate ENM GbR for the incurred loss, if any. This does not apply to the transfer of products in the event the deterioration of the products is ascribed exclusively to its inspection - as it would have been possible at a store. Otherwise the obligation to pay compensation for the appropriate use of the products can be avoided by not using the product as ones property and to abstain from any actions which deteriorate the value of the product
All Products, which can be shipped as a parcel, are to be returned at risk of sender. The customer bears the shipping costs for the return of the products, if the delivered products match the ordered products.
§ 6 Warranty
Defect claims are not effective in the event of minor deviations of the agreed upon property or only minor impairment of the usefulness. Possible minor color deviations between the images and the delivered products are technical and do not represent any defect. Back and arm printing of T-Shirts etc... may deviate due to product updates. ENM GbR endeavors to always provide the most up-to-date version (for example current tour schedule and improved designs etc...). All over-prints can be due to the extravagant production methods, which can result in some edges being left blank. This does not constitute a defect. ENM GbR is not liable for any defects that are due to the improper adherence to care instructions. Textiles are to be washed prior to being worn to remove any residue from the production process. T-Shirts may only be washed at 30 degree Celsius and are to be washed inside out. All textiles may not be dried in a drier. ENM GbR meets its warranty obligations by replacing the defective product. In the event the product cannot be replaced, the customer may demand at its option the reduction of the purchase price or may demand the cancellation of the agreement. In the event of a minor contractual infringement, in particular in the case of only minor defects the customer may not withdraw from the agreement.
§ 7 Liability
The following applies to any damage and reimbursement of incurred expenses claims that are due to negligence on the part of ENM GbR, ENM GbR is only liable for damages caused by intentional or grossly negligent acts or culpable breach of a material contractual obligations by ENM GbR as well as pursuant to the product liability act. Any additional liability is excluded. Paragraph 1 applies accordingly to damage claims for fruitless efforts. The limitation of liability does not change the burden of proof to the detriment of the purchaser.
§ 8 Data Protection
Within the scope of the Federal Data Protection Act, ENM GbR may use and store customer related data, received in connection with the business relationship, irrespective if such data is received from the customer or from third parties. This note replaces the notification according to the German Data Protection Act, that personal data of customers are stored and processed by means of electronic processing. ENM GbR undertakes to utilize and store data only to the extent necessary as required to process this agreement, for the assertion of claims under this agreement and within the context of commercial accounting obligations. Any disclosure of personal data to any third party requires the consent of the customer.
§ 9 Final Provisions
In the event a provision of these General Terms and Conditions are or become ineffective, this does not affect the effectiveness of the remaining provisions.


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Sunday 2 July 1916 – We Lost 1,389
Last night Lieutenant and Adjutant Geoffrey St George Shillington Cather (Royal Irish Fusiliers) goes out to bring in the wounded from 'no man's land'. By midnight he has brought three men into safety. This morning at 08:00 he will go out again but is killed at age 25 by machine gun fire at 10:30. For his efforts last night and today he will be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
The first time thermite shells are fired by British field artillery is when the 30th Division artillery fires on Bernafay Wood on the Somme today.
Today's losses include:
- The grandson of the 3rd Baron de Freyne of Coolavin
- A battalion commander
- An England International Hockey player
- Multiple families that will lose two and three sons in the Great War
- The son of a Justice of the Peace
- Multiple sons of members of the clergy
- An amateur heavyweight boxer
- The son of a General
- An Australian Rules footballer
- The son-in-law of a Baronet
Today's highlighted casualties include:
- Lieutenant Colonel Louis Meredith Howard (commanding 24th Northumberland Fusiliers) dies of wounds received on the previous day. He is a veteran of the South Africa War.
- Major Charles John French (Shropshire Light Infantry) is killed at age 37. His brother was killed last month and they are grandsons of the 3rd Baron de Freyne of Coolavin.
- Lieutenant Dudley Holme Scott (Liverpool Regiment) dies of wounds at age 37. He played hockey for England against Ireland in 1904 and for many years was a member of the Cheshire County team.
- Lieutenant Francis Leslie Melville Pym (Irish Guards) is killed. His brother will die of wounds in March 1917.
- Lieutenant Henry Whittaker Coombs (Northumberland Fusiliers) dies of wounds received the previous day at age 23. He is the son of Baptist Minister the Reverend Arthur Henry Coombs.
- Lieutenant Lyons George Edmund Walcott (Lincolnshire Regiment) is killed at age 25 when he is shot through the head as he leads his men close to German wire. He is the son of Lyons Roden Sympson Walcott JP.
- Lieutenant Ian Cameron MacDonell (Lord Strathcona's Horse attached Royal Flying Corps) is killed at age 21. He is the son of 'Sir' Archibald Cameron MacDonell KCB CMG DSO.
- Lieutenant Stanley Moore (New Zealand Field Artillery) is killed at age 29. He is a well-known amateur heavyweight boxer.
- Lieutenant Johnston Murphy (Royal Irish Rifles) is killed at age 24. His brother will be killed in October 1918.
- Lieutenant Valentine Ashworth Braithwaite MC (Somerset Light Infantry) is killed at age 20. He is the son of General 'Sir' Walter Braithwaite KCB.
- Lieutenant Ronald Henry Spinney (Coldstream Guards) is killed at age 28. His brother will be killed in October.
- Lieutenant Ronald Duncan Wheatcroft (Sherwood Foresters) is killed at age 26. His brother was killed in August 1915.
- Lieutenant James Leslie Jameson MC (West Yorkshire Regiment) is killed in action at age 20. He is the son of the Reverend Thomas Raine Jameson.
- Second Lieutenant George Kenneth Raine (Durham Light Infantry) dies of wounds received in the attack on Serre on the previous day. His only brother died of wounds on 27th September 1915.
- Second Lieutenant John Maurice Hunter (Wiltshire Regiment) is killed at age 31. He is the son of the late Reverend John Hunter DD.
- Lance Corporal Albert Plummer (Sussex Regiment) dies of wounds at age 36. His two brothers will be killed before the end of the war.
- Private Henry Charles Crane (Newfoundland Regiment) is killed at age 29. His brother will be killed in September 1918.
- Private James Hayes (Inniskilling Fusiliers) dies of wounds received yesterday at age 36. His brother was killed last year on Gallipoli.
- Private James R Pender (Australian Infantry) an Australian Rules Footballer who played in 15 games scoring 4 goals in 1898 is killed at age 38.
- Private Clement Lockhart Moore (Australian Infantry) is killed at age 37. His twin brother will be killed tomorrow.
- Private William O'Hare (East Lancashire Regiment) is killed at age 24. His 16-year old brother was killed in March 1915.
- Rifleman William Greer (Royal Irish Rifles) is killed in action. He is the third William Greer to be killed in action serving in the Royal Irish Rifles in two days. All three are commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
- Sapper Richard Farnell (Royal Engineers) is killed. He is the last of three brothers who will lose their lives in the Great War.
- Private Stanley Victor Cruse (Royal Fusiliers) is killed at age 22. He is the son-in-law of 'Sir' Arthur Talbot Munro 13th
- Trooper Alexander Butler (Royal Canadian Dragoons) is executed for murder at age 28. During May 1915 he suffered a head injury after falling from a horse and almost immediately his good conduct begins to deteriorate and after suffering another fall from his horse his conduct becomes even worse. On 8th June while his unit was resting behind the lines at Hesdin he picked up his rifle and fired 5 shots into the chest of Trooper Mickleburgh, killing him instantly.

subset: commoncrawl


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Would Mondelez International really let Google attach its Oreo trademark to the name of what will be the next version of Android? That may be the way the cookie crumbles. If you do decide to let it crumble, make sure to capture that moment on your new Snapchat Spectacles — you've got no line to wait in anymore — and post an album to Instagram. Between all that and the week's worries and frets from Samsung, we've pretty much got this podcast covered.
Well, okay, maybe we can talk a little bit about MWC 2017. That's where we'll start and we'll be answering YOUR questions throughout the show, so make sure you're charged and ready for the Pocketnow Weekly!
Watch the live video broadcast from 11:30pm Eastern on February 24th, or check out the high-quality audio version right here.
For folks watching live, you can comment and ask questions by using the #PNWeekly hashtag on Twitter during the broadcast. For folks watching later, you can shoot your listener emails to [email protected] for a shot at getting your question read aloud on the air the following week!
Pocketnow Weekly 241
Recording Date
February 24, 2017
This week's episode of the Pocketnow Weekly Podcast is made possible by: Blue Apron
We get it. You're busy. That doesn't mean you don't have time to put together interesting meals using high quality ingredients. Blue Apron takes the guesswork out of cooking, delivering the exact amounts of food you need for each recipe. All ingredients, meats, and vegetables are sourced ethically using sustainable sources.
Meals are delivered to 99% of the continental United States and it costs are under $10 per serving. Meals in February include:
- Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry with Tango Mandarins & Jasmine Rice
- Udon Noodle Soup with Miso & Soft-Boiled Eggs
- Roasted Pork with Apple, Walnut, & Farro Salad and Crispy Barramundi with Quinoa & Roasted Carrot Salad
Each week you can customize your menu to fit your particular tastes and dietary restrictions, including vegetarian options. Blue Apron has an extensive collection of recipes, and subscribers won't encounter the same meal twice over the course of a year, unless requested. Cooking together can help improve family bonds, and Blue Apron families cook together three times more often. You will love how good it feels, and tastes, to create incredible home cooked meals with Blue Apron, so don't wait!
Check out this week's menu and get your first three meals free by going to http://blueapron.com/pocketnow.
MWC 2017 Beckons
We have the ultimate cheat sheet as to what you can expect this weekend even before the actual show starts, so you've got no excuse to not be here and discuss all the trappings from LG, Nokia, Motorola, TCL and the others with us!
Look forward to next week's podcast where Juan Carlos Bagnell, Anton D. Nagy and Jaime Rivera come to you direct from Mobile World Congress 2017!
35:47 | It's 2013 all over again as Softbank wants to see a Sprint/T-Mobile merger
39:00 | Is it worth Apple's pain when you've got nothing to gain?
41:58 | What LTE-U means for you, me, the Big V and T-Mo
46:07 | NuAns revives itself with the Neo Reloaded for Android
50:48 | Jide's take on Android with Continuum to come in the summer
55:55 | rInstagram's 10-pack albums now ready for loading
57:35 | You can order some Snapchat Spectacles in a snap
1:01:50 | We need Android Pocky in our lives
Samsung This Week
With the Galaxy S8 expected tp tip the money and time scales this year, Samsung has an uphill battle in repairing its good name in some parts of the world. And Google isn't helping with the situation at all. We explain.
Your Reaction
Listener mail this week from Mark Hilton on our thoughts about refurbished Galaxy Note 7s, Daniel Bray on the Pebble gap and Saif Osman on Oreo's flirtatious game with Google, plus your reactions through Twitter with the hashtag #PNWeekly throughout the show!
See you soon!


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Posted July 27, 2015
In keeping with the theme started two weeks ago with the Garbage Can Special (see the page "WY. The Garbage Can Special"), this week's story describes two other garage-built racing motor cycles. Again I apologize for the quality of the images, but the original photos are long lost. These are scans of half-tone images from the yellowed pages of the old Lap Times.
This first article is a modified version of one that appeared in the August 1976 issue of the Lap Times.
The BSO Racer co-authored by Ken Mullins
By 1975 Vance Breese was already a veteran racer. Vance had a habit of racing, um, unusual motorcycles. He once told a story about racing a Bultaco Metralla, crashing into the desert at high speed at Willow Springs. He slid under a pickup truck while the Metralla flew over the truck, or maybe it was the other way around. In 1975 Vance had won the 500 G.P. class riding a BSA Victor 441 (perhaps bored out to 500cc), and had earned the number 5 in the AFM. In 1976 Vance was defending his title in the 500cc G.P. class with a BSO.
What's a BSO? A reasonable question. You start with a BSA Victor 441. The 441 was called a street-scrambler back in the day, what we now call a dual-purpose bike. Vance took out the 441cc single-cylinder motor, modified the frame a bit, and put in a 498cc ESO motor. The ESO is also a 4-stroke single, but intended for a speedway bike. Speedway bikes don't have gears, and the ESO motor had no gearbox, so a Norton 5-speed gearbox was added. None of these things were ever meant to work together but on Vance's bike they all looked natural. The BSO used a Norton fuel tank and sometimes a half-fairing, both painted gloss black.
Vance Breese at speed at Sears Point on the BSO. Photo by Mush Emmons.
Ceriani forks and a big 4-leading-shoe drum brake were fitted on the front end. The tires were treaded racing tires, a Dunlop front and a Michelin rear. An exhaust pipe and megaphone were fabricated by Williams Pipes in Redwood City, and Selby Motors helped some. The bike was making somewhere near 50 horsepower at the rear wheel. Vance had considered getting a newer 4-valve head from ESO/Jawa to help increase horsepower.
Some competitors had taken one of the Yamaha TZ750 cylinder pairs and installed them on a TZ350, making it essentially a TZ350 with a 375cc motor. The oversize motor moved the bike from the 350cc class up to the 500cc class. Since the original TZ350 was rated at 60 horsepower, you can see what Vance was up against. Vance used the light weight and good handling of the BSO, along with his own considerable riding skills, to overcome this disadvantage. He successfully defended his title, being the 500 G.P. Class Champion again in 1976.
The following article appeared in the July 1977 issue of the Lap Times. I simply copied the article, so when it says "this year" in means "1977."
Jewel's Gem
Last year the 50cc GP class was dominated by a neat little Italian bike. The Moto Villa was fast (for a 50cc bike), won a lot, and took its rider to the class championship.
This year things are different. A small yellow bike has shown up and has been winning with regularity. What's more amazing is that the bike is virtually homemade, a rarity these days of superb factory-built racers. Intrigued by any work-shop built bike, I talked to the owner/builder/rider, Jewel Hendricks. Jewel is a machinist and it's generally known in the Southern California community that he's a good one.
The bike is powered by a Dutch-built Kreidler engine. You have to understand about Kreidler – they don't sell race bikes, they sell motors. Once you talk them into selling you one (Jewel has been at it since 1974) what you do with it is your own business. You get the complete engine in a box, the motor with Kroeber ignition, a silenced expansion chamber exhaust, water pump and radiator, and a handful of counter-shaft sprockets.
A close up view of the motor. The cylinder and head are nearly as big as the crankcase. Inside the cases is a 5-speed gearbox and clutch. Just above and to the left of the motor is the electric water pump.
The engine is a real beauty, a very compact water-cooled single with a 5-speed gearbox. The cylinder is nearly horizontal and is very large for a 50cc bike, giving lots of cooling fluid surrounding the cylinder and head. The motor is nearly square with a 40mm bore and 39.7mm stroke. The bore is plated with "Nickasil," a nickel-silicon alloy that's tougher than chrome. Porting is pretty straight-forward with a disk-valved intake. The carb, a 28mm Amal on Jewel's bike, hangs off the left side of the crankcase.
The engine is rated at a healthy 16 hp at 15,500 rpm. The bike is capable of speeds up to 100 mph, depending on wind and the slickness of the fairing. Remember, this is a production engine; the factory has bikes racing in Europe that have been clocked at 126 mph!
(Left) Everything is tiny inside the engine. The 40mm (about 1.5 inch) piston has a single Dykes-style compression ring. The crank wheels are only three inches in diameter. Also shown are the inlet valve disk and one fiber and one metal clutch plate. (Right) The bore is inside a substantial cylinder with lots of room for cooling fluid.
So it's a neat little motor, but you can't win races with just a fast engine. To get through tech inspection you are going to need a frame, wheels, fuel tank, and other accessories. The engine's shape lends itself to a backbone-style frame, so that's what Jewel designed and built. The main tube is 1.75 inches in diameter, of .049 inch thick steel. It runs from the top of the steering head straight to the swing-arm pivot tube. There's a sub-frame that triangulates the steering head then extends rearward to hold the seat and upper shock mounts. There's a small tube on each side running from the shock mounts to the swing-arm pivot to support the read of the sub-frame and provide a place to hand foot pegs and controls.
This image shows the homemade frame with the large single backbone tube. Also visible are the tubes that form the sub-frame, and the way the carb is mounted on a disk-valve 2-stroke.
At the front Jewel has fitted Ceriani forks stolen from a small dirt bike that he shortened 3 inches and re-valved. The shocks are S&W units that were intended for a minibike that have also been reworked.
One advantage of building you own frame is you can make it fit, and Jewel's 5' 9" frame slips right into the bike. It has a longish wheelbase at 51" – by comparison a TA125 Yamaha has a 48" wheelbase. After studying frame theory and asking a lot of questions Jewel selected a 27 degree steering head angle.
"I found that it's hard to go wrong with an angle of 27 degrees," he says. He also selected a trail value that, by theory, would give a dead neutral handling. Jewel is pretty happy with the results, but admits that if he did it over again he'd give it one more degree of rake to increase straight-line stability at speed.
The bike's brakes are single disks at both ends with Grimeca master cylinder and calipers. Jewel made his own disks of aluminum then had them plasma-coated by Harry Hunt. Jewel considered leaving them uncoated but thought better of it.
"They'll work fine, but if you get one little pebble caught in the brakes the disks are ruined." The brakes stop the bike through tiny Dunlop racing tires – a 2.00×18 front and a 2.50×18 rear, laced up to "smaller than WM-0" rims. To mount the front Grimeca caliper tabs were welding to one of the fork sliders, then the slider was straightened to remove the distortion cause by the welding heat.
Jewel at speed at Ontario or perhaps Riverside raceway. He tucks in nicely since he built the frame to fit someone his size.
The whole bike works very well. In six races this year Jewel has 4 firsts and 2 second place finishes. The bike has given no real problems, although the clutch plates need frequent replacement and it's hard to keep the temperature up in the short club races.
The bike is as fast as is claimed. At Riverside recently a rider of a 125 Production bike, who almost never gets passed by a 50cc GP bike, had Jewel pass her coming out of the fast turn 9 (the AFM lightweight race includes both classes). She tucked in behind hoping to get a draft up the front straight when she heard the little yellow bike shift into 5th and leave her rapidly behind. The Kreidler-powered bike was running over 85 mph and still had a gear to go.


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Changing connectivity provider can be a daunting task, but there can be huge savings performance benefits. We can find you the right connectivity and manage the change for you with no disruption.
Connectivity is an increasingly important part of the IT infrastructure of modern businesses. It is heavily relied upon to provide access to services such as email, Internet, cloud services and remote offices. The days of slow connectivity are gone and businesses must have fast and reliable connectivity to operate and communicate with suppliers and customers.
Choosing the right type of cabling for your needs, installing it properly and verifying compliance with required standards is one of the keys to getting the most out of your network and telecommunications investment.
Our cabling technicians can quickly and affordably cable your new offices, network multiple locations, or simply add a single network or voice drop to your existing infrastructure.
We find that businesses often have the wrong connectivity or are using it in the wrong way, before making any recommendations about any aspect of your environment we'll gain a full understanding of how you use it and where its letting you down and then propose a way forward. This may mean implementing new solutions but it may also mean making improvements to the way you use what you already have.
Many business now have multiple offices, so it's important that data flowing between the offices is reliable and secure. We can provide a number of solutions such as direct site to site connections or secure Internet based VPN solutions.
If you chose to implement a new connectivity solution, it's important that the business doesn't suffer any downtime. Therefore we'll plan every aspect of this, such as making sure email systems are updated to use your new lines, reconfiguring branch devices so that they connect back to the new line, making sure that home workers machines are updated so they can connect when they need to work and working with your 3rd party providers to ensure that they can still connect and support software solutions they may provide to you such as line of business applications and database.


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The Pasternack 2.92mm female 4 hole flange connector has a ppo dielectric type. The Pasternack 2.92mm connector has a passivated stainless steel body. This 2.92mm female 4 hole flange RF connector is REACH compliant.
This Pasternack female 2.92mm 4 hole flange connector will ship the same day as purchased. Our 4 hole flange 2.92mm female connector is part of over 40,000 RF, microwave and millimeter wave components in stock for worldwide shipment. We also build custom 2.92mm connector cable assemblies that will ship the same day as well.
苏公网安备 32059002001470号


text: Leaving Iraq With US troops withdrawing, many are questioning the ability of the Iraqi security forces to face mounting violence. 31 Aug 2010 11:24 GMT Politics, US & Canada, Iraq, United States As the US completes its combat troop drawdown from Iraq, domestic security forces are being put to the test. Many are now questioning the ability of the Iraqi security forces to face mounting violence. A suicide attack against army recruits on Tuesday, in which 63 pople were killed, raised concerns about the Iraqi security forces' ability to take care of its own, let alone ordinary Iraqis. This comes amid a political impasse over the formation of a new government after the March elections. So, are Iraqi security forces up to the job? What is their security strategy, if there is one at all? Inside Story, with presenter Sami Zeidan, discusses with Larry Korb, the former assistant secretary of defence and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Mustafa el-Hiti, a former Iraqi MP, and Louay Bahry, a scholar at the Middle East Institute. This episode of Inside Story aired from Monday, August 30, 2010.Source: Al Jazeera Tell us what you think


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On my stopover in Cape Town, en route to Thailand, I connected with powerhouse and fitness god, Mikhail Manewil. He radiates confidence, but that wasn't always the case. Mikhail tells the story of a less-than-confident adolescent who re-engineered his body to develop his self-confidence through a wholesome lifestyle and workout plan. In addition to a rocking hard physique, Mikhail also has a charming presence that inspires hope in a world that still has mystery and beauty.
1998: Born in Cape Town
2016: Matriculated from JG Meiring High School
2017: Enrolled for Sports Psychology at UNISA
2017: Started modeling for Niku Underwear
What motto guides your attitude to life?
"They can knock you down, but as long as you can look up you can get up". Never let troubles dictate what your life can be. Dig deep and visualize where you want to be because strength isn't measured by how hard you can get hit, but by how hard you can get hit and still move forward.
You started working out in earnest at the end of matric. What inspired it?
I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin. I wanted a change to experience what it feels like to have energy and power and be the best I can be. I also knew that I wanted to try it the natural way, setting my diet straight and designing a fitness programme that works for me. This experiment has changed my lifestyle and given me the confidence to show up and be counted.
You are studying Sports Psychology. Why that and not biokinetics or physiotherapy?
Even though I am interested in fitness I also want to study people's behaviour to answer questions like, "what triggers aggression in rugby", for example. I want to know what gives them the urge to run through someone else, what drives their aggression. I've been there myself and would like to understand that transformation. What fuels it? In my mind I need to protect my players, being on alert making sure the competition doesn't come through me, and attack in line at the same time. There is a lot of strategic thinking understanding formations, velocity, and game theory. There are so many variables that come into play so Sports Psychology will help me understand the interplay between biochemistry, biokinetics and the psychology of things. More than this, my studies connect with not only my interest in physiology but also normal life and relationships.
Most matriculants these days want the full university experience. Why study through UNISA then?
Firstly, I hate the idea of having to attend lectures so distance-learning with UNISA offers me the chance to develop self-discipline since it's all on me. I also want the freedom to work thereby becoming independent. I don't simply want to be a student. When I matriculated I didn't know myself and I feel studying by correspondence grants me more 'me time' to grow in self-knowledge. Of course attending a full-time university can offer you the experiences to grow but that wasn't the path for me. Two years on I feel I know myself better but you are always on a journey into yourself.
What are the biggest influences that help you discover more of who you are?
I've been very vulnerable to life. I try to surround myself with people who want to be in my life and to support me. So studying at UNISA has helped me to 'do me' and wean myself from dependencies. Associate yourself with good people and mentors who understand you and are on your side. There was a time that I had loads of friends, but through various experiences, I now have true friends that have been tested by time. Discernment is key. I also try to be a positive influence and invest in those I care about.
I know you don't call yourself a model, but how did you get into the world of fitness modeling?
I always wanted to be part of an agency. About three weeks ago Pierre Du Plessis (Manager) approached me and asked whether I would be interested in becoming an underwear/swimwear model. It wasn't something I initially considered since I hardly felt I had the confidence to strut my stuff in next-to-nothing but I opened myself up to the experience. People may look at me and think: "how can you not have confidence?" There is one thing you need to understand, when you gym you never feel satisfied with your progress, regardless of your gains. However, I started modeling for Niku Underwear and with all the positive feedback I started believing that this is something I could be good at. I'm really enjoying my experience so far and it's something that I can see myself doing for a long time. I am a really open person and that makes this kind of exposure a pleasure. I've been lucky to work with really professional people who dispel any anxieties you may have. I would also be keen on fashion/runway modeling and acting but haven't signed up to any agencies yet since I'm focusing on Niku for the moment. I wouldn't want to split my schedule too much at this stage since I'm just starting out.
Where do you imagine your modeling and study career to take you?
I just want to do things I love, whether it's modeling or studies so that I can follow my dream to get myself out there. Before starting this modeling gig nobody knew my name or who I was. I want to open my life experiences through things that I am passionate about. My life, like everyone else, is a project under construction. I am playing with the idea of starting a fitness blog that can combine my modeling and Sport Psychology interests. It would be the ideal way to position my brand since I would most likely become my own business as a consultant. Working abroad is certainly something that I'm interested in so establishing my fitness brand is important. We have to celebrate our achievements right?
In a world so focused on appearances, how do you prevent yourself from becoming a slave to superficiality?
I was never based on appearances since I want to have meaningful encounters. I enjoy learning from others and that's why you must surround yourself with people of substance. I try to cultivate mindfulness so that my life is anchored in the things that matter.
Why did you get into the Face of DDEM Competition?
The main guy inboxed me asking whether I would like to enter the competition. I didn't really know what it was about but it sounded like something that could be fun. The contest, of course, has its own lifecycle but it's a challenge that I embraced. There have been a number of clothing brands that messaged after seeing me on the DDEM social media platforms – this is a positive spinoff.
Tell us one thing that would surprise people about you?
Besides being a social butterfly and enjoying connecting with people, ensuring they are having fun, I can also sing. Until today even some of my extended family don't know this about me. I sing jazz and blues and love playing instruments. I have a musical family – my dad has sung for the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Education. We also sing for church events. Music brings me joy so, for now, it's something private to be shared with my family. However, modeling has helped me step out of myself so watch this space. My other talents may reach the public stage sooner than you think.
Connect with Mikhail:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikhailmodel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikhailmanewil
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Manager – Pierre du Plessis: firstname.lastname@example.com


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The aim of this article is to identify which economic model is applied in Eritrea. The government claims to follow the market economy model(s), however, the actual practice seems to be different and casts doubts on the government's commitment to market economy. Against this background, the author has examined Eritrea's economic development model. Confirming to his doubts, the author found out that the government is applying a militarist command economy model, however, in an improperly planned, poorly coordinated and extremely mismanaged approach, with its serious negative impacts on the economic, social, cultural, diplomatic and political conditions in the country.
The purpose of this article is to examine the social dimension of the nation building process in Eritrea. A qualitative case-study method which is composed of primary and secondary data is applied to conduct the research. The main findings show that (i) the social dimension of the nation building process was a complete failure, (ii) the main reason for the failure is the inappropriateness of the leadership to lead the task properly and (iii) a directive, visionary, participative and interactive leader that possesses, quality, legitimacy, justice, care, competence and character, i.e. honesty, integrity, trustworthiness and principle-centeredness is a leader that can accomplish the task successfully.
Firms increasingly have to compete globally in order to survive. An understanding of the host country's local culture arguably being one of the most important aspects of this survival. The greater the cultural difference, the higher the risk of miscommunication and of mismanagement. Given that cross-cultural management is acknowledged as an intrinsic part of firm establishment in foreign markets today, we set out to explore the linkages between the competence of international firms in managing cultural differences and the effectiveness of their business operations. How this 'cross-cultural competence' is acquired is of particular interest to this study. Swedish firms operating in Kenya, Lithuania, Poland and Russia are examined. The findings show that international firms tend not to formulate any preparatory measures to become 'culturally competent' prior to entering foreign markets. Learning takes place by doing. A Process Model of Acquiring Cross-Cultural Competence in Foreign Markets is constructed.
Our understanding of the process of firm establishment of foregin firms within the developing and emerging countries remains limited, while the market-specific context-driven nature of the firm establishment process has been largely overlooked in the literature. We aim to address these omissions and explore the establishment process of a Spanish multinational telecommunication firm, Telefónica, in Brazil and Chile applying the "Four Stages Firm Establishment Process Model" by Abraha (1994). We identify strategic responses crafted by Telefónica to overcome competitive challenges during its establishment process. We revise Abraha's model in view of the findings and conclude with implications for managerial practices and future research.
Focus on the particular entry mode a firm uses to enter a new market, rather than the process of establishment dominates in extant literature. To fill this void, we apply an establishment process model developed from the network approach to illuminate the web of relationship forms embedded in the establishment process of two Scandinavian firms as they attempt to establish themselves in transition economies. In one case, the results show that Statoil's process of establishment in Estonia was both less time- and resource-consuming because the firm drew support from significant actors in their network of exchange relationships. In the second case, a lack of home and host country support for Scania in Croatia resulted in an arduous and costly process and less stable position in the market, with the firm's position changing several times as different problems cropped up. In light of the findings from the two cases, theoretical and practical implications for managing the establishment process are discussed.
The Scandinavian market has changed significantly over the past half-decade with several online distributors, particularly of digital files such as music, originating locally. This ineffect has significantly further increased globalization of commerce in the Nordic countries. The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of more traditional models of consumer choice regarding local vs global products in this context. While the major metro areas of Scandinavia have always been largely global, this research reaches further into the central part where attitudes and globalization tends to be adopted at a slower pace
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the issues of how business people perceive the business environment, how government policies impact the environment and how the environment impacts the establishment processes and position development of new firms in the Eritrean market. The process is discussed by keeping a strict focus on the main actors and the activities they carried out, as well as how the available resources are utilized and exchanged in the market.
Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the establishment process model developed from the network approach, case studies based on interviews and focus group discussions have been used to shed light on the extent to how government policies and the environment impacts the establishment processes and position development in the Eritrean market.
Findings – An important conclusion of this paper is that the main obstacle for business establishment is the hostile attitude of the government to the private sector. Another significant obstacle for building a successful position in the market is the state-owned command economy network of relationships. An additional crucial hindrance is the non-existence of a market economy network of relationships that can provide firms in the private sector with the resources they need to perform their operations.
Research limitations/implications – All firms in this paper have demonstrated that the main obstacle for establishment is the hostile attitude of the government to the private sector. Another obstacle is the state-owned command economy network of relationships, which hinders firms from building a successful position in the market. An additional crucial hindrance is the non-existence of a market economy network of relationships that can provide firms in the private sector with the resources they need to perform their operations. Since the paper is based on case studies and focus group discussions, conducting a similar study on a representative sample of firms selected from a larger population will be very useful.
Originality/value – This paper makes a unique contribution by focusing on the establishment process in a market, which is regulated, controlled and owned by the one party government. The other unique contribution is that a firm has to identify the secrets of business success and to follow the same strategy.
Applying a qualitative case-study method this article examines the establishment processes of IKEA and HELDING Share Company (HSC). The findings show that establishment in China is a complex, time and resources consuming process. This is because the Chinese culture makes it a pre-requisite to build social networks of harmonious interpersonal relationships, i.e. guanxi_to achieve success. The rules are changing continuously and there is an excessive involvement of the authorities in the economic activities in the market. It thus takes time and consumes enormous resources to understand the problems and to develop strategies to achieve success in establishments. IKEA and HSC developed interpersonal networks (guanxi) with the JV partners and the various influential people (facilitators) in the different phases of establishments. The developed guanxi enabled the two firms to understand and to handle; the cultural constraint, the complicated and continuously changing legal system, the bottlenecks in authorities relationships, the most complex and time consuming bureaucratic structures, the unique style of negotiations, to get operations and import license, license for the land for running the business and to get various types of assistance in the network development.
Abstract: This article examines the Diplomatic Dimension of Nation building in Eritrea in light of the diplomatic vision adopted in 1994 by the so called the Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Both secondary and primary data are used to write this article. The primary data is collected through telephone interviews, personal interviews, skype-interviews and focus-group discussions with some veteran liberation fighters, former government officials, diplomats and some Eritreans who were holding key positions in the government and who have experience and knowledge as to how the narcissists and psychopaths deal with the neighboring countries and regional as well as international cooperation and relationships. The main findings show that the leadership has committed a diplomatic, moral and ethical blunder scoring one of its main failures in the diplomatic dimension of nation building. This is due to the fact that it has applied a militarist and one man owned, designed, decided and mismanaged diplomatic relationships which is not at all co-operative, although it claims that it applies a healthy neighborly, regional and international cooperation and relationships as stipulated in the diplomatic vision. Moreover, the dysfunctional militarist and one man owned, designed, decided and miss managed relationships and diplomatic approach is not properly planned and it is poorly coordinated and terribly mismanaged. This reality has a serious negative consequence on the diplomatic, economic, social, cultural, organizational and political conditions of the country. The other finding of this study is that the reason why the failed, i.e. narcissistic and psychopathic leadership applies a militarist and one man owned diplomatic relationships model is because it clearly understands that to maintain and strengthen its political, economic, cultural, organizational and social power i.e. power of all aspects it has to have a full control of all the diplomatic, economic, financial and human resources in the country. The reason why the psychopaths spear headed by the self-appointed destructive dictator do not implement the diplomatic vision is because like all the other visions envisaged in the 1994 charter, the diplomatic vision was not designed to be implemented but to help the dictator to get enough time to create the conditions necessary to implement the hidden vision which the Eritrean people couldn't yet design appropriate strategies to fight it adequately and to dismantle its power apparatus. The last reason for the failure of the diplomatic dimension of nation building is the lack of a competent and authentic leadership that possesses the qualities of an effective, legacy building and developmental leadership.
Abstract: The main results of this article are (i) the PFDJ and in particular Isayas has committed a political blunder in the political dimension of nation building by refusing to implement the constitution, (ii) the PFDJ militarized political ideology is a poisonous tool applied to secure the political power of the dictator, (iii) the political vision was not developed to be implemented but to consolidate the raw political power' of the 'raw dictator' in the raw and secretive underground party by liquidating all democratic elements, (iii) the dictator is incompetent to lead the task successfully, and (iv) the other cause for the failure is the lack of an authentic leader who possesses the qualities of a developmental and legacy-building leaders.
The purpose of this paper is: to highlight the impact of industrial networks on strategic alliances; to determine if alliances help firms to build up new or strengthen existing networks; to find out whether alliances succeed or precede networks. Our findings show that well-developed networks have a positive impact on how alliances function and the results that they can achieve. The other finding is that alliances defend and strengthen networks, and also enable firms to build new ones or penetrate those of their alliance partner(s). The final conclusion is that it is difficult to determine if alliances succeed or precede networks.
The purpose of this article is to highlight the journey to and from strategic alliances and if alliances lead to the creation of new Alliances, how existing networks are managed and strengthened and to identify the factors which impact and determine the journey to and from strategic alliances. One of the findings of this chapter is that, in the pre-strategic alliance phase firms can have direct and indirect relationships which can lead to the formation of strategic alliances under certain circumstances, whereas in just the opposite circumstances those relationships might not lead to alliances formation. The other finding is that one of the main factors which determines the journey of strategic alliances is the degree of internationalization of the firm and the market. It is also found out that the journey of alliances can be different in the different groups of Central Europe countries depending on the pace or degree of adaptation of those countries, i.e. whether they are fast-, or medium or slow adapting countries.
Factors influencing firms' standardization and adaptations decisions tend to be treated as static isolated entities in the extant literature. Further, the focus is predominantly on Western MNCs and product development or marketing functions with manufacturing firms and the emerging/developing country perspective underrepresented. We explore factors, as well as their interrelations that determine standardization and adaptations decisions when a developed country manufacturing firm establishes operations in a developing country. Purposefully, Italian manufacturing firms with operations in Vietnam are examined. We identify functions, processes, and practices that are standardized/transferred and those that are adapted. A theoretical model is developed based on the findings.
Our understanding of the process of firm establishment in foreign markets is relatively limited especially in relation to host-developing and host-emerging markets. The market-specific and context-driven nature of the firm establishment process is largely overlooked in the literature. Against this background, we aim to chart the establishment process of a Spanish telecommunication firm, Telefonica, in Brazil and Chile by applying the 'four stage firm establishment process model in foreign markets' (Abraha, 1994). We identify strategic responses crafted by Telefonica to overcome the challenges during its establishment process. We revise Abraha's model in view of the findings and conclude with implications for managerial practices.
While the scholarly focus has shifted from strategic alliance formation to alliance performance and thus alliance outcome, the process that leads to a particular outcome: alliance success or alliance failure remains indeterminate. Given their high failure rate, this study aims to identify factors that contribute to an alliance failure to better understand the strategic alliance management process to help alliances survive. Purposefully, the Volvo-Renault alliance break-up is investigated. A Process Model for International Strategic Alliance Lifecycle is developed. The findings establish that post-formation, the strategic alliance process necessitates managing interactions among: partners' objectives; partners' resource contribution; access to partner's network; and alliance performance. However, for an alliance to sustain, learning and assessment must be an integral part. Learning and assessment are critical strategic inputs that serve as 'binding forces', and as an 'alert mechanism' whereby timely corrective managerial actions are triggered in favor of an alliance sustainability and vice versa.
While the advantages of globalization are numerous, (including economies of scale in research and development, production, marketing, access to large and many markets, access to new ideas, technologies, competencies, resources), globalization also brings with it new challenges. Cultural differences arguably being one of the most important of these challenges. Literature suggests that cultural differences and the firms' ability to deal with them have a significant impact on firms' operations as well as performance. Against this background, this study explores the relationship between cultural differences and the effectiveness of international business operations. The data is drawn from a sample of North European firms operating in diverse foreign markets. The findings show that for the European firms in our sample the learning, in the main, tended to take place 'by doing' over time. The paper concludes with managerial implications.
Purpose – In the extant literature a firm's development of its competitive advantage is seen to be the task of the firm alone. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new and a broader approach of how competitive advantage can be developed and maintained in today's highly competitive and dynamic markets. To this end, how a firm handles its relationships with significant actors in its network becomes very decisive for the development of its competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on a network approach, case studies have been used to shed lights on the extent to which the development of competitive advantage of firms affect and are affected by their interaction with some actors in a network of exchange relationships.
Findings – An important conclusion of this study is that a firm's highly valued performance, an indication of its strong position or competitive strength, has its roots in its regular and intensive interaction with some significant actors in its network.
Research limitations/implications – All firms in this study have demonstrated that competitive advantage can be achieved by building up a strong position through interaction, learning and adaptation with some significant actors in the marketplace. Since the study is based on one setting, extending a similar study to several settings will be very useful.
Originality/value – The paper provides insights into how a firm, in the effort to build its competitive advantage, draws on its own capabilities and complementary capabilities of its partners in a network.
Purpose - The purpose of this study is to provide deeper insights into the extent to which an independent actor(s) actively collaborates with the internationalizing firm so as to jointly determine the choice of market, the mode of entry and the level of investment committed in the market to be entered and even after the entry (i.e. the ongoing activities). Design/methodology/approach - Against the previous purpose section, a qualitative research approach is selected to guide the exploratory nature of this study. Thus qualitative data are used to build the two case studies because case studies are generally a more appropriate approach when "how" and "why" questions are being posed and when the investigator has little control over events. Findings - Based on two multiple case studies, one major finding of the study shows that independent actors, with their interconnected networks, have played and are still playing a major role in influencing the internationalization processes of each of the two firms in this study. Originality/value - This is an original paper developed based on two case studies which have not been published in any journal before. The paper highlights the role of external independent actors in internationalization, which is not mentioned at all or stressed in the extant literature.
Purpose – To examine how customers, both men and women entrepreneurs, perceive service quality of the latest counselling encounters with their banks, and to find out if men and women differ in their satisfaction for two or more counselling encounters.
Design/methodology/approach – A combination of research methods is used. First, data have been collected through focus-groups interviews in a pilot-study; second, data have been collected through a survey study. The focus is on perceived service quality and customer satisfaction and further business, personal and situational factors are included. A total of 215 women and 487 men participated in the survey.
Findings – There are few gender-related significant differences among women and men in their perceptions of service quality, and no signs which indicate that women perceive the service quality as less good. One group of women, in retail services, has perceived the service quality as being significantly different and positive compared with a group of men. Further, there are no gender-related significant differences between women and men regarding customer satisfaction. Another result is that significant differences are observed between one group of women and one group of men depending on the place where the parties met. The encounters took place more often in the women customers' office or somewhere else outside the bank.
Originality/value – This paper shows that the belief that women as business owners, in general, are discriminated against by financial institutions is a myth rather than a reality.
Do consumers of the same brand from different culture have the same perceptions while assessing the advertisements on Social Networking Sites' (SNSAs)? To answer this question, the data for this study were collected from brand communities' consumers (BCCs) on SNSs. 278 respondents from three different cultural backgrounds (Egyptians, Dutch and British) answered the questionnaires. Five main variables to collect the consumers' assessment of SNSAs were tested (information value, entertainment value, credibility value, interactivity value, and irritation value). Based on the empirical findings, the three groups perceived five of the six variables with significant difference F ratios. Consequently, their perception of the entertainment value of SNSAs has no significant differences between the three groups. Based on the cross-cultural theory, the findings of this study have some agreements and some contradictions, especially the influences of power distance and uncertainly avoidance. Moreover, the researchers used the One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Post Hoc tests to compare between the assessments of the three groups.
Marketers act on social networking sites (SNSs) in order to be more efficient in merchandising their products and/or services. Even so, the scope of the published studies regarding the assessment of advertisements on social networking sites (SNAs) is limited. Consequently, the present study aimed to consider credibility and interactivity, in addition to information, entertainment and irritation values, as main factors for consumers' assessment of SNAs, as perceived by SNSs' users.An analysis of empirical data helped to identify four main factors for assessing SNAs. These were: information value, entertainment value, credibility value and interactivity value. Irritation value was the only factor that had no significant effect on the assessment of SNAs. Furthermore, based on the beta coefficients, the information and entertainment values of SNAs, in conjunction with credibility and interactivity values, had different outcomes from previous studies. Consequently, the interactivity value was the strongest among the four predictors for assessing SNAs.
Among China and India, former Eastern European countries, and especially Russia has been identified as one of the most lucrative market, e.g. in retail sector. However, this market has experienced quite enormous changes during the last two decades, and manufacturing establishment is considered to contain numerous risks, especially functionality of supply chains (incoming flows and distribution) is one of the main reasons. Our longitudinal case study research confirms this, and shows how difficult it is to achieve comparable cost efficiency in Russia as compared to other factories inside of the same company, but operating in well-developed high-cost country. Due to this, and by the fact that foreign companies still favour export based strategies, we develop mathematical models to evaluate which foreign transit harbours would provide lowest distribution costs. Our research results show that only small number of seaports needs to be considered, if distribution costs are the only issue to be concerned.
This study aims to explore factors affecting the formation and operation of strategic alliances, and the impact of these factors on performance. The underlying premise being that different cultures affect strategic alliances differently. The study is based on the analysis of 20 alliances between firms in Eastern and Central Europe and their Swedish partners. Significant differences were found across countries. The paper concludes with implications for managers responsible for managing international alliances in terms of effectiveness of their role, as well as their cultural awareness and ability to deal with cultural differences.
Purpose - The study deals with institutional factors that have impact on the operation of east-west alliances. Applying Kostova and Roth's terminology of institutional and relational contexts, this paper aims to address how alliance relationship based on resources, learning and performance organizes and functions, and how institutional factors influence the alliance relationship. Design/methodology/approach - To properly highlight the role of institutional factors, eastern and central Europe (ECE) is divided into four categories, namely fast adapters, high and low medium adapters and slow adapters. A total of 20 alliances operating in different country categories have been selected for the study. In all alliances, foreign partners are Swedish firms and engaged in the manufacturing industry, Semi-structured interviews containing both a fixed set of questions and a set of open-ended questions have been used for data collection. Findings - The impact of institutional factors on firms in slow-adapting countries was uniformly high, the initiatives taken were usually fruitless and ineffective. In the case of medium-adapters, the impact was largely mitigated over time as alliances passed through the different stages. The least impact was, as expected, observed among the alliances in fast-adapting countries. However, the result needs to be taken with some caution as the data include alliances where partners come from a single western country. Practical implications - For direct investment, managers need to take the institutional factors seriously as ECE countries undergo a transition period and the economical situations of these countries shows a wide variation. For example, if need of return is quick, the managers should invest in a fast-adapting country or in a medium-adapting country but not at all in a slow-adapting country. Originality/value - This paper makes a unique contribution by focusing institutional factors which affect strategic alliances in ECE. One future study can concern cultural impact on business environment and new business development in ECE. Another interesting area of research could deal with medium-adapting countries because the members of this group show different level of adaptation and performance.
Abstract: By applying a longitudinal perspective, this study examines how an alliance formulates and implements its marketing strategy based on motives, resources, learning, network and performance, in Central and Eastern Europe(CEE). An in-depth study on a Hungarian alliance between a Swedish medical engineering company and a local partner has been conducted. The data is collected in two periods: 1999 and 2009, and for the convenience of the analysis, the result has been presented in two phases. By comparing the phases, it is shown how the environment in which the alliance operates changes and how the alliance responses by improving its marketing strategy. Major variation of the strategy includes focus on small and dental clinics, development of intensive contacts with big hospitals to gain huge contracts after the reformation of the healthcare sector and finding a balance between lowering price and maintaining high quality of the products and services.
Major studies on strategic alliances have until now concentrated on large firms, thus opportunities and problems related to the formation and operation of alliances by small- and medium-sized firms remain unexplored. This study concentrates on product and skills development
in high-tech small- and medium-sized firms (SMHT) through international strategic alliances. Due to the explorative nature of the study, a qualitative method has been used for data collection and analysis. A theoretical framework consisting of motives, resources, learning, network, and performance has been applied to analyse case studies. Learning, complementarity of resources, and development of long-term relationships are found to be closely related with performance. Another finding is that environmental issues often have significant impact on the development of alliances.
The importance of the Baltic states has increased due to increase of capital inflow from the West. A large part of the foreign involvement takes the form of alliance with local partners in the region. But how these alliances operate and fulfill the objectives of the partners in the Baltic states remain almost unexplored. By the help of depth interviews, four alliances, two in Estonia and the other two in Lithuania, have therefore been studied in this research work. The theoretical framework is based on the concepts of motives, resources, learning, network, performance and general environment. Cost reduction, market seeking, and development and maintenance of services have been the main motives of foreign firms in entering into the alliances. No clear cut motive is observed from the local partners' side. Learning has been found important for both the partners and concerns cultural differences, local knowhow and adaptation to the Western way in doing business. A broader view of performance is presented by including network development in the article. Profitability, market share, and sales have been seen as short term while network development and relationships as longterm performance criteria in the alliances. The role of general environment on alliances and its impact on network development have also been observed. This study further suggests that alliances offering service dominated products concentrate on the local markets, while alliances offering products with less service elements have export as the target.
Innovation capability has been recognized as important approach for organizations to be competitive. The purpose of this study is to understand how innovation capability,with the notion of cloud computing, trust and open innovation affect supplychain agility.The main research question to be addressed is How Does Innovation Capability enabledby cloud computing, trust and open innovation affect supply chain agility of a firm? The methodology used in this study is to review existing literature in innovation capability, cloud computing, trust, open innovation and agility and develop some propositions on how firms can achieve supply chain agility. Some of the expected results from the study are, development and interaction of trust with cloud computing and open innovation is crucial in innovation capability building process. Second, innovation capability building process enabled by cloud computing, trust and open innovation will influence agility of a firm, leading to firm competitiveness
The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics and behavioral tendencies of Swedish consumers in relation to their involvement with various types of retail stores as well as their shopping and patronizing behaviors under varying circumstances. In particular, the study focuses on examining the underlying dimensions of Swedish consumers' retail shopping behavior incorporating their lifestyles and attitudinal orientations as well as demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Data for the study were collected through personal interviews in Sweden. The study findings indicate that the most dominant lifestyle dimensions include fashion orientation, adventure orientation and aesthetic orientation. Several of these lifestyle dimensions apparent among the Swedish retail shoppers were found to be related to the number of stores shopped in a given period of time. Also, the most dominant factors were one-stop shopping, merchandise quality and assortment, and store communication factors. When the dimensions extracted based on the grocery store choice are used in explaining the number of stores visited, then we see an inverse relationship between the number of stores visited and the factors of one-stop shopping, merchandise quality, and poverty of time. On the other hand, there is a direct relationship between the number of stores visited and the factor of store communication and convenience. The findings of the study offer important research, public policy and managerial implications for retailer distributors and consumer goods manufacturers.
The purpose of this article is to examine the establishment processes of Scania in Croatia and Statoil in Estonia applying a model developed from the network approach. The findings show that Statoil's ability to leverage significant actors in its network to support its establishment made the process less cumbersome and less resource-consuming. Scania's lack of home- and host country support resulted in an arduous and costly process, with Scania's market position changing several times as different problems cropped up. We also found that relationship orientation requires adaptation by the firm and, more critically, by its managers. A lack of cross-cultural competence is also observed to be an impeding factor in the process.
This paper contributes to extant literature on market entry strategies in several ways. First, while previous literature focuses either on entry modes or entry timing, comparatively little efforts are made to illuminate the establishment process. Secondly, it addresses emanating impediments and development of supporting relationships with significant actors during the processes of establishment in transition economies. Establishment model, developed from network approach, facilitated the capturing of various supporting relationships that enabled the focal relationships to function properly during the establishment processes in less-structured markets. In-depth interviews were held with key informants in two Scandinavian firms. Findings show that Statoil´s ability to leverage a number of significant actors in its network for support during its establishment in Estonia makes the process less cumbersome and less resource consuming. Lack of home and host country support for Scania resulted in an arduous and costly process, with the firm's position changing several times as different problems cropped up. In conclusion, relationship orientation requires adaptation by an organization, but more critically by its managers. Lack of cross-cultural relationship skills and orientation could impede a company's growth in international markets. We call for more research efforts in the area of cultural dimensions of market establishment processes.
Purpose: Intellectual property theft amounts to billions of dollars per year worldwide. The first step in stemming this loss is to understand the underlying precursors of this behavior. This paper aims to propose and test a model of consumer choice to purchase or pirate intellectual property, specifically music. This paper combines and applies the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and Becker's theory of crime to develop a more comprehensive model of digital piracy behavior. Culture was tested as an antecedent to the attitudes and the perceptions of risk associated with music piracy. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of 4,618 participants was conducted across 23 countries. Construct measures were validated using confirmatory factor analysis in LISREL. A conceptual model was tested using logistic structural equation modeling in MPlus. Respondents were asked about the last music they acquired to test a behavioral model of music piracy. Findings: The results indicated that culture, specifically rule orientation and uncertainty avoidance, had a significant impact on attitudes toward the music industry, ethical perceptions of music piracy and risk perceptions. Respondents' ethical perceptions of downloading had the highest impact on music piracy behavior. The personal/copy risk associated with the illegal downloading of music had a significant impact while the relative channel risk did not. The market value, quality and selection also had a significant impact on downloading behavior, as did the respondent's ability to find and download music. Research limitations/implications: While this paper was limited by focusing on the illegal downloading of music, the results can provide guidance in the design of future research concerning the piracy and unlicensed downloading of other types of intellectual properties such as movies/videos, TV, paywall content and e-books. Practical implications: In recent years, improved access to music and video through online streaming and online stores has significantly decreased music piracy. This research indicated that further inroads into this behavior could be made through better online purchase access and through consumer education about the ethics and results of digital downloading. Further, efforts are more efficient by targeting cultures with lower levels of rule orientation with ethics education and targeted risk messages in countries with higher uncertainty avoidance. Social implications: Yearly losses to the music industry amount to about $5-29bn. Many find music and video downloading and "sharing" as acceptable. The model developed in this research has implications to affect this mass loss of revenue to the music industry and perhaps the societal view of downloading behavior that is illegal but commonly accepted. Originality/value: This model is the first to integrate cultural aspects into models of digital piracy. In addition, the model is developed from a strong theoretical base (TRA and Becker's theory of crime) to integrate multiple antecedents to intellectual property theft research.


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Development Review Information
The City of Ames works with developers, designers, owners, and contractors to help many types of development to happen. It begins with the Development Review Committee (DRC), made up of City staff in eight departments. For subdividing land and development of sites for commercial, industrial, multi-family residential, and other uses, the DRC is a one-stop shop so that development customers do not need to contact and work with each staff member individually. DRC members seek to understand the customer's objectives and also consider the development project with respect to their areas of expertise and the City codes, standards, and policies they are charged with implementing. DRC members coordinate with each other and with customers to develop in a way that is consistent with the City's codes and plans.
Learn how a Kick-off meeting can help you
For definitions of terms in the flow chart
Once DRC has reviewed the items below, they are sent to a Board or Commission
according to the type of development.
|Minor Site Development Plan:
|Approval by Staff (Director of Planning & Housing)
|Major Site Development Plan:
|Recommendation by Planning & Zoning Commission, Approval by City Council
|Master Plan:
|Recommendation by Planning & Zoning Commission, Approval by City Council
|Plat of Survey:
|Approval by City Council
|Preliminary Plat:
|Recommendation by Planning & Zoning Commission, Approval by City Council
|Final Plat:
|Approval by City Council
|Special Use Permit:
|Approval by Zoning Board of Adjustment
|Conditional Use Permit:
|Approval by Zoning Board of Adjustment
Development Review Schedules
Please click on the following links to see the schedules for each group.
Staff Review Schedule
Planning & Zoning Commission Review Schedule
Zoning Board of Adjustment Review Schedule
City Council Review Schedule
Development Applications
All development applications may be found on the Planning Applications page.
Business Development Toolkit (click here for more information)
Mission and Purpose Statements
To view the Mission and Purpose Statements for the Development Review Committee, please click here.


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Thoughtful, Motivating & Inspiring Statements, Quotes,
Proverbs by known & Unknown people.
This Blog is a result of my Quest to understand the "Meaning & Purpose Of Life" after the sudden death of my Mother in November 2006.
And in my journey to trench my thirst I came across several Articles & Informations in Newspapers, Magazines, Websites, Books , TV Programs etc.
I thought that it would be Good idea to put up all these articles in such a place so that many others like me can get benefited from it.Hence I created this blog so that people can get Motivated, Inspired & Focused in Life to make this earth a better place.


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"The Hour of the Wolf," a film that is probably the darkest of Ingmar Bergman's journeys into his shadowy interior, the protagonist, an artist beset by night sweats, is fishing off a craggy promontory on an island where he has come to live. A pesky young boy materializes and by degrees invades the artist's tranquillity. They grapple; the boy scrambles onto the artist's back, tearing at his neck and trying to devour him. The artist smashes the boy against the cliff, then beats his head in with a rock, and finally, with a curious gentleness, lowers the vanquished demon of childhood into the sea. The scene, in its choreographed ferocity, is an allegory for Bergman's lifelong struggle to fend off the ghosts of his past, which he is determined to defeat, but with reverence.
The flat, windswept island in "The Hour of the Wolf" (1968) recalls Fårö, in the Baltic Sea, where Bergman, now eighty, spends most of his time. His single-story gray-brown house, which he built in 1966 for himself and Liv Ullmann, who was then his partner, sits unobtrusively on the island's isolated southeastern edge, hidden by a forest of scrub pines and overlooking shale beaches and the empty sea. The island—a two-hour hop by plane and ferry from Stockholm, where Bergman now ventures only in order to work—also provides the brooding setting for "The Passion of Anna" (1969), and its extremes match Bergman's roiling temperament. "I have such difficulty calming down—my stomach, my head, reality, everything. That is the reason I live in Fårö," he said this March, in Stockholm. "I have a feeling of complete balance. The sea, the house, the loneliness, the light. Everything is clearer. Much more precise. I have the feeling that I am living on a limit, and I'm crossing that limit sometimes." We were sitting in his small, soundproofed office at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, known as the Dramaten, where he was re-rehearsing Per Olov Enquist's "The Image Makers" for its American début. The play, which will appear at the Brooklyn Academy of Music next week, is a fictional account of the first screening of Victor Sjöström's silent film "The Phantom Carriage," for the Nobel Prize-winning Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf; her book about her alcoholic but idealized father was the basis for Sjöström's screenplay.
Bergman, who watches "The Phantom Carriage" once a year on Fårö, and who cast Sjöström memorably as the aging professor in "Wild Strawberries" (1957), also revisits his family in his work, but his method is the opposite of Lagerlöf's idealization. His films, which amount to a singular courageous act of emotional autobiography, explore ancient humiliations; his gift lies in his access to dark feelings and in his ability to call them out into the open, where they can be seen and acknowledged and finally understood. And though most of the Western world knows Bergman only as a filmmaker, his work in the theatre—from Shakespeare to Mishima—is of similar stature. With Enquist's play about Sjöström and Lagerlöf he dramatizes the struggle of all artists to impose their particular spirit on their material: in the act of reimagining their lives they somehow preserve and redeem both the inadequate parent and the memory of pain. This aesthetic transformation—the play calls it "resurrection"—is a game in which Bergman is without peer. While most people spend a lifetime building up defenses against the hurts of childhood, Bergman's defense is to embrace them. "I have always had the ability to attach my demons to my chariot," he writes in his 1990 book, "Images: My Life in Film." "And they have been forced to make themselves useful. At the same time they have still managed to keep on tormenting and embarrassing me in my private life."
When Bergman and I had last met, in 1996, during the opening in Stockholm of "The Bacchae," Bergman compared his theatre work to carpentry, and said he was eager to lay down his tools. He thought the play would be his farewell to the theatre. (He had bid adieu to filmmaking more than ten years earlier, after his Academy Award-winning "Fanny and Alexander.") He was looking forward to Fårö's solitude. He does not like noise—"Quiet" signs are posted around the Dramaten when he's at work. He does not like lateness: he positions himself outside the rehearsal hall at ten each morning in case the cast wants to fraternize, and rehearsals begin promptly at ten-thirty; lunch is at twelve-forty-five; work finishes at three-thirty. He does not like meeting new people or people in large groups. He does not like surprises of any kind. "When I'm in Stockholm, I'm longing every day for that island—for the sea, for nature," he told me. "To listen to music. To write. To write without deadlines. When he was my age, my father—he was a clergyman—relearned Hebrew with a friend. They read Hebrew and wrote to each other in Hebrew. There are so many books I want to read. Difficult books. That's what I intend to do and what I'm longing for."
Bergman's retirement didn't last. "If I don't create, I don't exist," he told the Swedish press in 1976, when charges of tax fraud (from which he was completely exonerated in 1979) sent him into voluntary exile in Germany, where he stayed for several years. Since he was young, Bergman says, he has "created reality around me the way I wanted." He began as a boy, with puppets and magic-lantern shows, and has since contrived to be in rehearsal almost all his life. "Through my playing, I want to master my anxiety, relieve tension, and triumph over my deterioration," he writes in "Images." "I want to depict, finally, the joy that I carry within me in spite of everything, and which I so seldom and so feebly have given attention to in my work."
Indeed, when we think of Bergman's films, joy is not the first word that comes to mind: for most viewers, they call up an atmosphere of agitation, a tense balance between scrutiny and unknowing, a sense of the silence that rustles underneath personality. Yet through this mist of unhappiness another kind of joy is discernible—in the audacity of Bergman's camera, in the vigor of his argument against evasions of all kinds, and in the ruthless (and sometimes humorous) penetration into the contradictory drives of human nature. Before Bergman, film was mostly about what could be seen and depicted in the external world. Very little of important cinema was psychological: it was wars, chases, situation comedy. Bergman was the first filmmaker to build a whole oeuvre through the exploration of the internal world—to make visible the invisible drama of the self. For future generations of filmmakers, he was a kind of bushwhacker, who found a way of embracing the Freudian legacy in cinematic terms and cut a path deep into the psyche—"the soul's battlefield," as Woody Allen calls Bergman's cinematic terrain.
In a career of nearly sixty years, Bergman has written some sixty films, most of which he directed; by the end of this year, he will have added another, "Faithless"—an account of his involvement in a love triangle, which Liv Ullmann is to direct. He has also mounted more than seventy plays; next February he will stage a new production of August Strindberg's "Ghost Sonata" at the Dramaten. When Bergman is in Stockholm, he lives in an apartment built on the spot where Strindberg lived, and the connection is more than spiritual: as Sweden's most expert storyteller, Bergman is Strindberg's heir. And anyone wishing to map the geography of Bergman's genius will find clues in the streets of Stockholm, where he grew up.


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2016 is here and we are very busy for January with a number of long term projects on the go and set for completion around mid 2016. Before we kick in we just wanted to say thank you so much to all of our clients for making 2015 such an inspiring and diverse year!
Before we launch into our 2016 workload, here's a recap of a few of the highlights from 2015.
Absolution. Following a late 2014 world premiere at Vancouver International Film Festival, 2015 saw continued official selections at international film festivals.
Pasadena International Film Festival (USA), Media Film Festival (USA), Kansas City Film Festival (USA), The Fastnet Short Film Festival (Ireland), World Arts Film Festival (USA), Lorne Film Festival (AUS), Capricorn Film Festival (AUS) and the Sanctuary Cove International Film Festival (AUS).
Absolution has also recently received official selection at People of Passion Film Festival (AUS) 2016, showing this January. We couldn't have made anything without a wonderful volunteer cast and crew so BIG THANK YOU EVERYONE!
2015 saw the release of the video component of the Supported Decision Making DVD resource, produced with WA Individualised Services.
Ben Whites' MyWay personal story with Disability Services Commission.
TV Commercials for GHS Solutions and Ocean & Earth.
Health Navigator Corporate videos (DVD) with WA Country Health Service
The debut music video for Perth's own Little Bird (had an absolute blast making this, great people and very talented musicians).
Again, massive thank you to all of our clients and project partners for making 2015 such a great year for us.
We are now gearing up for a busy summer with a few projects we can't really talk about yet. But we can say 2016 will see a number of music videos, documentaries and branded storytelling & corporate videos. We'll also be making another independent short film with an aim to shoot in the middle of the year. This one will be quite different to Absolution, much more ambitious and completely different.
Happy New Year!


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The Box Office is suspended pending Gov. Raimondo's decision on our proposed Safety & Social Distancing Plan.
Reopening Wait List - Sign Up Here for Tailgate / Chalet / Pavilion availability alerts.
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Spectacular autumn weather will draw fans to witness the Finals of the NBC-10 Newport International Polo Series, Presented by BMW to conclude its 24th season on Saturday, September 26 at 4p.m on the polo grounds at Glen Farm.
Playing for Newport will be an exciting roster of top amateur players, competing through 6 chukkers for the prestigious Newport Cup silver trophy, against their most competitive regional rivals this season.
Witness the fast-paced action at the polo grounds of historic Glen Farm, at 250 Linden Lane in Portsmouth, RI. Available online are Pavilion seats for $20 and Lawn Seating for $12. The entry gates open at noon, where tickets are also available. Specialty vendors and concessionaires open at 2pm in the Hospitality village, including the Twisted Pony Bar, Newport Polo Pro Shop, Pedago Electric Bikes, Wag Nation, Fatigati's Fresh Pasta, and other gourmet food trucks.
A weekly door prize drawing of a pair of shoes from Rockport will be awarded to one lucky winner, and winners of the Best Tailgate judging will receive a prize Tailgate Trunk from Stella Artois. The match will conclude with the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Toast & Trophy Presentation, with special guest presenter Emily Volz, NBC10's newest anchor, followed by an autograph signing and cocktail hour to meet & greet the players.


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All measurements were taken by hand and are approximate; slight variations may occur.
Veiling is cut to order and is non returnable.
Colors will vary depending on your monitor and there will also be some variations due to dye lots.
The color swatches shown are multiple layers of veiling in order to get good color samples.


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I recently played the PC port of Mind Zero, a JRPG that was originally released in 2013 for the PlayStation Vita by DivZero and Aksys Games. I was not particularly impressed.
The game, which centers around a group of teenagers able to summon creatures called "mind", is fairly standard for turn-based JRPGs, gameplay wise. You have a menu, on your turn you pick options to attack enemies/heal allies, then the enemies take their turn, so on and so forth. The game has two language options (English and Japanese) and the acting in both is pretty solid. Cutscenes in the game consist of static images with voiced dialog and text, similar to a visual novel. In terms of the storyline, gameplay, and music, it's actually quite similar to the Shin Megami Tensei series (the Persona subseries in particular).
Now, please keep in mind that as I do not currently own a PS Vita, I have not played the original version of the game, so I can't really compare the two. That said, I really don't think the publishers did a particularly good job porting this to PC.
One of the first things I noticed was that there is no option to exit the game from the menu. So what I had to do was alt-tab back to the desktop and close the game from there. That was a little irritating (as most PC games have this as a feature), but I could live with it. The game is also locked at the PS Vita's lower resolution, rather than updating the resolution for PC screens. Some other folks in the Steam page have also been reporting that there's no controller support as well as frequent crashes.
I didn't experience the gamepad issues (since my XBox 360 controller seems to work with the game just fine) or crashes in my time with the game, but I did experience what appears to be a fairly unique issue:
This is a screenshot I took during the game's first actual battle. You see all that black space? Yeah, that's actually supposed to show a view of enemies and a background. All of the battles I fought in the game look like this. I tried googling this issue to see if anyone else was experiencing this, but didn't find anything. Now, I have no idea if this is an issue with my video card or an actual bug in the game, but I could see everything else in the game just fine. The blank backgrounds only occurred in battle screens. It actually prevented me from spending as much time as I like to with a game before reviewing it, because it made targeting enemies very difficult and was just frustrating as hell.
Which really is too bad, because I really did want to continue playing the game for its own sake. I really liked the art style and thought that the story (at least as far as I was able to get into it) was quite intriguing.
Mind Zero is currently available on Steam for $19.99. However, if you're thinking of playing it, I would probably just go straight to the PS Vita version. The general consensus appears to be that that version would provide the better experience.