AfricaKnows Launches June Photo Competition

Following the success of previous competition, AfricaKnows in association with ConstructAfrica are pleased to announce the launch of its “Unique buildings in Africa” photography competition.

AfricaKnows and ConstructAfrica are looking for photographs of unique buildings and projects under construction and are offering cash prices to the photographers whose photos emerge top.

Entrants may submit up to 20 photos. Please include a brief description of the building and the location when uploading your photos. Photos can be submitted on Africa knows website .

We are looking for originality and high quality images in their highest possible resolution not less than 3000pixles. A photograph will be selected from the competition submissions prior to shortlisting. The top three winning photographers will then be contacted and awarded cash prices of $200, $150 and $100 respectively.

Photos for the competition need to be submitted by 21st June 2014. The photos will then be shortlisted and then ConstructAfrica will select the winning images.


ENDS

Notes: Photos for the Competition need to be digital with a resolution of at least 3000 pxl and at least 4992 pixels x 3328 pixels (can be landscape or portrait). You can usually adjust the settings on your digital camera to take high resolution photos.

Photos uploaded may be used by ConstructAfrica and AfricaKnows for publicity purposes, on the web site, in marketing material, Stock site.

 Please see full photography terms and conditions.

The May competition themed “Constructing Africa” photographs from last month is available to buy from Competition.

Advantages of Online payment Systems

Advancement in technology has a great impact on human lives in our society today. The sole reason why more technological improvements are made by the day is because they tend to impact on our lives positively. Online payment methods have made our transactions better, that’s why its use is getting wide spread with time. Below are some of the advantages of online payment systems.

Online payments methods are convenient. Regardless of the time, place, weather etc. One can still carry on with their businesses or purchase goods. Consider a scenario where you happen to remember at the middle of the night that you need something urgently. With online shopping, at the comfort of your bed, all you need to do is to go online and buy that which you need.

It is conserves time. The time you spend to visit a shop, make your selection and queue at the cashier can be but to better use. With e-shopping, you only need to press a few buttons and in a few minutes, you will have completed your transactions.

Users can independently shop for commodities. With e-commerce a customer does not need to wait for a shopping assistant or a cashier to come serve them. With the proper gadgets at hand, transactions are done with both parties (the vendor and customer) independent of the other.

On the retailer’s side, it is cost effective. As a business owner, you don’t need to employ people to handle transactions with clients or even rent a business premise. With the aid of good advertising, once you have posted your commodities online, you just sit back and watch money get into your account.

E-commerce broadens your market as a vendor. This is because your business is not limited to people of a certain locality. Customers can shop from whichever, country they are in and the wider your market the more prosperous your business becomes.

Security on both the vendor’s and consumer’s side is ensured. With credit and debit card fraud protection, customers are less likely to be conned of their money. Retailers on the other hand have their money either in trust accounts or business accounts hence in case of robbery, there is no tangible money that burglars can escape with.

Customers can purchase goods on credit thanks to credit cards. This means you don’t have to wait till you physically have a certain amount of money in order to own something. What if by the time you get that money the commodity of your choice would already be taken by someone else? With credit cards you can buy goods and make payments later.

With online shopping, customer-retailer conflicts are minimized. This is because transactions can be made with both parties not having to interact. Conflicts that arise due to disagreements on bargains, impolite language during transactions etc, are minimized.

These are but a few of the merits that come with e-transactions. You stand to gain and save a lot both as a client or vendor when you shop online. Be part of this digital revolution and watch your business grow. For consumers, ease up the burden of moving from shop to shop looking for commodities; seat back and purchase goods at the comfort of your house, office etc.

Why Your Business Needs To Start Accepting Online Payments

Our lives have been tremendously changed by technology. We use the computer to accomplish anything from reading reviews on the best hotels, making reservations at restaurants, to navigating our way to those beautiful hidden resorts. Access to a plethora of information has changed the way we shop. Clients will research a product/service online before purchasing it and the availability of an array of options only makes the purchasing process more complex.

Employing various strategies in the day-to-day operation of your business can help you stay ahead. Offering best-in-class service and great value to your customers is just not enough. Are you giving them the most convenient payment options? Daily, more and more people around the world are opting to run transactions online. In 2012, the global revenue for e-commerce topped 1 trillion dollars and was expected to top 1.3 trillion dollars in 2013.

The better your online customer experience is, the better placed your business is in staying ahead in the game.

With an online payment service, your potential to grow sales increases greatly. Your business can receive payment from virtually any customer with an email account. Moreover, an online payments system will enable you to:

   

1. Open your doors to more online spend – An online payments provider that offers various payment options makes your products and service available to a broader client base therefore ensures that no one is locked out on the basis of payment.

2. Give your customer more options – Online payments simply add payment options to your existing ones, thus making it easier for your customers to pay you. Customers expect businesses to embrace new trends that make the online experience easier.  This convenience goes a long way towards ensuring that they come back.
3. Track payments – The ease at which you can track payments made – over the phone and on the web – make it more convenient for you. You can manage all your transactions which are reconciled in one view, irrespective of which payment methods have been used.
4. Reduce errors on cash handling – Not only does it facilitate a quicker and easier consolidation, but it also reduces errors on cash handling thus reducing operating risks.
5. Gain a competitive edge – Attract potential customers and retain existing ones by providing them with the latest in the electronic payment technology. The system will also enable you to redirect your efforts to growing your business.

Choosing a payment processor is an important factor. Though there are a number of payment processing companies in Kenya, it is important to choose one that will walk with you and help you grow your business

Mannaging People

Forget the poor quality of the video..The message that is in it is way more important. As all of you who have been in managerial/ supervisory position would agree managing people is not one of the easiest things to do. But how do you ensure you do it right? How do you ensure that you are able to motivate your team to get the best out of the them? These are questions that you need to be able to answer to ensure that you maximize on your teams productivity. Watch the video above to understand what am talking about, and there after you can start the process managing better. You can also sign up for managing people online course and start learning anywhere online.

Are you an entrepreneur and you want to know how to effectively manage your finances? Here is how

As an entrepreneur, how you manage your finances dictates whether your business will flourish or fail. Its is important therefore for you to know how to manage your money well so that you can be able to reach the level of success that you desire. The following tips will help you know how to manage your money well to your advantage.

First and fore most, make sure your personal finances are well managed. This is because if you do not take charge of them, they will end up affecting your business in the long run. If you have personal financial issues they will reflect on your business since you will tend to use money meant for  your business to cater for personal issues.


Work targeting a particular financial goal. Having a goal will go a long way to inspire you to achieve that which you desire and this will help your business grow.

Expand your knowledge on how to manage your money by reading books, articles etc. Through this you will learn more and acquire new skills that will help you comprehensively mange your money. Reading money related materials will help you know in advance how to handle certain financial pitfalls when they come your way and how to get yourself back to your feet.


Save as much as you can. This means being careful on how you are spending your business’s finances and keeping this money for other  worthy courses. Saving can help you during a financial drawback and hence you can be able to easily recover. You can also use saved money for investments and be able to grow.

Do not sign up for bankruptcy through credit cards and debts. Using credit cards may seem attractive and conducive for you and your business but in real sense they are not. They can make you spend more than you can pay back and end up having debts. Arrears only draws back your business financially and you may take long or even fail to recover.

Be wise with your investments. Before venturing into any investment, make sure you have comprehensive knowledge of what you are getting into and what measures to take in case things don’t go as expected.

Choose your business opportunities wisely. Before adopting any idea and putting capital to it, analysis it thoroughly; both its positives and negatives. Make sure any business idea you decide to put your money into is worth it and will not end up being a financial downfall.

The above seven tips will assure you of financial success as an entrepreneur. Remember, your finance is your business’s back bone and poor management of your finances will affect your business. Sign up for a course on managing money today from African  management initiative and get rid of your financial headaches.

Managing Money

Money management is something that does not appear in the school syllabus. People therefore, tend to grow up and try to figure out ways on how to wisely spend what they earn. Your prosperity in life largely depends on how good you are at managing you cash. Below are guidelines that will help you become a good manager of your money.

Know your total monthly income. This especially applies to individuals who have more than one source of income. It will be silly of you to spend without knowing the exact figure that you earn.

With your income in mind,come up with a monthly budget list. This list will practically be your budget and you should not spend on anything that you have not included in it. If an urge to purchase something comes up, make sure to include it in your next month’s budget.

Be cautious of how you use your credit cards. This is because credit cards if not wisely used they can lead to over spending and huge amounts of debts. If you are an impulse buyer, using credit cards to purchase goods or services is a no no for you.

Unless it is an emergency, keep away from loans. With loans you will end up spending more than you should have on the same products or service. This is because you will have to repay the loan with interest, which increases if you exceed the stipulated time period.

Only spend what you have. Do not purchase something with the hope of paying it later. In simpler terms, stay away from debts. Having debts clearly shows that you are not in control of you finances and it does draw you back financially.

Save. This comes in many forms:
Emergency saving: This practically means keeping a side some money to be used during times of emergencies. This will definitely save you from having financial dents after an emergencies.
 
Purchase savings: When you want to buy something that cost a little more than you earn, instead of getting a loan you should save up and buy it. This way you will not incur extra expenses.
 
Retirement saving: The older you become that means there will reach a point you will not be able to work as you used to.You therefore need to save up in preparation for this time.

General saving: Its is advisable to always have some money just for financial security purposes.You tend to be less vulnerable financially .

Every one definitely wants to be a champion in money management since knowing how to manage your finances brings with it great success. The above tips should get you started on better money management habits, but you can sign up for online courses today on managing money from African Management Initiative and get rid of your financial headache.

Mananaging money

A new way to think about money. We give you the solutions you need to be on top of your cash and make your money work for. Take AMI managing money training today and learn how to think profit.
http://www.africanmanagers.co/money1