• Improving revenue-generating processes


• Market analysis


• Customer segmentation


• Campaign management


• Channel management


• Customer relationship management (CRM)


• Event Based Marketing


• Marketing Resource Management.

Marketing Analysis

• Who buys which products


• When they buy


• Location of purchase


• Frequency of purchase


• Amount of each purchase


• Price point responses


• Response to promotional offers


• Percentage revenue generated by each product or service


• Sales trends for each product or service


• Basket bundles - which products or services tend to be purchased together

Customer Segmentation

Advertising, Direct Marketing, and PR

• Product or service awareness


• Product education and positioning


• Brand building


• Countering rival campaigns


• Public image


• Call to purchase offers

Channel Management

• Product retailing and retail services - stores, branches, kiosks, online, mail-order and/or telephone channels


• Consumer product manufacturers - distribution channels and different types of retail store channels


• Industrial product manufacturers - direct sales, industry specific distributors and wholesalers

• Revenue from each channel


• Growth trends by channel by product

CRM

Category Management

Event Based Marketing

Marketing Resource Management

Summary

A short, brisk walk energizes the body by boosting metabolism to release energy from fat. Walking also releases endorphins which have a calming effect on the brain to prevent depression, and reduce stress and anxiety.

And part of the outcome of that fat burning is weight loss. At the very least, if you don't find yourself losing weight, you will notice a gradual change in body mass, as your fat reduces and your muscle builds, giving you a stronger, fitter physique.

How are we going so far...starting to get convinced? Read on, there's more.

Walking at a moderate pace later in the day can help you sleep better. In one study, people who walked more than 20 minutes per day reduced their sleep problems by one third. Step it up to a 'brisk' pace, and you can cut sleep problems in half.

Now for the disease prevention bit - it seems genetics determines only a small part of your health profile. Research shows how you live your life has a much greater impact on how often you get sick and how long you remain healthy before suffering age-related illnesses. Walking regularly can prevent and improve many serious chronic diseases, for instance:

• Lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack.


• Reduce cardiovascular disease by as much as 30-50 percent.


• Protect against diabetes in high-risk people, and lower blood glucose and
  improve insulin action in diabetics.


• Decrease osteoarthritis pain, and improve stability, endurance, and agility.


• Reduce the risk of colon cancer and possibly breast cancer.

Interestingly, it has been shown that skinny sedentary people are more likely to develop heart disease than overweight people who exercise regularly. But don't let that stop you from losing weight. Being in the healthy weight range improves your overall health profile, and walking helps this by increasing the calories you burn each day. The increase in muscle mass, in turn helps to burn even more, when you are NOT even exercising.

Okay, so you get the idea about the health and happiness bit. But how does it improve your business?

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and regular exercise helps lower stress levels and decrease depression. In turn, this boosts your desire to exercise more. By boosting blood circulation to the brain, you will think more positively, and think clearer. This assists in both creativity and problem solving. It also increases your mental endurance, meaning your work more effectively throughout the day. Some research also has shown that walking is associated with less cognitive decline and a reduced risk of dementia later in life. That all adds up to greater productivity for longer.

Walking is one of the most effective and health enhancing actions your can take for health and longevity. It is just as effective in many ways as more vigorous forms of exercise [and probably less damaging to joints, with less risk of injury].

Walking is a superior life success habit, make it one of yours!!

1. Start the day well rested - Treat your bed as an important energy re-supply station and ensure you book in long enough for the process to be completed. That means 7 to 9 hours a night.


2. Try a workout first thing - even 20 minutes will boost your bodies oxygen supply and keep your head thinking straight longer during the day. It's often much harder to feel inspired at the end of the day. If morning isn't your thing - the evening can still work. Try tricking yourself. Change into workout gear as soon as you get home. Switch on the television or put on a DVD, and instead of heading for the couch, sit on a workout bike or yoga mat with some weights. A few seconds later the brain starts connecting the visual messages and before you know it an hour has gone by.


3. Keep the body supplied with fuel - Eat a small, healthy snack every few hour of lean protein and whole grain carbs. The carbs provide a rapid energy release, while the protein provides longer-lasting energy.


4. Keep the body well hydrated - air conditioning is extremely drying on your system.


5. Take an oxygen break - if you don't have time for a full lunch break, take at least a 10 minute walk around the block or anywhere where there is more oxygen than car fumes. I use walking catch-ups. If a staff member wants to chat about something briefly I get us both out for a walk.


6. Try boosting energy during the day - some deep breathing preferably not whilst on the phone to the CEO]; taking the stairs instead of the elevator or just standing up doing some leg raises all help to move oxygen around the body and boost the cells energy producing processes. I keep a small hand weight on my desk and it's amazing what you can do during a phone call!


7. Keep good energy nutrition snacks at work - protein balls are my favourite. I make them on Sunday and they last the whole week in the refrigerator. [that is if I don't eat them all by Thursday]. I use them for my 3pm low zone snack and as a mental pick-me-up before entering a long meeting.


8. Reduce the alcohol during the week. - try getting it down to one glass a night - you will be amazed how much easier it is to get out of bed in the morning and you will be more likely to feel like doing that early morning workout. And your skin will look fantastic!


9. Go easy on the coffee - caffeine is not a good long term solution for energy throughout the day. It's addictive and better left to one cup first thing in the morning. You will sleep better also.


10. Reduce the size of your evening meal and avoid carbs after 6pm - you will find you will sleep better and that translates into more energy during the day.

Consumer Camcorders - are the light, handheld cubes with point and click convenience. Just don't expect me to read more than 4 pages of the manual.

Prosumer Camcorders - are for those consumers who want to expand their filming environments and require manual override settings for aperture, focus, zoom and light control. Prosumer camcorders are often used by wedding videographers, and corporate presentations.

Professional Camcorders - these are the big heavy guns with shoulder mounted, external microphone, and low-light film-like quality. These are the documentary making camcorders.

Out of all the features, the following have stood out as being the most important to the Prosumer:

1. Manual Control Capability - since Prosumer is about more quality, the need to manually set focus, aperture and light are critical.


2. Low Light - with most Prosumer camcorders having 1/3? 3CCD chips, features that concentrate light and render more color and saturation are preferred. Low light is extremely variable between camcorders and is generally very poor in most consumer models.


3. Button Positioning and Size - its all very well having manual control features, but if the access to these features is too difficult, so too is filming. Manual buttons on the casing are preferred to LCD touch screen buttons common to Sony Camcorders.


4. Image Quality - this is normally the base image quality, without manual intervention. As manual control is standard at Prosumer level, the standard auto image quality does not rate as highly as the ability to manually manipulate it.


5. Size and Handling - Prosumer camcorders are much bigger than the consumer handheld models. Most are tube like in dimensions, except the highly favored Panasonic AG DVC30 which is more cube like. Balance in the hand is important, although most Prosumers recognise that for quality video, using a tripod is essential.


6. Night Function - night function was previously managed by slowing the shutter speed. This may have been fine for still landscapes, but add a little motion and you add a whole lot of blur. Other IR options resulted in a greenish/yellowish tinge to the film. Again the Panasonic AG DVC30 has triumphed here with a totally different approach.


7. Inbuilt Audio - anyone serious about video quality is also serious about audio quality. No camcorder is going to give you top quality audio from a built in microphone. But of these models - the one that has the microphone furthest away from the noise of camera operations is again, the Panasonic. Getting an idea that this model came up on top?


8. Price / Value - prices vary significantly from store to store. For example the Panasonic AG DVC30 can cost as low as $1400 up to nearly $2500. There are plenty of comparison sites but check first on availability - what they state online is not always accurate.

The Prosumer models that came up tops, in order were:

1. Panasonic AG DVC30

2. Sony VX-2100 [although technically a professional camcorder, its price
is comparable]

3. Canon GL2

4. Sony TRV-950

The top two were quite close in scoring [13 and 15] and the bottom two were equal but a long way down the points [26]. The points were awarded in terms
of ranking 1 to 4 amongst the models, and then totalled. Not scientific or weighted, but it does provide a relative scoring base between models. Our next article will go into more detail on the feature comparisons between these four models.

--

Max Carr is Editor of RichMediaMix.com. He consults on Rich Media Technology and Digital Publishing.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/health/fitness/how-fit-are-you-really-tests-and-measures-to-find-out.html http://www.articletrader.com/health/fitness/how-fit-are-you-really-tests-and-measures-to-find-out.html Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500 When was the last time your took a complete fitness test? By middle age, most of us have had at least one fitness test as part of a medical check for a job or a life insurance policy. Many of us take the easy way out of judging our fitness by our energy levels. We gauge our energy levels by how tired or energetic we feel. We can also get a good idea of our cardio-vascular fitness by climbing a few flights of stairs, or going for a run. But gauging our fitness in others areas is sometimes not as easy.



Restricted joint movement can be from previous injuries or the onset of age-related degenerative changes. Or maybe, it is just because you have lost your flexibility fitness.



Lack of energy may result from poor sleep or a metabolic disorder, and have no relation to our true fitness.



Unless you undertake a complete fitness test you really just don't know.



A typical testing program includes:

• Cardiac Fitness - Step Test


• Flexibility - Trunk and Hip Flexion Tests


• Agility - Zigzag Test


• Balance - Standing Balance Test


• Upper Body Strength - Push Up and Bench Press Tests


• Lower Body Strength - Wall Squat Test


• Core Strength - Crunch Test


• Explosive Power - Burst Test

• Body Frame


• Weight to Height


• Body Mass Index [Body Fat]


• Heart Rate


• Blood Pressure

The real benefit of completing these measures and tests every six months or
so, is that it gives you feedback as to what areas of your fitness program you
need to change. Most of us have limited time available for staying in shape,
so you want to ensure that your efforts will reap the best rewards.



In addition, continuing to play sports in later years requires a more comprehensive
training approach. In early years when our joints move freely, muscles are well
formed and tendons flexible, we are not so likely to injure ourselves from normal
movements.


As we age, our muscles tend to reduce in size and strength, tendons shorten
and joints move less freely. These all put additional strain on the body to
achieve the same movements, so injury is more likely.


If you don't feel confident undertaking your own measurements and tests, get
a professional to do one for you.


Most Doctors will measure weight, heart rate and blood pressure. But few do
a complete physical assessment, unless you specifically ask for one, and in
most cases, this means being referred to a diagnostic physician.


The local gym is a good place to get a Fitness Assessment. The instructors are
all trained to complete the tests and in many cases, have a better understanding
of the interrelated movements of the body than many Doctors, who concentrate
more on pathology.


Some fitness tests are best done by professionals as they take you closer to
the limits of exertion. This is the case for the Cardio-Stress Test. This test
is a more aggressive form of the 3 minute Step Test, but instead of a simple
step, it uses an exercise machine such as a treadmill or exercise bike, and
an ECG machine. It is a progressive and maximum exercise test; starting from
a walking pace and gradually increasing pace. Electrical impulses from the heart
tissue are recorded by surface electrodes places on the chest wall. A stress
test is useful for detecting early changes in the heart function indicating
potential heart disease.


Before you undertake any new fitness program it is recommended to seek medical
clearance. It is also important to make sure you have warmed up sufficiently. Sometimes you can integrate the warm up into the test program, such as using
the 3-minute step test as a warm up to lower body flexibility tests. Overstraining cold or still muscles to get a better test score is counter-productive, and it is of more value to you to have a true result, rather than an over-stressed, possibly damaging one.


Get detailed fitness measures and tests and tips on maximizing your energy during workouts.